Page 121 of Feared

“Wow, that’s incredible!” Mary perked up, and so did everybody else, their grins returning.

“It’s amazing!” Bennie beamed, proudly. “And we’d only just started discovery. It’s a terrific result. We couldn’t be happier. Sanjay and Jim are over the moon. Benedict agreed that Home Hacks and EXMS would return the software they stole, including all copies, and agree not to use it. Sanjay and Jim will agree not to sue them over it, but we’re fine with that. We’re totally vindicated.”

“I’m so happy!” Anne practically jumped up and down, her gold bangles jingling. “We have to go back to work and draft the settlement agreements tonight, if it takes all night. We want the agreements signed and executed, so Machiavelli can’t pull a fast one.”

Lou winked. “That’s the move. Istilldon’t trust him.”

“Me neither,” Judy said, flatly, then brightened. “And we have more good news, Mary, which is why Roger’s here. Roger, do you want to tell her?”

“What is it, Roger?” Mary asked, turning to him with a smile, since she liked him better than she used to. In fact, she likedhim well enough not to feel embarrassed that he was in her bedroom, which luckily, she’d had a chance to straighten up before they’d arrived, picking up the dirty clothes overflowing the hamper, decorating the doorknobs, and making an attractive tent on the handlebars of her stationary bike.

Roger stood taller, smiling in his stiffly formal way as he held his champagne cup. “Thanks to your handiwork, the reverse-discrimination suit against you, Bennie, Judy, and the firm has been dropped.”

“That’s wonderful!” Mary felt her heart lift, even though she had assumed it was coming.

“In addition, Machiavelli has agreed to issue a press release that there was ‘absolutely no merit to the discrimination allegations’”—Roger made air quotes—“and that his filing of the Complaint with the Human Relations Commission was ‘a passionate advocate’s overzealous reaction to the plaintiffs’ failure to be hired.’ So he managed to absolve you of any wrongdoing—and promote himself at the same time.”

“That’s great!” Mary said, surprised. “I didn’t even think to ask him for that. You never see anything like that in a settlement. It does absolve us and it undoes his smear campaign.”

Bennie nodded. “It sure does, and I’m delighted.”

“Me too,” Judy chimed in, beaming.

Mary turned to Roger, marveling. “How did you get Machiavelli to agree to that?”

“I threatened to get him disbarred.”

Mary burst into startled laughter. “That’s exactly what I would’ve done! I threatened him with that, too.”

“That doesn’t surprise me, Mary.” Roger shrugged happily. “When we were together at the interview today, you said you learned something from me. Maybe I learned something from you, too.”

“Aw.” Mary felt a rush of happiness, bubbling out of nowhere. “You know, I have to tell you, when I went down toSouth Philly and saw my former clients, they all knew about it and what Machiavelli had said about us. They all had something to say about it. Some of them even called my mother.”

Roger’s smile broadened. “Is that a South Philly thing?”

“No, it’s a Mary DiNunzio thing,” Judy interjected, and they laughed, including Mary.

“Anyway, I didn’t realize how important my reputation was to me, truly. And it wasn’t just about my client base or whether they’re going to keep giving me business. It was just about what people think of me, in the world.” Mary heard herself talking, realizing that she hadn’t acknowledged how much Machiavelli’s smears had gotten under her skin. “And now I’m going to have this baby and I don’t want him, or her, to hear bad things about me. I don’t want her tainted with any of that. So thank you, Roger, for restoring our reputation.”

“You’re welcome.” Roger bowed mock-comically.

Bennie smiled. “I feel the same way, even though I don’t have a child. We’reknownin this city. Our names stand for something. Integrity. Hard work. Quality. Justice.”

“Don’t forget attitude,” Lou added, chuckling.

Judy grinned. “You mean swagger.”

Roger smiled slyly. “However, do you know what the Sage has to say about reputation?”

Judy looked over. “No, what?”

Bennie snorted. “Who cares?”

Everybody laughed, and Mary was inclined to agree, but didn’t say so because Roger looked like he was warming up to tell them, whether they wanted to know or not.

“Lao-Tzu said, ‘Reputation should be neither sought nor avoided.’”

Bennie looked at Roger like he was crazy. “Oh please, enough with the Sage. What does he know?”