Page 76 of Unlocking my Boss's Heart

“Mei Shau and her lawyer are physically in Japan,” Celia continued. “I’ll call the representative of Julius and Faber Publishing House to come here for the meeting.”

“It’ll be the first case over video of this firm. I prefer face-to-face,” I responded.

“Just the preliminaries. They asked for a video meeting to put the case in motion. They plan to travel to the US if necessary.”

A surge of pride burst through me. Celia managed to do what others couldn’t, bridging the gap between continents and navigating a complex legal case with finesse. It was clear she wasn’t just capable—she was exceptional. And as much as the thought of commitment was still taking root in me, the idea of building something meaningful with someone as remarkable as her felt like a risk worth taking.

The following week, Mei Shau and her lawyer agreed to a settlement during the video meeting. Celia and I sat in my office and reflected on the meeting afterward.

“I believe her,” Celia said. “Aiko Osaka stole her story. He took advantage of the fact that her story wasn’t copyrighted when she asked for help. He knew a lawsuit wouldn’t fall under copyright infringement. I would’ve liked to defend her as a client.” She took a deep breath. “Fortunately, after our explanation, she and her team understood how hopeless the case would be if she continued with the lawsuit.”

“Good for Aiko Osaka’s publisher for agreeing to send a public apology in theNew York Times. Because Osaka himself would never do that,” I added.

“Yeah, the public apology will give Mei some closure.”

I chuckled, falling back into my seat. “So, it’s done.”

She grinned. “It is. I feel accomplished after my first legal case at your firm.”

I shook my head, amazed at how impressive this woman in front of me was. She was the true winner in this case. She’d found all the pieces and put them together.

The firm was on retainer with Julius and Faber Publishing House, so we would get paid the same amount whether they went to court or managed to get Mei Shau to settle. In other words, Celia had helped the firm bring in a lot of money and saved us time.

“I owe you a nice dinner.”

“I’ll hold you to that promise,” she said with a smile.

After that meeting, I was on a high—one less case on my docket to worry about, as I was supposed to “supervise” Celia’s work. Mei Shau was pleased, and so were Julius and Faber Publishing House. It was a win-win situation. And my relationship with Celia was never better.

My happiness would have lasted all day if I hadn’t overheard bits of a conversation with Celia’s name while walking past the small conference room on my way back to my office.

“…and you’re telling me she’s capable of reaching Mei Shau’s lawyer after others failed to do so for months? Doesn’t it smell fishy to you?”

I sighed, stepping into the conference room. Two women were talking as they cleaned up papers from a recent staff meeting.

“What does? The fact that a skilled lawyer did her job, or that you’re spraying untrue statements about your colleague when you could be learning a thing or two?”

Their eyes widened in shock at being caught by the boss.

I knew these women: Rachael Curb and Winnie Harris. They were likely the same ones Celia had mentioned when she first started at the firm. After experiencing this first-hand, I realized how right Celia was to be concerned about an unhealthy work environment if it became known that we were dating.

I was annoyed, but I knew if I wrote a suspension letter, they would claim to be the victims of favoritism. Furthermore, I would be acting in anger.

“You work in Human Resources. So, you should know appropriate workplace conduct better than anyone else. Our firm will not tolerate a toxic working environment.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

As I walked away, I felt a little better, but deep down, I knew there was something I still had to do.

Chapter twenty-nine

Celia

During my first week at work, I was told Anton hosted dinners for big cases that were won. So, after Mei Shau’s agreement to settle her case, everyone on my team received an email inviting us to dinner this evening.

At the appointed time, four members of my team, including me, waited for the ride that was provided. We were picked up by a chauffeur driving a small black limousine. “Courtesy of Anton Waltons,” the driver announced when he arrived.

We grinned at each other, pleasantly surprised, and settled into the car. Our destination was a nice four-star restaurant at the edge of Manhattan. When we got there, the maître d' led us to a large private table where Anton was already seated.

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