“How?” he growled. “How do you keep doing these things? I’m your attorney, and Claudia is too sharp to let anything go unnoticed. How do you keep sneaking things past us? And what things this time?”
The world was full of magic that the humans were never aware of, and not in the “sunrises are magical” sort of way. No, computers were originally an invention of humans but with the help of magic, they were taken to the next level. The technology eventually caught up, but that magic got the leg up… And the money from it. That was how a lot of the warlock elders and powerful families made their money.
And they had a long history of it, ages before the current ones and leading elites even.
Except, they didn’t understand everything of the present. They also had to stay hidden. They couldn’t be front and center, as that could put the pieces together and cause problems. Those were the rules and potentially even too big of a risk for them to go against.
But that was how they made their vast wealth and kept their hands in a lot of pies. Once I understood it—and with more knowledge of the human world than they had—it was easy with my vast wealth to do some damage.
“I took over some companies,” I muttered. “You might not want to know until after you do what you need to. It might be a conflict then.”
He was quiet several moments. “I understand why Claudia curses more than she used to.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I have that effect on people.”
12
The news broke Monday at breakfast during the morning supe news programs. Someone pulled them up in the cafeteria, everyone chattering as Geiger came up on the screens.
“Effective immediately—and in agreement of all the partners of our firm—we will no longer be representing any council member of the Warlock and Witches Council, along with an additional list of warlock and witch families. At the top of the list is the Craftsman family. There are others, but the actions of the head of the Craftsman family this past weekend are what pushed us to make the move.
“He—with the full support of and through a deal made with his council—illegally attacked another of our clients in an attempt to bring her to the council, silence her, seize her assets, and control her vast power. The payment he was to receive was a seat on the council, as apparently they are now for sale.
“He also threatened to drag a member of his own family in front of the council and melt his mind to get information on our client illegally and against the protections we have in place, even though we also represent Dr. Julian Craftsman. As such, these are not people we can represent any longer. For too long, people have wrongly believed they can do as they please and there are no consequences for their actions.
“There are. We repeatedly warned these clients that we would not stay neutral, as we protect all of our clients. We were told to stay out of it, stay in our places, and behave as we should. Well, now we are doing just that. We are behaving as we should and dropping the clients who will not behave with any honor. We are not dogs who will obey masters that bark at us like wild animals and take what’s not theirs.
“We will not stand by and let monsters attack one of ours that we are sworn to protect and take all she has because they want it. It ends today, and they brought this on themselves. So now they can try to swim the unforgiving waters of our world without our protection because they didn’t listen to us that this was a line they were crossing we could not live with.
“Greed and power blinded them. Hopefully, this will make them come to their senses before they lose everything. Personally, I doubt it, but that’s not the position of our firm, simply my own insights as a man who’s seen a lot over his years. As a firm, we know how to choose the right side and who will come out on top of a fight. That’s also the side we stand on. Take that statement how you will.”
He thanked everyone and headed inside the law firm’s building with the other partners and some of the other attorneys I’d worked with, including Claudia.
“Damn,” Izzy whispered. “Just dayumn, Geiger.”
“He was not happy,” I muttered. I glanced around and found Julian, not surprised when he was already looking at me
He gave a firm nod, reassuring me he was fine with it. That was good.
“The head of the Craftsman family attacked you this weekend?” Instructor Larson loudly demanded, scaring the crap out of me. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
I rubbed my hand over my chest and glanced around to the audience we now had the attention of who were intently listening. “Because my barrier held and you’re not my dad. I contacted Geiger.”
“You should have called the damn police!”
I tilted my head and studied him. “And they would have done what? Brought me in for questioning at headquarters where I could have been vulnerable? His council wouldn’t have done anything when they were behind it?”
He opened his mouth but then closed it, growling. “I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I. Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.”
He frowned, trying to study my aura, but I was wearing my charms so he didn’t get much. “You have more up your sleeves.
“I normally do.”
“Oh dear,” Dean White sighed as she joined us. “Well, security just informed me that the press portaled over here and are demanding to get a comment from you. They came the moment Geiger finished
