Semua Bab Luxury for Her Mother, Lectures for Mine: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Feeling hungry, I ordered takeout. It wasn't until I went to pay that I realized Lucy had linked my digital wallet to a family card. Any charge over 15 dollars triggered an alert to her.On my phone screen was a message she'd just sent."Toast and coffee are enough for breakfast. A croissant combo costs way more, and both the calories and the price are over the limit."I deleted the message. On the drive to the firm, I called my best friend, Evan Thorne.Evan was a no-nonsense divorce lawyer. After hearing my story, he blew up on the other end of the line."Caleb Hatcher, are you out of your damn mind? You're a top-tier corporate lawyer, and you let a mid-level lawyer box you in like this? What were you thinking when you signed that bullshit agreement?"Did you lose your damn mind? If this gets out, how are you supposed to survive in this profession?"I gave a bitter laugh. "I'd just made partner back then. I was drowning in work. She said she'd handle everything so I could focu

My heart skipped a beat, but my face stayed calm.I pointed at the computer. "I suddenly remembered a case I have in court tomorrow. There was a detail in the evidence I wanted to double-check."Lucy watched me for a few seconds, then gave a quiet laugh. "You workaholic. Do you even know what time it is? The electricity bill is going to blow past the limit again this quarter."She turned and walked away after saying thatI stayed where I was, chilled to the bone.If she wanted to use the law as a weapon, then I would use what I knew best and settle this myself.…"Ms. Sweeney, I wanted to hire you to investigate my wife, Lucy Glaser."Teresa Sweeney leaned back in her chair and flicked her eyes up at me. "Investigate what?""Everything—her financial transactions, her social circle, her call records. And her friend Jean Zeller, the founder of a renewable-energy company."Ms. Sweeney raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Hatcher, that kind of work doesn't come cheap."I slid a card across t

A week before the trial, the court scheduled the final pre-trial mediation.In the mediation room, Lucy sat across from me in a white dress, her makeup immaculate, smiling like victory was a done deal.Her attorney was Harry Jones, Evan's sworn rival and a notorious courtroom shark with a reputation for playing dirty. He cleared his throat and took the first shot."Your Honor, my client, Ms. Lucy Glaser, has long been devoted to preserving and growing her family's wealth. Her professional asset-management expertise is beyond dispute."Mr. Caleb Hatcher, on the other hand, not only lacks basic financial judgment but has recently shown serious emotional instability. He has even circulated false claims online to defame my client."We therefore have serious doubts that Mr. Hatcher remains legally capable of managing substantial assets."The moment Mr. Jones finished speaking, I slid a thick stack of documents across to the judge."Your Honor, this is the full evidence showing that m

I watched Mrs. Glaser in silence.I waited until she had cried enough, then said evenly, "You have three minutes. Sign it, or don't."Mrs. Glaser signed in the end. Her hand trembled as she pressed her fingerprint onto every page. When she finished, she collapsed back into the chair, her eyes blank.I collected the documents without sparing her a glance and said to Alex, "See her out."…A week later, Lucy and I finalized the divorce at the prison.Separated by the cold iron bars, she looked at me, her expression hard to read. "Caleb, when did you start suspecting me?"I looked back at her, but what came to mind was Mom, looking uneasy and out of place."The day you refused to give my mom 800 dollars for rent."A scoff came through the phone, laced with self-mockery and disbelief. "All this over 800 dollars?"I shook my head. "No. It was what that 800 dollars really meant, because it showed the contempt and calculation you had for my family and me."Lucy went quiet.After a

I ignored Mrs. Glaser. My eyes never left Lucy as I spoke."Aren't you the one who's always talking about asset allocation and calculating returns? Fine. Then hear this. There's a kind of debt called reputation debt. Once you rack it up, you spend the rest of your life paying it back."And now you've added a new crime on top of the old one. Lucy, do the math. How many years do you think you still get to live on the outside?"Her whole body shook. She pointed at me, her lips trembling, but no sound came out. Despair closed in on her.Only then did she understand—the leniency letter I had written for her was never merciful. It was there so that this moment would cut deeper and hurt more.In the end, Lucy was convicted of illegally using surveillance devices. With multiple charges combined for sentencing, she received a 15-year prison term. This time, no one could save her.Mrs. Glaser was also sentenced for receiving stolen property and witness tampering.The once calculating fami