Chapter 10

Enrica saw Zayne as soon as she went downstairs. His temperament was so unique. He was the type of person one could pick out of the crowd at a glance. He was wearing a light gray suit that made him look more like a high-level executive than an insurance salesman. There was an old Volkswagen Jetta behind him. Its coat of white paint was covered in a thick layer of dust. The front passenger door was open, and Zayne was leaning half against it while smoking. When he saw her, he immediately put out his cigarette and tossed it into a trash can. Then, he straightened up and said, "Get in the car first. We'll talk inside." With that, he got into the front passenger seat. Enrica had no choice but to open the back door and get into the car. She could tell that the man driving the car had quite a unique personality. His hair and beard were very long, but he was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, of all things. The combination contrasted strangely—it was as if she was seeing a caveman wearing a suit. The car engine roared to life, accompanied by the violent shuddering of the car. Enrica reflexively grabbed the armrest. The driver saw this through the rear-view mirror and said jokingly, "Don't worry, Mrs. Fulcher. The car's not going to fall apart." Enrica was a little embarrassed to be seen through. The way he addressed her as "Mrs. Fulcher" also bewildered her. Zayne seemed to notice her restlessness and took it upon himself to introduce the man. "This is my friend, Lawrence White. He obtained his domestic lawyer's license just this year. He'll be driving us to the location I mentioned, and we can discuss the case along the way." He only just obtained his license? For a moment, she did not know how to respond. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to respect Zayne and Lawrence instead of raining on their parade. "What do you think of this lawsuit, Mr. White?" Lawrence seemed a little confused. In the ten years he had been in this profession, this was the first time that a client had asked him that. For a case as simple as this, didn't they just have to bulldoze through it and demand an appropriate amount of compensation for emotional distress afterward? What did she need his opinion on? However, he dared not answer hastily, so he thought over it for a moment before asking in return, "What do you think of it, Mrs. Fulcher?" Enrica did not try to hide her feelings on that matter and replied with a slight frown, "According to what I know, Zucker Group has a dozen or so top-notch lawyers in their employ. The Zucker family has deep connections to Evernorth's judiciary. "Last year, a Zucker Group employee got into a dispute with their superior. They were later sued in court and forced to pay the company 60 thousand dollars in compensation." She had even wanted to speak up on behalf of that employee back when the verdict had been handed down, but Miguel had ridiculed her for her naivety. At that point in time, their relationship had not been as volatile as it was now, so he had patiently explained the overall situation to her. However, she had simply felt that he was misrepresenting the facts. However, it was her turn to receive that treatment this time. She paused before realistically sharing her opinion. "I think that we have no chance of winning, so I'd like to request for a private settlement if at all possible." As soon as the words left her mouth, silence descended in the car. Lawrence turned to look at Zayne in disbelief, doubting his own ears. He began humorlessly. "No way, right? Zayne, don't tell me you didn't tell Mrs. Fulcher—" The front passenger window was open, and Zayne was resting his elbow on the windowsill. His sleeve slid down, exposing half his wrist. He glanced warningly at Lawrence, who caught on and immediately shut his mouth. Enrica continued to frown, seemingly not noticing anything strange. Zayne suddenly said in a calm and steady tone, "Let's just give it a try. You can take it as us giving Lawrence an opportunity to practice." Lawrence stared at him in bewilderment. Enrica hesitated. Wasn't the cost of this practice opportunity much too high? Zayne added, "If we lose, I'll figure out a way to cover the compensation costs." Since he had said as much, there was nothing more she could say, so she could only nod in agreement. Inwardly, she couldn't help but wonder if Zayne was just a really gullible person. However, she quickly connected the dots. Zayne was gay, so considering he was willing to take such a huge risk just to give Lawrence an opportunity to practice his craft, the relationship between them was quite evident. She could not stop herself from gazing meaningfully at Zayne. He had to love Lawrence deeply if he was willing to trade a few hundred thousand dollars for the opportunity to let his lover get in some practice. The most terrifying thing to have in a relationship was for one party to be a hopeless romantic while the other was a schemer. She hoped that Zayne would not end up in her shoes. The old Jetta drove into Evernorth's old town. After multiple twists and turns, it stopped in a narrow alley in front of a five-story building with mottled walls. Enrica opened the car door and looked dazedly around at her surroundings for a moment. This place felt inexplicably familiar to her, but she had clearly never been here before. Lawrence sat in the car and waved at them. "I'll take my leave first, Zayne and Mrs. Fulcher." Zayne nodded slightly. "Okay." Enrica smiled back at Lawrence. "Goodbye, Mr. White." The old Jetta quickly drove away, clanking loudly. Enrica looked at Zayne and asked, "Do we go upstairs, Mr. Fulcher?" Zayne said half-jokingly, "When we go upstairs later, please call me Zayne. If you keep calling me Mr. Fulcher, my grandmother is definitely not going to believe that you're my wife." He said the last part so straightforwardly that Enrica felt her face grow hot. She was just here to help him keep up the act, but with the way he said it, it was almost as if they really were husband and wife. Zayne lent her a hundred thousand dollars last night on the condition that she would have a meal with him at his grandmother's house as his newly wedded wife. According to him, he was raised by his grandmother since he was a child. He did not want his grandmother to worry about his marriage all the time, so he was visiting her specifically to tell her that he was now married in order to put her at ease. This was part of the terms they had agreed upon before getting married, so Enrica naturally would not refuse. Zayne had not averted his gaze and seemed to be watching her with a hint of expectation in his eyes. Enrica belatedly realized that he might be waiting for her to change her term of address for him. It was supposed to be a really casual term of address. However, perhaps because he was staring at her, she felt a little uncomfortable. In the end, she bit the bullet and stuttered, "Z-Zayne." Her voice was soft and carried a hint of shyness due to her embarrassment. It was like a feather tickling Zayne's heart. For an instant, his eyes darkened with desire, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. He finally nodded a few seconds later and said with a subtle tightness in his voice, "Okay. Let's head upstairs." Enrica followed him into the building's corridor. This was an old apartment building with no elevator, and the stairwell was very dark. Zayne was tall and almost completely blocked her view, so she could not see anything ahead of her. She could only lower her head and shadow his steps as they ascended the stairs step after step. At some point, he stopped walking. She did not notice him pause and walked straight into his back, caught unaware. His coat was quite cold to the touch. She let out an exclamation and backed away quickly. However, she had forgotten that they were on a staircase. Her foot met air, and she experienced a sudden feeling of weightlessness. She cried out as she started falling backward. At the critical moment, Zayne reached out to pull her back, and she unexpectedly found herself in his embrace. The steps were narrow, so Zayne hugged her tightly for fear of her falling again. It was warm in his arms, and his steady presence made her feel very safe. Zayne's heart suddenly started beating very fast, which snapped her back to her senses. She moved aside and thanked him sheepishly. He chuckled, seemingly finding her reaction amusing. "You're welcome." She had been embarrassed at first, but then she recalled that he was gay and thus more like one of her female friends, which instantly made her feel more at ease. She turned to look at the door in front of them and asked, "Is this the apartment unit?" Zayne nodded. "Yes." He stepped forward and reached past her to knock on the door.