Day 103: Tales Of Formal Lawyers And Steps In The Right Friendship
Day 103: Tales Of Formal Lawyers And Steps In The Right Friendship
Day 103 Of How To Move On From A Man — 1LD
If you’re new here to 1 Lovelock Drive, welcome! Let me fill you in on what you’ve missed.
I’m Andie and my ex, Douglas, dumped me. This is my break-up, so to speak. Douglas is a power player in Melbourne, worth more than I could ever comprehend.
I have no idea why we broke up.
I work and live at 1 Lovelock Drive. There, my best friend James and I are building Highway, our unisex clothing line. Our two other best friends, GG and Sophia, are investors.
GG is dating Douglas’ brother. Awkward.
My friends have been acting strange since the breakup. Since things have changed, I’ve found papers in James’ briefcase outlining plans for an expensive office space for our business.
“You can’t say anything about it, Gallo.” Asking Taylor about his girlfriend’s business was going to be more difficult than I thought.
Though it wasn’t like I posed it this way when I walked in.
After thinking about it overnight, I realised I needed to approach this “meeting” like I was seeking business advice.
Which I was.
What would Taylor do in my situation?
I couldn’t ask my ex how he would handle the current deception, but I could ask his very successful and savvy brother.
‘My friends are trying to cut me out of the business I started on my dining room table, what should I do?’
Yet, when I asked this, his lawyer, one Mr Peterson, was quick to shut down the conversation.
“I don’t get it.”
I looked at both men from across the boardroom table. It felt like me versus them, and I sure as hell wasn’t Goliath.
“Why can’t you say anything about it?”
The two men looked at each other, Mr Peterson shaking his head once again.
“I can’t comment, Andie.”
“You can’t comment? I own twenty-five per cent of Highway, and so do GG, Sophia and James. What do you have to do with it? For fuck’s sake, we’ve talked about it over drinks and meals and at parties.”
Though not recently, I noted. “What’s changed? What do you have to do with it?”
I couldn’t hold my frustration in any longer. It had nothing to do with Taylor at all, and yet he was another person keeping something about my business from me.
Mr Peterson leaned in toward me, his gold cufflinks hitting the table with a loud thud.
“Do you understand how the law works?”
I rolled my eyes. Condescending asshole. Taylor didn’t look amused by his lawyer’s tact.
“What he’s trying to say is that if I speak about the business, to you, it’s a conflict of interest. I’m not legally allowed to talk about Highway with you or with any other parties at present.”
Taylor’s eyes widened. He nodded, slowly, encouraging me to understand his every word.
“I’m contractually prevented from entering into negotiations with you.” Mr Peterson sharply looked at Taylor. He had said too much.
“Right, fine, I will leave then.”
I stood, knowing full well what Taylor meant. He was involved in the sabotage too, somehow. His money was on the line, in some capacity. He had skin in the game, something I never wanted. I didn’t want any of the Gallo brothers involved.
Now I was fighting with one of them to even talk about it. I walked out.
Sleeping with one was a lot easier than this, I mused as I got in the lift. At least the orgasms distracted me from the bullshit.
The lift began to drop, and as I reached the bottom, Taylor’s name appeared on my phone.
‘Go to Mamacita. Say my name to the hostess. I’ll be there soon.’
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
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