“Did they make an appointment for you?”
“No, not yet. I told them that I need a moment to think about it.”
“No.” Clara shakes her head hard. “No, I can’t let you talk yourself out of it. You at least need to meet this Zane, to see what he can do for you. You have to give him a chance. I’m going to call him for you right now.”
I guess I don’t have a choice, Clara has taken control of the situation, but maybe that’s what I need…
2
Zane
“A new charity case,” I mutter to myself, happiness blooming in my chest. “Bring it on.”
I know a lot of other lawyers in the city don’t understand why I work for free for certain people, particularly my best friend, Dan, but I have my reasons, and nothing will change my mind.
“I’m doing this for you, Mom.” I smile at her picture on my desk. “I won’t let you down.”
My father is the biggest asshole in the world, absolute scum. Thankfully, I haven’t taken anything from him at all, none of my qualities come from him. I might look a bit like him with my extreme height and bright blue eyes. My high cheekbones also come from him, but that’s it. My personality is all my mom. I would never treat another human being like he treated my mom when they were together, ever.
If I think about Mom and close my eyes, I can still hear her screaming as my dad threw her down the stairs. Maybe I was only five years old at the time and technically too young to make long-term memories, but it affected me so badly that it’s stuck with me forever. Same as when he punched her and broke her nose, just before she finally got rid of him for good. The best day of my freaking life. The air just lifted when he was out of my life, I didn’t quite realize how much I’d been living in a thick shadow up until that moment.
But it isn’t the physical violence that affected either of us the most, it’s the way that he emotionally drained her, put her down and made her feel like crap about herself. For the first few years of my life, I just assumed that she was a quiet and shy person but then he left, and she blossomed. She became her true self. I love seeing her as her true self. She’s an incredible, wonderful person whose smile lights up a room and her laughter is infectious. It kills me to know that she locked this side of herself away for such a long time. She’s always deserved more.
I don’t want anyone to ever feel like shit, which is why I do this. I want to assist people in escaping. That’s my way of giving back to the world, extending the love to others. Mom had help, not that I knew it at the time, but I know without people like me offering their services, there aren’t many choices.
I know Mom is proud of me as well. She doesn’t live here anymore to see me in my brand-new venture, but we talk enough for me to know that she respects me immensely. I don’t know why I shouldn’t do it either. I have made my money. I’m not a money hungry bastard who always needs more, I’m happy with what I have. I still take paid work, but these are my favorite type of jobs, where I’m helping.
Knock, knock.
The knock is quiet, shy sounding which I’m used to. Occasionally, the women sent to me from the charity are fierce and angry, ready to get out of their situation, but more often than not, they are scared. The woman who called me, Clara, I think her name was, said that her friend is very unsure about her decision.
I will help h
er. If she needs to get out, I will make sure that she does, no matter what.
“Come in,” I cry out. “I’m ready for you.”
The door swings open and I’m blown away by the woman on the other side of the door. Somehow, she manages to completely suck all the air out of my body without even speaking. There’s a real sweet softness to all her features. Her ashy blonde hair whips around her shoulders, surrounding her sweetheart face. She is wearing a blue dress which hangs from her slim frame in a way that makes her look like a model. Then, the closer she gets, the more I see the pale greenness to her eyes which is so unique and beautiful, like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
“Hello.” My voice sounds weird as I greet her, like my typical overconfidence has slipped away. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, this isn’t like me at all! “It’s nice to meet you. Nova, is it? Like the car?”
She smiles, her shoulders unfurling as my little joke helps her to relax a little bit. “Apparently, I am named after the car, yes. I think my dad used to drive one back in the day.”
“You think?” I note her crestfallen face. “That isn’t something you know?”
She takes a seat and clasps her hands together. “No, that isn’t something I know for sure. My parents both died when I was young, and I haven’t ever had any family around to tell me for certain.”
“Oh wow… so, where did you grow up then?”
“In the local orphanarium.”
I don’t know what to say to that. Of all the clients that I’ve had, and there has been a real variety of them, I don’t think I’ve ever had someone as vulnerable as this beauty. She’s like something from a fairy tale, a damsel in distress just waiting for her Prince Charming to come along and save her…
Not that I should be thinking that way! Not at all. Just because she’s beautiful and she creates a stirring in the pit of my belly.
“Oh, my goodness. That must have been really hard for you…”
“It was okay.” She curls in on herself, immediately on the defensive. “I made it okay.”