Page 26 of The Billionaire's Classmate

With that, he gave her shoulder a light squeeze and proceeded down the hallway to his office. Flustered, Maria moved into the elevator and shook her head to clear it. His sexuality she could get over. His expertise, however, may prove to be something she could not do without. He could probably crack this case wide open with one glance at the case files.

Maria debated with herself about requesting his help over lunch, but made little progress. She resolved to ask one of her friends about it, and when she got back to the office that was the first thing she did.

“It’s a bad idea Marie,” the young woman, Angela, frowned at the notion of asking him for help. “You’re not the first woman who has needed his help. And trust me, it never goes as well as they think. It’s better to just stay out of it.”

At first, Maria had agreed with her friend, and she just buckled down and redoubled her efforts to gain some ground on her case. But her first court date was drawing nearer and nearer, and she was no closer to drawing any conclusions. Maria had researched the case endlessly, and she was at her wits’ end. As much as she hated it, she knew she needed help, and Daniel was the leading expert in this area. Eventually, Maria steeled herself to ask for his help.

Maria knew that she would have to be very firm with him, and not allow him to get any ideas about her, especially anyphysicalideas. She believed Angela when she said it would be a bad idea, so she knew she would have to tread very carefully if she wanted to come out of this with her reputation intact.

She took a deep breath as she stood in front of his door, and then knocked. A few seconds passed, and then the door swung inward to reveal her boss. Maria could not help but run her eyes over him. He wore a dark blue suit with a matching tie and he had matched a light brown belt and shoes. His cologne wafted into her nose, and her stomach fluttered at the sight of him.

“Good morning Maria,” he smiled down at her knowingly. “I wondered when I’d see you here.”

“Good morning,” she smiled back, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, and moved into his office as he held the door open for her.

Daniel’s office was large and extravagant, with an entire window on one side that looked out upon the expanse of New York City. A set of doors led out to a balcony, which was complete with chairs and side tables. Inside, the office was furnished with a black leather couch and two chairs situated around a glass coffee table. On the other side, there was an enormous mahogany desk, with a large leather chair behind it, and two smaller leather chairs in front. The whole office was a testament to his important position, and it served to slightly intimidate Maria as she entered it.

She took a seat in one of the chairs across from him, and put her thick file on the desk. Her eyes were riveted on his fingers as he easily undid the top button of his suit as he took a seat before her.

“I hope you’re doing well,” he said casually. “Care for a drink?”

“No, thank you,” Maria declined, glancing at the decanter of scotch.

“Straight to business then, I suppose,” Daniel raised his eyebrow and gave her a smirk.

“My latest notes on the case are the first item in the folder,” Maria informed him simply.

Daniel gave a soft chuckle and opened the file. He took up the document that contained her notes, and his expression grew serious as he read over her words. Maria watched his expression intently, all but watching him think. She knew he was analyzing every one of her notes carefully and critically, and she could not help but feel incredibly exposed. This was her work, and she put all of herself into it. She waited eagerly for his response.

At length, he put the document down and looked across the desk at Maria. Maria searched his face eagerly for any sign of what he may be thinking, but it was fruitless. He wasn’t one of the best lawyers in the country for no reason. Finally, he gave her a small smile.

“It’s excellent work, Maria,” he said approvingly. “You’ve already come a long way.”

Maria felt a rush of relief as he praised her. She realized though, that he had likely already caught something that she had missed, and it frustrated her to no end.

“But…?” she inquired, wanting him to lead her in the right direction. He smirked and chuckled at her eagerness.

“But nothing,” he shrugged. “Your notes are very comprehensive, and your case is coming together very nicely. Plenty of recruits would never have gotten this far. Your work is very impressive.”

“Well, thank you,” Maria accepted the praise, but she could not keep a note of frustration out of her voice. “I just feel like I’m missing something.”

“That’s because you are,” Daniel gave her an amused smile from across the desk, and Maria scowled at him. He merely laughed at her.

“Well, what could it be?” Maria threw her arms up in exasperation. “I’ve looked over the original case files, my notes from the courtroom, and the testimonies. I’ve looked at everything.”

“Apparently, you haven’t looked closely enough,” Daniel shrugged, and Maria heaved a frustrated sigh.

“Well, where should I look?” Maria pressed, eager to find the threads of connection between the points she was arguing before the judge.

Daniel smirked at her as he took up the file folder, and Maria watched intently as he slowly flipped through the files and transcripts, his eyes skimming the words. He lingered on a particular document, and he rubbed at his chin as he read the words on the page. He offered the page to Maria, and she eagerly looked to see what it was. It was the testimony of one of the defense lawyer’s first witnesses. She frowned and looked back up at Daniel, confused.

“I already looked through this,” Maria shook her head.

“Give it another look,” he suggested with a shrug. “Compare it with her original statements in the case files and her emergency calls. It all looks like it lines up. At first. Just give it all another look.”

“Is there something specific I should lookfor?” Maria searched his face as if it held the answer.

“What fun would it be if Itoldyou everything?” Daniel leaned back in his chair and arced his fingers in front of him. Maria rolled her eyes at him and he laughed.