Page 5 of Lost Room Lawyer (Room #4)

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Hector

I was glad to be back in the office. Two days of playing babysitter had been exhausting for me.

I loved my two daughters more than anything, but with Luna’s friend Melanie falling ill and going home, the dice had rolled in my favor, and I ended up playing board games all weekend in what felt like an endless rainy marathon.

When my mother-in-law stopped by on Sunday evening, I was relieved, yet almost too tired to make polite small talk.

As I got dressed on Monday morning and slid into my car, ready to start the engine, it felt like I was heading off on vacation. But I was just going back to the office.

Today, I was early, which was a good thing. It gave me time to take care of a few important tasks before the intern arrived. His name was Nico Simeon, and I was curious to finally meet Leo’s eldest son.

After parking the car, I took the elevator to the fifth floor. Landing a few big clients early on in my career, who consistently returned for my services, allowed me to afford these exclusive office spaces, and I loved them!

I recently installed cherry wood floors and had the walls freshly painted. However, what truly sets the rooms apart are the large windows and the richly adorned stucco ceilings, adding a distinctive charm to each space.

There were three offices that had always remained unused, but I never had the nerve to hire additional staff, let alone seek out a partner.

The sign on the door read “Hector Lando – Attorney at Law,” and it had served me well for years.

I had both a secretary and an assistant, paying them far too much, but I couldn’t imagine life without them anymore.

You could hire me for almost anything, but my strengths primarily lay in criminal and business law.

I thrived on court cases, which was one of my strongest skills.

For long-term clients, I occasionally served as an advisor for estate planning.

While I found commercial and contract law boring, that didn’t stop me from offering my services in those areas.

It was still dark when I stepped out of the elevator. I turned on the lights and walked past the reception desk, heading straight to the small kitchen to start the coffee machine. Afterward, I continued on to my office at the end of the hallway.

As I passed my assistant Gerry’s office, I noticed how tidy everything was.

Over the weekend, he had actually cleared off the second desk to make space for the intern.

Though the room still resembled a jungle, I had to admit that Gerry had every reason to take pride of his green thumb.

Although he was rarely in the office, it was clear that keeping the intern in the same room was a smart move.

When Gerry was around, the intern would have the opportunity to learn from him.

I set my bag down, hung up my coat, and opened a window to let out the stale air from the weekend.

It was still far too cold for the season outside, but I generally didn’t mind.

I enjoyed my work, and the weather was of little concern.

Before grabbing an espresso, I turned on the computer.

This was a kind of ritual for me—no matter whether I arrived at the office at six in the morning or closer to noon, no one had to ask me for anything for the first thirty minutes.

I calmly answered emails, read the newspaper, and as I was getting my second espresso, Linda came out of the elevator.

“Hello, Hector,” she greeted, following me into the kitchen.

“Morning,” I replied, making room for her to store her lunch in the fridge. “Had a good weekend?”

“Yes… well… Moritz had a fever and colic, so we had to go to the children’s hospital. But otherwise, everything is fine.” She laughed and tucked a blonde strand behind her ear. “Aside from the fact that I barely slept.”

I nodded with a knowing laugh; I had been through the newborn phase twice and was relieved it was behind me. “Don’t overdo it. If you need to, feel free to go home.”

“I have plenty to do, boss, but thanks.” She placed a paper bag with croissants on the kitchen counter. “This is my debt from last week. Help yourself.”

“Oh, thanks.” I fished a croissant out of the bag and took a bite.

“And how was your weekend?” she asked as she filled the kettle.

“Viktoria had a shift, so I got to be the dad.”

“Oh, so you didn’t work? That’s something new.”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead and make fun,” I replied, laughing.

“The intern is coming today, right?”

“Yes, I think he should be here around nine. Just send him in.”

“Will do.”

I retreated to my office, holding the espresso in one hand and the croissant in the other, and sat down at my computer.

Besides a few small cases, I had a major one that took up almost all of my capacity.

One of my biggest clients had been accused of murder, which was completely absurd.

But there was a body, evidence pointing to him, and he still didn’t have an alibi.

The odds weren’t too bad because it had turned out that my client suffered from hoarding disorder and had kept all kinds of receipts and documents over the years, scattered across his properties.

A curse and a blessing at the same time, as it was now my task to get an overview.

Meanwhile, Gerry was spending most of his time in Vevey, one of three properties where my client resided, sifting through the boxes of documents.

I heard voices in the hallway, and shortly after, Linda entered the room.

“He’s here,” she said, lingering for a moment in the doorway.

I knew why. The boy was twenty minutes early. “Then send the little genius in,” I said, smiling.

Linda nodded and disappeared again. “Go right in.”

I pushed my chair back to stand up and greet Leo’s son, but when I saw him, I stayed glued to my seat. My heart skipped a beat, my jaw dropped, and I felt momentarily breathless. For a few seconds, my mind went blank because none other than Rossi walked into my office.

“Holy…” was all I could manage.

It seemed he was just as stunned, as he froze, his mouth widening in shock, looking like he was about to turn right back around and leave.

“Shit,” he said, sounding much calmer than I felt.

I tried again, getting up from my chair. “What the…? What are you doing here?” A dumber question couldn’t have crossed my mind. It was him. He was my intern. He was Leo’s son. Nico Simeon. On closer inspection…

How did I not notice? The same nose! And damn it! He’s just as hot as he was last Friday.

He had already taken off his jacket and now stood before me in a striking black suit.

Having skipped the tie, the bold patterns on his mahogany-red shirt complemented him perfectly.

His shoulder-length hair was tied back, though a rebellious strand had escaped, falling into his face. He was too shocked to brush it aside.

“Why didn’t you say you were a lawyer?” he asked, his voice trembling. “Maybe luck would’ve been on our side, and we would’ve…”

I walked past him and shut the door. “And why didn’t you say you were starting an internship?” I shot back. “Maybe that would’ve changed something.”

Nico’s brows furrowed, and he looked at me in disbelief, searching for words, but I was just getting started. “Shit, man! I never would’ve considered that you were Leo’s son! As far as I know, your mother is Italian. But you… You look like a Northerner!”

“Like my father, the old Swede?” he asked, raising his brows accusingly.

I swallowed hard. Leo had already earned that nickname when he took me under his wing, and back then, he was even younger than I am now.

Eventually, I found out that Leonard was only half Swedish, and his long-deceased father was originally Greek.

Moreover, Leo had always seemed more like a Southerner to me.

Knowing that Nico’s mother was Italian, I had expected a young Italian to walk through the door this morning.

“What does that matter?” Nico questioned when I didn’t respond. “Who cares what I look like?”

“It does matter!” I hissed. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have…”

“I tried to google you!” he snapped, frustrated. “But your damn website is down!”

For a moment, we were both at a loss. I held onto the doorframe—it gave me support. Nico stood in the middle of the room, tilting his head as he exhaled. Running a hand over the back of his neck, he scanned the floor for answers and grimaced.

What is he doing?

Is he digging his nails into his skin?

Stop that!

When he noticed the chair in front of my desk, he gestured to it. “Can I sit down? I… don’t feel good right now.”

That’s when I saw it too. He wasn’t as cool as he initially seemed.

It was clearly hard for him to cope with the situation because he had no choice.

After all, his father had arranged this internship for him.

Even I wouldn’t dare back out and then have to explain to my mentor why things didn’t work out between Nico and me.

Fuck! The one time I get involved with someone I’m not paying, and I end up knee-deep in this shit!

“Okay, listen. How about this?” I walked around Nico and leaned against my desk. “We’re both grown men, and we can handle this. It was Rossi and Corvo who had sex last Friday. Not us. Simple as that.”

Nico massaged his forehead, probably thinking over my words, then suddenly paused. “How grown-up are you? I mean… If you’re the boss of this law firm… How old are you?”

Now I was surprised. The way we talked to each other sounded way too familiar. But how could I change that? Go back to being formal? I tried to focus on Nico, but the way he looked at me, with those deep blue eyes, made it extremely hard. “Forty-three,” I answered, swallowing the rising desire.

“Fuck,” he said, covering his face with both hands again.

“What?”

He furrowed his brows. “I thought you were in your mid-thirties!”

“And I thought you were a writer.”

“I am. I write! Just on the side at the moment!”

“And do research.” I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe it.” As I crossed my arms and thoughtfully tapped my fingers on my upper arm, I noticed his gaze. He was staring at the wedding ring on my finger.

“You’re married.” It was a statement, and he rolled his eyes. “And you have kids. Hector Lando has two daughters. And when he goes to poker games, he takes off his wedding ring.”

His comment caught me off guard. The urge to justify myself rose like bile in my throat. I had no idea what I was going to say, but Nico cut me off by jumping up from the chair and throwing his hands in the air.

“What kind of person does that?” he snapped at me.

A liar.

A pathetic person.

A lost soul.

I would never say these admissions out loud, I was too proud for that. Yet, the words had never been so close to the tip of my tongue that I could almost taste their bitterness. Instead, I leaned on the desk with both hands and stared at my shoes.

“I’m sorry.” I was never too proud to apologize, as long as it gave me an advantage. “I take full responsibility. I never should have allowed…”

Nico looked at me incredulously, his face contorting. “That’s ridiculous. I kissed you. Remember? It takes two to tango. There’s no way you can take all the responsibility. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Hmm… You’re probably right.” The longer we talked, the more I remembered the poker night and how it was precisely this directness that had captivated me.

Plus, I liked his keen, observant gaze. Somehow, it amused me that the age difference bothered him more than I had expected.

I had no problem with it. The callboys I hired were all under twenty-five.

So, in that sense, he was an old man too.

“And now what?” Nico was less than three feet away, looking me straight in the eyes. “How do we proceed?”

“We see it through, of course,” I replied, taking a deep breath. “It’ll be fine. It was just a one-time thing.”

I was sure Nico had no idea how attractive and sexy he was. When he gave a slight nod to confirm our secret, I had to fight to keep my composure. I almost gave in, bridged the distance between us, and kissed him passionately. Just like he had done last Friday.

“Has… uh… Linda already showed you your workspace and the office?”

Nico dragged his hand over the back of his neck again, digging his fingernails into his skin as he shook his head.

“Okay, then… let’s start with that. I’ll come to you later.”

I escorted him out and called for Linda, who took charge of him. I closed the door behind me again, something I only did when I had an important call, but now I needed a moment to collect myself and take a deep breath.

Shit! What is happening here?

I had always held the reins, but since Nico had entered my office, I felt them slipping away—and that was not good.

I had to be on guard. From now on, I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

I’d been a lawyer long enough to recognize the risks when I saw them.

But I had built my house of cards on solid ground, and I wouldn’t let it collapse so easily.

Heart pounding, I returned to my desk, retrieved the gel from the drawer, and disinfected my hands.

Maybe for now, I’ll just play the perfect family man.

No callboys.

Then everything will be fine.

Everything is under control.