Page 16 of Rio
That part, I don’t understand.
What a crazy family.What a crazy father.I did my best to avoid Rio but it wasn’t easy when he kept calling and texting me.I only contacted him the one time, when I was helping Dani, and I told him that she’d left Dex and was getting a divorce.
Then I ghosted him again.I considered blocking him, but that would have been childish and petty.His texts suddenly stopped and the hectic pace of my job kept me distracted, though at night, I’d lie in bed thinking of him more than I should have, trying to analyze why he’d stopped texting.
Had he found someone?
Why did I care?
I consoled myself by saying it was for the best.
It’s after 9 p.m.and the office is deserted.The only sign of life is the glow of my screen.My inbox is overflowing.My back aches, and I’ve read the same contract clause three times, but I don’t want to leave yet.An empty apartment doesn’t appeal, but next weekend will be different.I’m excited but apprehensive about my friends coming.
My eyes land on the folder that Pierce left on my desk, telling me to give it a quick look.I open it and start reading.
SUBJECT: NGO Pro Bono Request – Blue Star Eco Resort Construction Dispute (Belize)
Attached are more documents from EcoGuardians International, a nonprofit we’ve partnered with before, but not the Belize office.I continue reading.They’re requesting “early-stage legal review” of a land dispute involving a new luxury development, the Blue Star Eco Resort.The community claims environmental damage—mangrove destruction, reef contamination and contaminated drinking water among other issues.
The phrasing in the documents is cautious.They’re worried, and I’m assuming it’s because they’ve been burned before.There’s mention of questionable permits, a shell developer, and locals losing access to their only clean water source.My heart begins to hammer in my chest.
I love projects like this.Passion projects which fuel me and give me a sense of doing something good for the planet and the people who are affected.This is something I can get my sharp teeth into.A resort that calls itself eco-friendly while poisoning the coastline?I can’t wait to dive in, though I’m surprised Pierce wants me to look at it.He hates me doing pro bono work, and prefers paid clients, whereas I like pro bono work.Justice shouldn’t depend on the size of someone’s wallet, and many environmental and indigenous communities can’t afford top tier legal representation.I like that I can give them a voice.Pro bono work lets me fight for what I truly believe in—saving ecosystems, protecting marginalized communities, and holding corporations accountable.I’ve seen how money dictates outcomes and how it buys silence or wins dirty.
“I knew I’d find you here.”
I jolt.Pierce’s voice oozes into the room like cheap cologne.I set the papers down, bracing myself.
He steps inside without invitation, leaning against my doorframe, tie loosened like he’s attempting nonchalance.He’s in his early sixties, self-assured, smug, and trying his hardest to look at least a decade younger.This man has a year-round tan, and the kind of perfectly manicured hands that have never known hard work.His hair has been a work in progress.It’s been thinning at the crown for years, giving glimpses of scalp showing under harsh office lighting.A few months ago, he turned up at the office with a surprisingly dense head of hair.Hair plugs, probably.Maybe he hadn’t gone for a weekend in the Hamptons as he’d alleged, but made a visit to Hollywood’s finest surgeons because it wasn’t the only change I noticed.His jawline was tighter than I remembered and those slight jowls he once had, had miraculously vanished.Even the familiar lines on his brow were gone.Now he has a perpetually wide-awake look of a someone who is always surprised.
“You’re here late.Don’t you have anything better to do?Anyone to see?”
I hate his nosiness.
“I’m looking at the eco resort case from the NGO in Belize.”
“Ah, yes.Locals are upset.Whining about the luxury resort.Something about mangroves and coral reef damage.”
“They have every right to be outraged,” I snap.“They need a voice.Someone who will step into the boxing ring and take on this fight.Someone like me”.
He makes a sound between a laugh and a sigh.“It’s pro bono, and you’re too smart for charity.”
“They flagged it as an environmental justice concern,” I say, evenly.“There may be a violation of the Indigenous Land Rights Act—if the permits were pushed through the way they’re suggesting—”
“You sound so passionate about these things.”His smile tightens.
“Because this is what fuels me.I enjoy taking on greedy corporations and making them accountable.”
He shrugs, giving off mixed signals again.“Why did you want me to look at this?”
“They asked for an early-stage legal review.That’s something that usually in-house work, but they want an outside perspective.”He shrugs.“They probably want someone idealistic to give them a pat on the back.I thought of you.”
I frown.“Why?”
He pauses for longer than is comfortable, before offering an oily smile.“Because I need to keep you sweet.Give you the occasional carrot to get you to stay.”Another slippery smile that make my stomach turn.He’s not holding back.Maybe he can tell I’m getting itchy feet.
“Do you want me to pursue this or not, because I’m already buried in the Santos arbitration and if we don’t push back hard this week, our client risks defaulting on a multi-million-dollar federal contract.I can’t just drop it to fly to Belize and babysit some NGO land dispute.”
“Skim through it, but don’t spend all weekend buried in it.”
