The Billionaire Boys Club (Billionaire Romance Series Book 1) (20 page)

“No way,” Jessica said.
 

“Unbelievable,” Dylan said. They walked into Kelsey and Jessica’s room. Kelsey closed the door and sat down.
 

“She could have gotten through this,” Jessica said sadly.
 

“The law community isn’t a forgiving bunch,” Dylan commented. “This would have followed her through the next three years. And imagine explaining it at your interview.”
 

“One photo,” Kelsey said.
 

“Men suck,” Jessica said. “Present company excluded,” she added. “Unless you forwarded it too.”
 

“I deleted it,” Dylan replied. “I’m not a jerk.”
 

“I know. It’s just so unfair,” Jessica said.

“It is,” Kelsey said. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
 

“And Matthew will be sitting in class on Monday without a care in the world. After he destroyed someone’s legal career,” Jessica commented. “I hope he’s satisfied.”
“I’m sure he thinks she brought it on herself,” Dylan said.
 

“She didn’t,” Kelsey said. “Poor Ashley.”
 

Kelsey sat thinking as she waited for Legal Writing class to begin. Tyler sat next to her.
 

“Hi, Kelsey,” he said, taking his iPad out of his bag. She looked over.
 

“Hi.” she said, then looked back to the front of the classroom.
 

“I submitted our assignment,” Tyler said, looking at the iPad.
 

“Thanks,” Kelsey said without emotion. Tyler looked at her.
 

Kelsey frowned and turned to him.
 

“You know Ashley left Darrow, right?” she said.
 

“I had heard that,” he replied.
 

“How can you be friends with people like that?” Kelsey asked sharply.
 

“You mean Matthew?” Tyler asked. He shrugged. “I’m not sure we’re friends,” he replied.
 

“You’re friends with Ryan,” Kelsey said.
 

Tyler smiled. “Ryan’s practically family. You don’t choose family. And you can’t always choose who you do business with.”
 

“I guess,” Kelsey said.
 

“Life isn’t always nice,” Tyler said.
 

“She shouldn’t lose her career because of a photo.”

“I agree,” Tyler said.

“Why did he send it out?”

Tyler shrugged. “Because that’s Matthew.”
 

“I’m surrounded by jerks.”
 

“Thanks.”
 

Kelsey looked at him. “I don’t mean you. At least not today.”
 

Tyler grinned. “It’s a good thing I’m not easily insulted,” he said, typing into the iPad.

“I’m sorry. I’m just angry.”

“I know. Me too.”
 

“Really?”
 

“Really. Ashley was very nice,” Tyler said.
 

“Too nice to date Matthew,” Kelsey said. “I guess she learned a lesson.”

“A harsh one,” Tyler agreed. “I am sorry.”
 

“I’ll stop taking it out on you,” Kelsey said.
 

“Okay,” Tyler said. Kelsey sighed as Keith walked into the room and clapped his hands.

“Hello, everyone,” he said. “Assignments are due today, so don’t forget to email them. So far I’ve got them from…” Keith pulled a post-it note from his jeans. “Kelsey and Tyler, Erica and Marquis, and absolutely no one else. So I suggest you get moving. Midnight isn’t far from now.”
 

There was an uncomfortable silence as Keith continued. “You’ll get your grades for the assignment next week. Although the class is pass/fail, assignments will be graded on the curve so you can see roughly where your work falls among your peers. But as long as you get a ‘C’ or above, you’re on track to pass.”
 

“Today we’re going to discuss drafting client letters. It’s important to be able to do the complex legal analysis like we did in our first assignment, but the mark of a really excellent attorney is to be able to explain in clear, concise language what is going on in the case to a client, who may be completely new to the legal process.”
 

“As we are getting close to the Thanksgiving holiday, this project will be due next Friday. However, today I will be giving you all of the legal information that you need to write the letter, so you’ll save time on researching the cases.” Keith walked to the board and began writing.
 

“Your client is Miss Smith. She owns a small house that she’s lived in for the past 90 years. A developer wants to build a mall in the block that she lives and she’s the final holdout on the block. The developer has offered her a million dollars for her house, but she’s refusing to sell. She’s asked you whether she’ll be able to stay in her family home.” Keith smiled. “For those of you who are local, you may remember that there was a similar case in the Ballard neighborhood.”
 

One of the students raised their hand and Keith called on them. “Don’t we have a duty to suggest that she take the money?”

“That’s something you have to decide. Consider that your client is 90 years old. Money might mean less than living where she wants to live.”
 

“But what about her younger relatives? They could inherit the money, right?” the student continued.
 

“True. And these are the decisions that you’ll face as a practicing lawyer. Since you won’t have the benefit of talking to your client, and asking questions, I’ll let you decide how you’d like to approach the letter. I would caution you though, that your client is your concern, not her relatives, not the developer, and not any benefits to the neighborhood. Part of being a good lawyer is focusing on your client’s wishes, while of course, balancing them with the values that you believe in.”
 

“Our values matter?” someone called out.
 

“Of course. You, or at least your firm, gets to decide who to represent. If you don’t believe in what the client wants, you have a duty to suggest they find an attorney that does. Otherwise you won’t be able to be a good advocate for them,” Keith replied. “All right, let’s get started.” He turned and continued writing on the whiteboard, while Kelsey prepared to take notes. Tyler raised his hand, and Keith saw him out of the corner of his eye.

“Tyler?”
 

“Suppose your client is wrong?” Tyler asked.
 

“Excuse me?” Keith asked.
 

“Suppose your client is wrong. Suppose they want to do the wrong thing.”
 

“Wrong according to your values or wrong according to the law?”
 

“Morally wrong,” Tyler replied.

“Whose morals?” Keith said. “Everyone has a different moral compass.”
 

“So you shouldn’t try to convince them to take a different route?”

Keith thought for a moment. “I think ultimately Tyler, it depends on the type of lawyer you want to be. Some lawyers will try to change their client’s minds or try to get them to change their goals. Other lawyers will do anything that the client wants them to for the right price. Decide what kind of lawyer you want to be. I’m guessing you already know.” Keith smiled and turned back to the whiteboard.
 

Kelsey saw Ryan turn and look at Tyler, but Tyler had gone back to typing on his iPad.
 

After class, Ryan walked up to Tyler. Kelsey busied herself with her backpack so she didn’t have to acknowledge his presence. But Ryan hadn’t come to talk to her.
 

“Are you OK?” Ryan asked Tyler.
 

“Yeah,” Tyler sighed.
 

“Maybe you should go to New York for Thanksgiving,” Ryan said.
 

“Maybe,” Tyler replied. Ryan sat on the edge of the desk. “I’d never hear the end of it, though,” Tyler continued.
 

“That’s for sure,” Ryan said. He patted Tyler on the back. “Ah, we’ll have fun over Thanksgiving. We can drive Charlotte’s car into Lake Washington.”
 

Tyler laughed. “You have a strange idea of fun.”
 

“Gotta do something in Medina,” Ryan said. He stood up and left.
 

Tyler looked over at Kelsey, who was pretending that she hadn’t been listening.
 

“So Kelsey, do you want to work on this over the weekend?” he asked her. Kelsey looked up.
 

“Sure.”

Tyler stood and picked up his bag.
 

“I’ll message you,” he said, and left.
 
Kelsey picked up her backpack and wondered what his and Ryan’s conversation had been about.

Tyler sent her a message after lunch on Saturday. She had seen him at the gym this morning, but as usual they didn’t talk.

Work/Dinner off campus tonight? Chicken pot pie is on the menu.

Yes. Meet you at your room at 6?
Kelsey replied. She hated chicken pot pie.

See you then,
Tyler replied.

At six, Kelsey walked down to Tyler’s room. Zachary opened the door and Kelsey walked in. Ryan was sitting on the bed.

“Give me a minute, Kels,” Tyler said, as he looked for something on his desk.
 

“I want to go with you,” Ryan said.
 

“You aren’t invited,” Tyler replied. “Go somewhere else with Zach.”
 

“I like chicken pot pie,” Zachary protested.
 

“No one likes chicken pot pie,” Ryan replied.
 

“Let’s go, Kels,” Tyler said. They walked out of his room and down the stairs.
 

“What do you like on Madison?” Tyler asked as they headed out of the back gate.
 

“Anything,” Kelsey replied. “I’ve had Mexican, Chinese, Italian and pizza. They were all fine.”
 

“Do you like Thai?” Tyler asked. “I heard that it was good.”
 

“Thai’s fine,” Kelsey said.
 

“Did you look at the assignment?” Tyler asked.
 

“Yeah. I looked up the story in Ballard too,” Kelsey said. “I can’t believe that they built the mall around that 93-year-old’s house.”
 

“That was a good ending,” Tyler said. They turned onto Madison and walked over to 42nd. Tyler held the door open for Kelsey and they walked into the Thai restaurant. They were seated and given menus.
 

“What do you like?” Tyler asked her.
 

“I usually order green curry chicken,” Kelsey replied. There was a great Thai restaurant in Port Townsend that served it.
 

Tyler looked over the menu. “I think I’ll have salmon,” he said.
 

“Don’t you get tired of it?” Kelsey asked him. In the Northwest, salmon was as common as chicken.
 

“Actually, I do. But I don’t see anything else I’d rather have tonight.”
 

“Pad Thai?”
 

“I’m not a big tofu fan,” Tyler said. “Do you want spring rolls?”
 

“Sure,” Kelsey said. Tyler looked up and the waiter walked over.
 

“Kels, what do you want?”
 

“Green curry chicken and a Thai iced tea,” she replied.
 

“I’ll take a Thai iced tea as well, and I’d like the salmon. We’d also like two orders of spring rolls.” Tyler handed his menu to the waiter, as did Kelsey, and the waiter left. Tyler pulled out his iPad.
 

“Don’t tell me you’ve already done the assignment,” Kelsey said.
 

“No,” Tyler laughed. “I played squash with Zach this afternoon. I haven’t done anything.”
 

“Good,” Kelsey said.
 

“So what kind of lawyer are you?” Tyler asked her. “Will you try to convince your client that she’s wrong?”

“Probably,” Kelsey said. “I’m sort of opinionated.”
 

“Sort of.” Tyler grinned.
 

“I’m thinking that you are too,” Kelsey said.
 

“It’s personal for me,” Tyler said. “I saw my father three times in eighteen years, thanks to my mother’s lawyer.”
 

Kelsey looked him in surprise. “How is that possible?” she asked.
 

“All you need is a really good lawyer and a really rich client,” he said, as the waiter brought over two Thai iced teas. Tyler thanked him. Kelsey stirred hers.
 

“Wow,” Kelsey said.
 

Tyler shrugged. “OK, so we’re the opinionated type. What do you think we should recommend to the client?” he said.
 

“Well, I think we should assume that she doesn’t have relatives. The woman in Ballard didn’t. Then we can focus on what our client wants.”
 

“Did the article say why they didn’t use eminent domain to take the house?” Tyler asked.
 

“What’s eminent domain?” Kelsey asked.
 

“Why didn’t the government just take it and pay her?” Tyler rephrased.
 

“It was a mall, not a government building,” Kelsey replied.
 

“That doesn’t always matter,” Tyler said. “Hang on.” He looked up something on his iPad as the waiter brought over the spring rolls. “Eat. Don’t wait for me,” he said.

“Thanks,” Kelsey said, taking a spring roll.
 

“I see,” Tyler said. “After
Kelo vs. New London
, there was a turn of public opinion about takings. I guess it wouldn’t have looked too good kicking a 93-year-old out of her house.”
 

“So that’s good for our client,” Kelsey said. Tyler put the iPad down and took a spring roll.
 

“If the government won’t take it, then it’s really between the client and the developer. She should be fine,” he said.

“But based on what you just said, wouldn’t it depend on what the development was?” Kelsey asked.