002
Sienna Thornton snapped back to reality, sat up straight, and quickly flipped open the files, seeing the name Simon Forrester printed in black and white on the agreement copy. Internally, she wasn't too surprised.
A man who would casually come out to meet a strange woman with only a towel wrapped around him was now accused of sexually assaulting a female and even refusing to pay the settlement. Sienna thought this made logical sense.
But adhering to a lawyer's principles of neutrality and objectivity, she only cursed silently to herself and did not mention the bizarre incident on the day of the dog delivery to her assistant.
Just as she was about to go out to meet the client for this case, Partner Reed called: "Sienna, I'm having dinner with Cyrus tonight, you should come along."
"Okay, Mentor."
Thomas Reed was one of the partners at Sienna Thornton's law firm, and he was also the mentor who introduced her to the profession.
He briefly mentioned this without referring to the case involving Simon Forrester, but having followed him for years, Sienna knew exactly what to do next.
She almost immediately went to see the client for the case.
Unexpectedly, the other party was a divorced woman over forty, unremarkable in appearance, and... quite overweight.
Sienna didn't ask her how Simon Forrester had assaulted her, as the woman's demand was merely for Simon Forrester to fulfill the payment agreed upon in the previously reached settlement, rather than pursuing sexual assault charges against him.
Although finding the case rather strange, Sienna, out of absolute trust in her client, accepted the duplicate of the agreement.
Therefore, when she headed to the dinner that evening, she brought along the drafted legal letter, planning to deliver it to Simon Forrester in person upon seeing him.
...
"Lawyer Thornton, I think that agreement is very suspicious! Simon Forrester is a top-tier world-renowned architect, never involved in projects valued below billions. A man of such stature, I'd believe if you said he assaulted a young and pretty girl... But assaulting a middle-aged woman like this? Unless he has some special fetish..."
The assistant's skepticism echoed in her ears, and although puzzled, Sienna Thornton still went alone to the most elite club in Brimfield—The Imperial Court Club.
The partners at the law firm always loved hosting guests at The Imperial Court Club. Sienna Thornton learned not long ago that The Imperial Court is the property of Thomas Reed's mother's family, which is part of the prestigious Forrester Family in Brimfield.
Speculating from Thomas Reed's cousin relationship with Simon Forrester, Simon Forrester is very likely the Forrester Family's first in line to inherit and probably owns a significant share of The Imperial Court Club.
Standing before this high-end club located in a prime area of Brimfield, covering over a hundred acres, Sienna Thornton straightened her back, elegantly walking towards a room lit with bright lights.
As her stiletto heels clicked on the gleaming high-grade floors of the club, the more she felt the Forrester family's prominence, the more curious she became: Why would someone as esteemed as Simon Forrester do such a thing?
Does he really have a special fetish?
Or is there another hidden truth behind this?
With these questions in mind, Sienna Thornton pushed open the door to a private room at the end of the corridor.
As soon as the door opened, she was immediately pushed back a step by a strong, crisp cigar aroma.
The scent was so overwhelming, it rushed into her throat, causing her to cough dryly a few times.
Hearing the sound, Thomas Reed walked out with big strides, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and laughing: "Sienna, come in quickly, everyone is waiting for you."
Sienna nodded to him, respectfully saying: "Mentor."
Perhaps it was because she was about to meet that bare man, a pang of awkwardness surged within her heart, making her smile somewhat stiff.
It wasn't Sienna's first visit to The Imperial Court Club, so she didn't particularly observe the ambiance of the private room. Her gaze swept over a row of wine cabinets, over a large round table seating dozens, finally landing on the man standing by the window, frowning deeply.