Abandoned to the Mafia, I Rose as the Don’s Most Trusted Lawyer Chapter 02
Marcus and the others sat in the living room playing poker.
The three men crowded around a folding table, beer cans piled in one corner while cigarette after cigarette
burned between their fingers.
Smoke hung over the entire apartment.
I sat against the wall beneath the dim yellow light of a floor lamp and went through the documents in the box
one by one.
Halfway through the game, the youngest man, Noah, glanced at me.
“Give it up, Marcus. What can a twelve–year–old possibly understand?”
George looked over as well.
“She’s been sitting there for two hours. She hasn’t moved.”
I didn’t dare move.
I had seen what happened to children abandoned by their parents.
One boy, two years older than me, had been left behind
when his parents ran. He slept beside a dumpster behind a convenience store.
He never looked at anyone, and his face never showed a trace of emotion.
Marcus said nothing. He simply played another card.
A moment later, I placed the final document back inside the box.
“I’m finished.”
All three men turned toward me at once.
I walked to the folding table, and without saying a
word, they made room for me.
The tabletop was covered in cigarette ash and empty cans. I pushed them aside and cleared a small space.
Then I pointed to the first record.
“Two years ago, you told a debtor that if he didn’t pay, you’d make him regret it. That could easily be treated as a threat. Say instead that you’ll pursue the debt through attorneys, the courts, and lawful collection procedures.
Then you’re giving formal notice that you intend to enforce your rights. Newly licensed attorneys would probably draft those notices for next to nothing.”
George visibly froze.
I turned to the second document.
“You removed a debtor’s television and refrigerator, so you were accused of unlawfully taking his property.
If he had signed a voluntary surrender and
debt–settlement agreement first. it would’ve been treated as a mutually agreed transfer.”
I pointed farther down the page,
“And here, you threw paint on someone’s garage door. That’s property damage. Pay for the repairs, apologize, and get a full settlement and release signed before it
turns into something worse.”
Then I picked up the final record.
“This incident from last fall is the most dangerous.
You put a man in the hospital, and the police were preparing to investigate it as aggravated assault. But the security footage shows that he threw the first punch. You can claim self–defense, although you used
more force than necessary. With the right attorney, the charge could be reduced from a felony to something
less serious. That could mean years of difference in sentencing.”
The living room fell completely silent.
Marcus leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.
He was no longer treating me like a clueless child. He was listening as though every word mattered.
George spoke in a low voice.
“She’s right. There’s a legal basis for all of it.”
Noah suddenly strode over, lifted me off the floor, and
stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing
“You’re really only twelve? What are you, some kind of genius?”
I immediately struggled and begged him to put me down.
My face burned red.
No one had ever picked me up before, and the feeling of my feet leaving the floor terrified me.
Marcus smacked Noah on the arm.
“Put her down. Can’t you tell she doesn’t like being touched?”
Noah released me at once.
Marcus walked over and crouched in front of me again.
It was the second time that night he had lowered himself to meet my eyes.
“Little lawyer, come live with us. I’ll pay your tuition and find you a place to stay. You only have to do one thing. Teach us how to stay on the right side of the law.”
I stared back at him.
“What do I get in return?”
Marcus paused.
He clearly hadn’t expected a twelve–year–old to ask
about payment in a situation like this.
Two seconds later, he let out a quiet laugh.
“You’re a hell of a lot smarter than your parents. You get thirty percent of every payment we recover. I’ll also rent you an apartment with a bed, a desk, a lamp, and a big window that lets in sunlight during the day.”
A window that let in sunlight.
I never forgot those words.
Every time we moved, Claire got the largest bedroom.
She had a princess bed, pink curtains, and a closet packed with dresses.
Whenever sunlight streamed through the curtains, she put on one of her new dresses and spun around in the
light.
My room was always the smallest storage room, crammed with cardboard boxes and broken furniture.
The window was so small that the room stayed dark
even during the day.
Once, on a freezing winter night, I couldn’t stand the cold anymore. I crouched outside Claire’s bedroom and tried to steal a little warmth through the crack beneath
her door.
When she opened the door in the middle of the night and saw me, she screamed and accused me of hiding
there to frighten her.
After that, I never dared go near her room again.
“Deal.”
Marcus held out his hand.
It was enormous, with rough knuckles and several old scars across the back.
I placed my hand in his palm.
He gave it one gentle squeeze, then released me and stood.
“George, handle her school transfer tomorrow. Find
her the best school in the area.”
George turned his face away and wiped at his eyes.
“Got it.”
“Noah, buy her a new backpack and every textbook she needs.”
Noah broke into a grin.
“No problem.”
Marcus looked at everyone in the room.
“Starting today, she’s our legal adviser. Anyone who disrespects her is out of my crew.”