Power of Attorney: A Novel (A Greenburg Family Book 1) (3 page)

“Now about moving-”

“Henry. LEAVE.” Oh yeah, Henry forgot about the ‘still angry but focused part’ with an emphasis on the ‘angry.'

“Okay
okay,” Henry turned his head to Sarah once more and gave her one last smile. “He’s really grumpy isn’t he?”

And with that Henry dashed
to the door as Patrick grabbed the nearest book and had his arm drawn back in an arc, ready to launch the great pitch. Henry remembered thinking the book,
A Civil Action
by Johnathan Herr, was a strange choice for someone like Patrick.

Of course, the shot was never made
. Henry made it out in time and was impressed with his brother’s self-control. He stopped in the hallway and waited to see what happened next. He heard the heavy book thump back onto the desk and then his brother’s voice asking, “What?”

He was clearly addressing his question to Sarah, who responded, “I thought you said you always
won arguments?”

Patrick: 0. Sarah: 1

There was one thing Sarah understood the moment she read the file Patrick had prepared for her on the desk. She could not fail this case.

There were two main reasons really. One was because she wanted to prove
herself, and gain the respect from her idol Patrick Greenburg. Yes, he was a jerk but he was a jerk with a brain. Sarah wanted to prove to him that he was wrong to overlook her, dismissing her the moment she entered this room.

Her life revolved around proving and justifying herself the moment she told her parents she wanted to attend Law School. They thought it was
impossible because no one could imagine her as a lawyer. She proved them wrong.

Her professors
had told her she wouldn’t make it on her first year in Law School. She also proved them wrong.

Her first client thought she could not win his
case, and she proved him wrong as well. Thinking back, she was a rebel of a kind. Patrick was simply the next person on her list. She had no doubt she could snap him into reality.

The second reason was
that this case could cause her problems in the future if she lost. Patrick wasn’t kidding when he mentioned their case was a high profile one. He was right; the case would garner a great deal of media attention. It irked her when he was right.

The epicenter of this case revolved around a small two
-story house that used to belong to a couple. The house was such a big deal because it was the setting of the famous love story of Kanade and Aiden Terres, a couple who had fallen in love in the middle of a conflict between two countries. The story about this case can be traced back into the past.

During the time of World War II, after the attack
on Pearl Harbor, many Japanese who lived in the West Coast of America were subjected to concentration camps. Those who had nothing to do with the attack were taking the brunt of the blame for carrying the same blood their attackers did. Any evidence that could trace them to Japanese ancestry would force them to move from their home. One in particular was Kanade Tsukimori, a young student who just came to America to study Western literature. “Aliens” they called her. She was of legal age, so she traveled alone. In the year of 1942, Kanade had never felt so lonely in all her life. Others around her had their family with them. She didn’t.

They said the camp was partially for their safety
, but Kanade knew why they were keeping them there. They believed some of the Japanese were still loyal to the Emperor of Japan. They wanted to see who was loyal and who wasn’t.

Although they said it
was for safety, the fence did not protect them from the anger of those who hated them. In the midst of the camp, racist slurs and cursing were thrown at the people being held prisoner there. The other prisoners had family to hold on to, but Kanade. Kanade was alone. The isolation ate her up slowly like termites on old driftwood. Then, she found someone who brushed them all away.

A ray of hope shone through the dark tunnels of desperation. One officer noticed she was the only one in the camp
who did not have a relative with her. He was different from the others. Aiden Terres was among the few good soldiers who did not treat them differently for being Japanese. It wasn’t hard to like him. It wasn’t hard to fall in love with him either. Kanade and Aiden grew close to each other during her time in the camp.

Even if many inmates
considered her odd for befriending their detainer, she couldn’t care. Aiden was there for her. It wasn’t until 1944 that Kanade knew what the air outside the camp was like. This time, she wasn’t alone on the road.

Kanade
Tsukimori decided to stay in America with Aiden and move to Illinois where they were married. Under the glare and criticism of their neighbors, they lived happily together for a long time with their son, Daisuke, who grew up under that house. Daisuke was raised with an amour of steel, forged by the pride of having an Asian mother. He was proud of carrying his mother’s blood as well as living in his father’s country.

Years past and globalization advanced. The
Terres house was sold off to others when the 1973 oil crisis hit the United States. Daisuke felt bad for leaving the house in the hands of others, but he also vowed he would get it back someday.

Daisuke pursued his passion for literature and became a novelist. The first story he wrote was about his parents’ love in the
midst of war. Surprisingly, it became a bestseller immediately after publication. Many years later he was able to recover his family home, but it wasn’t in the condition he remembered. The home of his childhood had been abandoned, just left to rot and ruin where it stood.

The person
he had sold it to had planned to redecorate it. But he went bankrupt and left the house half way complete. What was left of the house was now a shell. It was a half demolished, half standing house that used to be his home. The next thing Daisuke did was begin restoring it in memory of his parents.

Unfortunately for Daisuke, he didn’t live long enough to see the house restored
to its original beauty. He and his wife perished in a car accident. His death was a great loss to the literature community.

His children, Diana and
Shunsuke, vowed to complete the project their father started. They too wanted to restore the house that symbolized the love of their grandparents.

The construction company decided to ditch the restoration
before it was complete. They claimed the deal was signed with Daisuke, and that the payment wasn’t completed prior to his death. For those reasons, they said the restoration contract had been nullified. However, they did not refund the down payment Daisuke paid before his untimely death nor did they accept an extension of the contract under his children. They demanded a new contract instead.

Angered by the decision of the greedy company, Diana decided to take action and wrote a letter to Johnson and Smith. Many of Daisuke’s loyal fans and Japanese-American population were watching this case carefully
and with anticipation. Those eyes were now glaring on Sarah’s and Patrick’s back.

If they
lost, Patrick would only have one more story to dirty his almost clean track record of flawless cases he had won. Yes, he would probably get a lot of hate from the fans and other concerned people but then again Patrick never cared for his fame.

For
Sarah, a lost was more critical. She was just trying to establish herself into her law career, and this case could cloud her future. She needed to be prepared. She needed to win. They would officially meet their client on the next day to discuss the case.

“It’s nice to see you devote yourself to work
, but they’re going to cut the power out soon. Green energy policy or something,” Patrick’s voice startled her out of her mind palace. She had been so absorbed with the new case she forgot what time it was. She could see from the window that the sky was already dark. Everyone had probably left the office…but why had Patrick stayed? For someone as arrogant as him, why did he stay over with her?

“I thought you left.”

“I don’t want someone working with me but now that you are, you become my responsibility.” Patrick’s way of speaking was different from the first time they met. Maybe it was because he finally accepted he would be working with her whether he liked it or not. Sarah wanted to praise all the supernatural deities for making Jane Hunt exist. Even if he didn’t acknowledge her yet, it was a great start to know he would work with her. Now, she just had to continue where Jane left off.

“I want to make sure
I’m prepared for tomorrow since we’re meeting the client.” Sarah saved all of her work and put on her coat. Patrick stayed silent as they both were preparing to leave.

“That
’s good,” he replied firmly after a while. Even if Sarah was a bit discouraged by him earlier, she felt a little light hearted when she heard the praise. “Come with me for dinner, I want to run through the background with you. At least, I want to make sure we both know the same thing.”

Sarah was
surprised by the invitation. She knew from Henry and Jane’s reaction that Patrick had partners and associates before, but did he do the same thing with them? Still, it was important they were on the same page before the actual meeting. She could tell from Patrick’s expression that he knew how big this case was going to be, and he had a reputation to defend. The weight of the case was pushing down on their shoulders, and they could not fail this. The house was more than just a love story of two people; it was a monument of hope and love for interracial couples.

“Ok,” Sarah replied awkwardly. It was necessary, nothing but a professional outing to
discuss work. He stayed silent for a long time before he let out a small sigh.

“I hope you like Chinese.”

Apparently, her dinner wasn’t at a fancy restaurant with a candle lit room. It was a simple Chinese fast food restaurant with stir fried noodles and tea. It was, surprisingly, not a loud outlet like she expected it to be which is why he probably brought her here.

“The last owner had never stated who would get the house in his
will, and none of his relatives want to claim ownership of it. Probably because of the property tax. That house is worth five times its original value. No wonder he went bankrupt.”

So
far, they seemed to understand the same thing to Sarah’s relief. Talking with Patrick about work reminded her of one thing she already knew, he was a prodigy. He instinctively knew their weaknesses and strengths and his head was already in the game four steps ahead.

She also learned that
Patrick was very talkative when it came to work discussion. And by talkative, she didn’t mean he was cutting her off or retorted her ideas. Patrick was listening. Actually listening and thinking about what she just said. He was attentive to everything she offered and responded back after he carefully scrutinized her words. When he wasn't a jerk, Patrick Greenburg wore an entirely different persona. He became a professional lawyer. They talked for a long time, probably an hour, until they had nothing else to say.

“You want to know why I was pissed when you first
arrived?” Patrick asked her out of the blue. Sarah was extremely curious. Maybe he was trying to make sure she understood the situation from his perspective too. She just shook her head, because there was no way she could understand what was going on in that man’s head.

“Every time I
was assigned a new partner, they were all full of disappointment. They barged in saying what they could do and did the opposite.” He took a sip of the tea and looked back at Sarah. She didn’t know what to do but stared right back. It was true that compared to Patrick; others were nothing. Didn’t he realize this? “It wasn’t the confidence that disappointed me. It was when they did something wrong they always found an excuse to justified their actions.”

“The moment you walked into the room, you look
ed at me as if I’m something…some kind of role model for lawyers. It was that kind of reaction I hate. People tend to put me where I never wanted to be, and when I don’t meet their expectation, they blame me for being myself.”

Sarah could remember
that feeling well. The feeling of what it was like to wake from the dream you had all your life. “What I’m trying to tell you is this; I am not your mentor or someone you should look up to. I am not here to praise you or mentor you. If you want my respect as your partner then, you need to prove yourself to me, but more importantly, you need to prove yourself to yourself.” He paused to take a sip of his water. “Stop admiring me and start working with me as if you want to beat me. I have no time for those who cannot work fast enough because they are busying trying to make someone notice them with half-hearted work.”

It was the moment when Sarah finally understood what she did wrong
in the beginning. Listening to Patrick was like being lectured by her professors all over again, but it was worth it. Sarah wore criticism like knights wore armor. Every time negativity hit her; it hardened her resolves.

It was true
. If she continued to admire him as an idol, she would never move forward from where she is now. Patrick may have helped her during her time in law school, but that was in the past. She needed to look forward. She achieved her wish to work with him. It was finally time to set a new goal.

Patrick challenged
her, and she would meet his challenge. It would be rude to not accept his challenge after all. From this moment forward, Patrick Greenburg would no longer be her idol. He was now her rival as well as her co-worker. She would gain his respect because of her hard work and dedication. Sarah was a battle-harden warrior who had been fighting against people who deemed her as incompetent for all her life. Her parents, friends, professors and clients.

Sarah felt strength build inside of her, strength she didn’t realize had been missing until she felt it straighten her spine. With a voice full of confidence, she said, “Don’t worry. I will surprise you.”

Sarah may yet know what kind of person Patrick really was or what he had up his sleeve, but at the same time, Patrick also knew nothing about her. It was time to show him what Sarah Blake was made of.