Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
“Julian Sterling, that is enough,” his mother said.
“Yes, it is.” The entire meeting had been as pointless as the supposed investigation. He pushed his chair back and stormed out of the office, more disheartened and infuriated than he had been when he had walked in.
Chapter 9 – Age 26
“I understand that you want to forge your own path, and you don’t feel like you can do that at my firm or your father’s old firm, but there are other options,” his mother said. “I spoke to my parents last week and your grandmother reminded me again that there’s a place for you at the company. Your grandfather can take you under his wing, and when he retires in a few years, you’ll be able to run it.”
“I went to law school so I could practice law,” he reminded her yet again, ignoring the fact that her suggestion was the exact opposite of forging his own path because that wasn’t relevant.
“In that case, any law firm in town will be thrilled to have you.” His mother subtly gestured around the Phoenix Country Club dining room, leaned closer, and whispered, “I see several partners in top firms here right now. I’m happy to make introductions once we’re done eating.”
“Not interested.” He stabbed at the salad on his plate and stuffed lettuce into his mouth. This was the dozenth time he’d had this conversation with his mother since he had passed the bar a year earlier and taken a position at the Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender. The same position he had always said he’d take once he finished law school at the same place he had clerked in over the summer during law school.
“The private sector offers substantially better pay.”
He flicked his gaze to her and then refocused on his healthy lunch. He had been trying to eat better now that he was working long hours and had less time to exercise. At least her country club had decent salads. “You understand that the salary is irrelevant to me.” He had inherited his father’s entire estate. His mother had remarried so he didn’t know what she planned to leave him, but he suspected she hadn’t changed her will and one day everything she had would be his too. And even if none of that were true, he still wouldn’t choose a career based on money. He wanted to have enough to be able to survive without the struggles Tor and his brothers had faced, and he’d have no trouble accomplishing that while doing work that mattered.
His mother cut her salmon with slow precision, placed a small piece in her mouth, chewed, and then swallowed. “Your desire to commit yourself to a life of public service is admirable. Your father and grandfather did the same thing.”
He rolled his eyes, but his head was bent toward his plate, so she probably didn’t notice. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
“Of course, they started their career on a different path, but I suppose you can reach the same goal with a civil service trajectory. What if you go to the Attorney General’s Office? I’m sure that AG Strong will give you a prestigious position and you can—”
“No.” He hated these obligatory lunches with his mother because the only thing she talked about was work, either her own or his, or more accurately, what she thought his should be. Then again, she didn’t know anything else about him or his life so there weren’t other conversation options.
He raised his gaze and looked at his mother, really looked at her, for the first time in a long time. There was a wariness to her, a constant state of concern. She was worried about him, and it hit him that, at some level, she always had been. He hadn’t been an easy child and whether she had been aware of his father’s affairs or not, she hadn’t had a good marriage. But she had tried. As an adult, reflecting on his life, he knew she had tried.
“Mom.”
She froze, his calmer tone taking her off guard. “Yes?”
“I didn’t take this job as a stepping stone to a career in politics or anything else. I took it because I want to help people.”
“You want to help criminals.”
He grinned. “Technically, they’re not considered criminals until they get convicted, Mom. You remember the whole innocent until proven guilty thing from law school, right?”
She smiled back at him. “My apologies. You want to help people accused of crimes.”
“I do.” He nodded.
“Some of them are violent offenders.”
“Some of them are,” he acknowledged.
“Rapists and child molesters.”
“I understand what my job entails.” He also knew how to handle people who were charged with those types of offenses. He looked into their cases, talked to them, and if it was clear they were guilty, he worked out a deal with one of the prosecutors he knew—a settlement that made sure they served a good amount of time in exchange for some of his other clients’ cases being dropped or settled without jail time. The first few people he had approached with those offers were wary and reminded him of his ethical obligations. But Jule had grown up learning that ethics were bendable and adaptable, so he didn’t give a shit. He carefully chose the prosecutors he talked to, and once they realized he was handing them a way to put the right people behind bars for a long time without clogging up their calendars, they played ball. “I’m doing exactly what I want to do.”