Page 135 of Dial L for Lawyer
"Serena?" Caleb's voice cuts through my spiral. "Are you there?"
"It's my fault," I whisper, my hands starting to shake again. "Oh God, Caleb, it's my fault."
"What are you talking about?"
"At the jail. When I visited her." The words come out in pieces. "I told her about the dinner arrangement."
The silence in the room is deafening. I can feel everyone staring at me, but I can't look up from the spreading wine stain on my floor.
"Serena," Bennett's voice is carefully controlled. "What exactly did you tell her?"
I force myself to meet his eyes, though my vision is blurring. "She was talking about how she thought I was perfect, and I was trying to explain that I wasn't. That I was just as scared and insecure as anyone else. Then she asked me about Caleb..." My voice cracks. "She wanted to know how I could afford him when he’s the best lawyer in the city. I tried to be vague, said we had history and that it was complicated. And she immediately assumed we were sleeping together. I didn’t deny it."
"Oh, fuck," Dominic breathes.
"Serena, stop." Caleb's voice is firm but gentle. "This is not your fault. Maya twisted your words, just like she twists everything."
"How can you say that? I literally handed her the ammunition!"
"You couldn't have known she'd use it against us."
I press my palms against my eyes, trying to stop the burning sensation. "I should have. She was sitting there in an orange jumpsuit because of me. Of course she'd want revenge."
Bennett clears his throat. "What exactly is the firm saying, Caleb? How serious is this?"
There's a pause, and I can almost see Caleb running his hand through his hair, the way he does when he's trying to find the right words.
"The partnership is... concerned. The complaint alleges that I used my position of power to extract sexual favors from a vulnerable client in crisis. That I made representation dependent on a personal relationship."
"What's happening now?" Layla asks.
"I've been suspended pending a full investigation. The partnership has to review everything—every email, every meeting, every interaction between Serena and me."
"They can't just suspend you for a complaint," Dominic protests.
"They can and they did. It's standard procedure for ethics complaints involving attorney-client relationships."
"What exactly is Maya's lawyer claiming?" Bennett asks in his professional voice.
"That I took advantage of a vulnerable client. That I made legal representation dependent on personal favors. That I violated Rule 1.8 regarding sexual relationships with clients."
"And you started sleeping together well before the case was resolved," Bennett says slowly.
"Yes. But we had a relationship from before," Caleb says through the phone. "We'd met months earlier. The feelings were there before any attorney-client relationship existed."
"Can you prove that?" Dominic asks.
"The James Foundation Gala was photographed. We were seen together. Dancing. Talking."
"That could help," Bennett says. "Relationships that predate the attorney-client relationship aren't prohibited under most ethics rules."
"But the dinner condition—requiring her to go out with you to get representation—that's still a problem," Dominic points out.
"I know." Caleb's voice is grim. "Listen, I have to go. I need to meet with my attorney."
"You need your own attorney?" My voice breaks.
"It's procedure. Serena, listen to me. Do not contact Maya's lawyer. Do not make any statements to anyone about our relationship. And do not blame yourself for this."
