Chapter 40 Hard Work

The woman, seemingly in her early thirties, took good care of herself. Her makeup was exquisite, and the charm in her eyes was beyond ordinary.

"Elijah, I called you dozens of times, but you didn't answer. I had no choice but to wait here," the woman said apologetically, her eyes constantly scrutinizing Yvonne.

Yvonne was caught in a dilemma.

Elijah stood at the door, not intending to invite the woman inside.

"I've said it before, no one from Win Law Firm will be Carter's defense lawyer. Find someone else," Elijah said.

Yvonne suddenly remembered that "Carter" was the thug who had beaten up Oliver and sent him to the hospital.

"Even if Carter isn't that great, he is still your brother." The woman raised an eyebrow and sneered, "He beat up that bitch to protect the Harper family's assets from leaking. As a lawyer, you should know that illegitimate children also have inheritance rights."

"So what?" Elijah's gaze toward the woman was full of mockery. "I remember your son only ended his illegitimate status and joined your family when he was ten. Fiona, have you forgotten how you climbed to the top? You and the woman who jumped off the building are the same kind of person."

"Elijah, I know you hate me. Your father was promiscuous, even without me, there would have been other women entering the Harper family." Fiona frowned, "In the past two years, your father has become more and more indulgent. You and Carter must cooperate."

"You're overthinking," Elijah said in a calm voice. "I'm in a hurry to go to work, please step aside."

"If Carter hadn't severely beaten up that bitch, she wouldn't have held her child and jumped off the building. That child would have shared the Harper family's estate in the future! Carter is now being targeted for legal action, how can you just stand by?" Fiona became emotional and blocked the doorway.

Elijah glanced at his watch and frowned. "I have to go to work. If you don't leave soon, I'll call the police."

"Elijah, you're the most skilled lawyer at Win Law Firm. He’s your brother! Won't you help?" Fiona's body trembled slightly as she leaned against the wall.

"You're mistaken. Carter and I only share fifty percent of our blood. He can't be considered a real brother." Elijah's eyes gleamed with coldness.

Fiona held her chest and entered the elevator.

"We'll wait for the next one." Elijah locked the door. He didn't forget to greet Yvonne.

Having witnessed the dispute within the Harper family, Yvonne felt somewhat embarrassed.

But this didn't affect Elijah's mood. He remained composed and unaffected.

Yvonne wanted to lower her presence and chose to sit in the back seat on her own initiative.

The car drove out of the underground parking lot, and Yvonne quietly reminded him, "Can you drop me off at FA Center Company first? I'll be late in another ten minutes."

He remained silent, but the car was indeed heading toward FA Center Company.

Yvonne breathed a sigh of relief.

To ease the pressure caused by the silence, she deliberately brought up a topic. "During the incident at the police station, your half-brother seemed to cause the most trouble, right?"

"He is who he is, and I am who I am. Don't mix us up," Elijah responded with displeasure.

Yvonne looked at him with a cheeky smile. "So, we're the same, both having such complicated families. However, with your family's wealth and responsibilities, you naturally have more worries than me."

"Do you still need to go to the hospital?" Elijah suddenly asked, ignoring her comment.

Yvonne instinctively touched her forehead. "You finally have a conscience. No, not for now."

The car entered the parking lot of FA Center Company.

"Thanks." Yvonne kept staring at her phone. There were only two minutes left until clock-in time.

"You're not allowed to see Carlos anymore," Elijah suddenly said.

"He's a client of FA Center Company, and I'm responsible for the graphics. It's unlikely that I won't meet him," Yvonne replied, and the car came to a stop.

Elijah unlocked the central control lock, and his face turned terrifyingly serious. "Can't you do it?"

"I'll try my best to avoid meeting him. Even if we meet, I won't let him take advantage of anything." Yvonne currently lacked the confidence to stand up against Elijah and could only give a perfunctory response.

Elijah pinched his forehead with one hand. "Get out of the car."

"Goodbye!" Yvonne pushed open the car door and hurried toward the elevator.

Elijah turned off the engine and picked up his phone, preparing to make a call, but it started ringing.

The number on the screen annoyed him.

If he didn't answer, the person on the other end would keep calling.

He decided to answer it.

"Elijah, the company's stock has been tumbling lately. Can you come back and help me for a while?" Charles's voice sounded older.

"The law firm just took on several major cases. I can't leave right now," Elijah immediately refused. "I've reminded you before, if you're struggling, why not sell the labor-intensive assets of the Harper Group for cash?"

"Every industry of the Harper Group is profitable. How can I bear to sell them? Drop it!" Charles sighed, "I have two sons, one is capable but refuses to help, the other is just a waste!"

Elijah propped his head with one hand and leaned back on the chair. "Are you done scolding? I have to drive, so I have to hang up now."

"Carter beat someone because of me. Now the other party wants to send Carter to prison. Will you help or not?"

"Two innocent lives, beaten by Carter until they had no way out, jumped off the 28th floor," Elijah's voice trembled softly, "Don't talk about sending Carter in, even a death sentence wouldn't be unjust."

"But Carter is your brother!" Charles exclaimed loudly.

"I have no brother, only a sister named Shirley." Elijah's eyes were filled with bone-chilling coldness. "Carter is just… You should know better than me."

"It's all trouble that I caused!" Charles sighed heavily, "Elijah, if you don't want to help me, at least help Carter! He's still young, we can't ruin his future like this."

"After that woman jumped off the building, I did the damage control online for the Harper Group's reputation. That was already the last straw," Elijah interrupted the call before Charles could respond.

He drove out of the FA Center Company.

The phone rang again.

He glanced at it, and a cunning smile flashed across his face.

Sliding it open, Carlos's respectful voice came through. "Mr. Harper, if the Harper Group cancels its partnership with my company, I would suffer greatly."

"The partnership can continue." Elijah's tone changed abruptly. "You're a smart person, you should know what I don't want to see."

"Since you like Miss Brooks, I will withdraw now and won't bother her anymore." Carlos's English was poor, but his attitude was sincere.

"We'll see." Elijah's tone was firm.

Back at Win Law Firm, Elijah hadn't even taken a seat when Arthur brought over a thick stack of files.

"Mr. Harper, you've had a tough day again."

"I'm used to it." Elijah picked up a pair of reading glasses from the desk and started looking through the stack of files.

Arthur carefully brewed a pot of black coffee for him and asked, "Are you really not taking Carter's case?"

"No. No lawyer is allowed to take it." Elijah didn't even lift his head.

"Understood." Arthur nodded respectfully. "The event in Seattle has been moved up, and I've booked a flight for you at 10:30 a.m. Do you need me to pack your luggage?"

Elijah paused his work and looked at the calendar on the desk. Indeed, the annual lawyer forum was opening today.

Yesterday, he was so preoccupied with arguing with Yvonne that he had forgotten about the important event.

"You go prepare the materials for last month's inheritance case. I'll take them to Seattle to show James. I'll handle the luggage myself."

Elijah's first thought was of Yvonne. Arthur walked away, and Elijah dialed Yvonne's phone number.

"What's up?" Yvonne's stiff greeting came through.

Since he had taken the initiative to continue their secret relationship, Yvonne was not as eager to please him as before. Even her tone on the phone had a hint of sarcasm.

"I have something to discuss." Elijah leaned back in his chair and rubbed his tired eyes.

The forum conference would last for three days, and with various industry gatherings, it would be good enough if he could return on Sunday.

Though he was on the verge of asking her to come with him to Seattle, Elijah hesitated to say it out loud.

"Say it quickly, I'm about to start a meeting here!" Yvonne's voice was low, and she sounded a bit impatient.

Elijah valued his dignity, so he held back that sentence and kept it to himself.

"I have a flight to Seattle tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. Could you go back to Rhode Hills and pack a few pieces of clothing for me?"

"The design team is having a full team meeting, and if I skip work, they'll deduct from my bonus!" Yvonne's voice was lowered. "I don't want to lose my salary next month, please give me some leeway!"

"I can't leave at the moment. There are many encrypted files in the study that shouldn't be seen by outsiders. You should go back to Rhode Hills right away. If your bonus gets deducted, I'll compensate you double." Elijah's tone was strong and firm.

Yvonne hesitated for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Fine."

An hour later, Yvonne called again, panting, "I'm downstairs. Should I leave your luggage at the front desk or will you come down and get it?"

Without hesitation, Elijah replied, "I'll inform the front desk. You can take the exclusive elevator up."

Yvonne sighed in annoyance and hung up the phone before he had the chance.

Listening to the busy tone on his phone, Elijah inexplicably smiled.

Soon, there was an urgent knock on the door.

As he opened it, Elijah saw Yvonne wearing the FA Center Company uniform, holding the luggage with one hand and gasping for breath, her other hand pressed against her chest.

"The driver said it's not easy to find a parking spot here, so he dropped me off before reaching your law firm. I rushed here in one breath." Yvonne's fair cheeks were flushed from the wind, and half of the band-aid on her forehead had fallen off.

It felt as if something had touched Elijah's heartstrings.

In an instant, he regained his composure and calmly said, "You've worked hard."

"I'm really thirsty, could you pour me a glass of water?" Yvonne sat down directly and took out a compact mirror from her bag to check her appearance.

Carefully peeling off the band-aid on her forehead, she stared at the recently healed wound and sighed repeatedly.

"If you're really worried, come with me to Seattle. The scar repair technology at a hospital there is quite advanced." Elijah handed her a glass of water.

"Sure! I'll book a flight right away!" Yvonne blurted out, but immediately changed her mind. "It's just a minor scrape, there's no need to go to Seattle! I’ll just be more cautious and avoid cold winds."

On Saturday, she will have an engagement ceremony with Ryan. How can she go to Seattle?

She had skipped work just to help Elijah leave Winslow.

She had checked Elijah's recent schedule in the study.

The forum conference would last four to five days, so they could easily avoid Saturday.

Feeling pleased with her, Elijah suddenly encircled her in his arms and gently cupped her face with affection.

"I'll help you ask for time off."