The lawyers told their stories.
Not to the press.
To Damien.
And the truth was more painful than anyone imagined.
---
The meeting was held in the conference room.
Not the old one. The new one. The one with windows that looked out at the city.
The lawyers sat in a circle.
Maya. David. Sarah. James. Others.
Sterling stood at the front.
"Thank you for coming."
No one spoke.
"Damien wants to hear your stories. Not for publicity. Not for the press. For himself. He wants to understand what you were facing before he found you."
Maya raised her hand.
"I'll go first."
---
Maya stood.
Her hands were shaking.
Her voice was quiet.
"I was two hundred thousand dollars in debt. I worked as a barista. I lived in a studio apartment with mold on the walls."
She paused.
"I was approached by a man. He said he worked for a cartel. He said they needed lawyers. People who could look the other way. People who could help them move money."
The room was silent.
"He offered me fifty thousand dollars. Just to start. Just to say yes."
She looked at Damien.
"I almost said yes."
---
The room was silent.
"I almost said yes because I didn't see another way out. I almost said yes because I was tired. I was tired of being poor. Tired of being invisible. Tired of watching my friends buy houses and have babies while I couldn't afford groceries."
She wiped her eyes.
"Then you called. And everything changed."
---
David stood.
His voice was steady.
But his hands were shaking.
"I was one hundred fifty thousand dollars in debt. I worked as a paralegal. I did the work of a lawyer. I got paid a fraction of the salary."
He paused.
"I was approached by a man. He said he worked for a cartel. He said they needed people who could file motions. Delay trials. Lose evidence."
The room was silent.
"He offered me seventy-five thousand dollars. Just to start. Just to say yes."
He looked at Damien.
"I almost said yes."
---
"I almost said yes because my mother was sick. She needed surgery. She needed medication. She needed help."
He wiped his eyes.
"I almost said yes because I didn't know how else to save her."
He paused.
"Then you called. And everything changed."
---
Sarah stood.
Her voice was cracked.
Her eyes were red.
"I was three hundred thousand dollars in debt. I worked as a legal aid. I helped people who couldn't afford lawyers. I made almost nothing."
She paused.
"I was approached by a woman. She said she worked for a cartel. She said they needed people who could help them exploit loopholes. Help them avoid prosecution."
The room was silent.
"She offered me one hundred thousand dollars. Just to start. Just to say yes."
She looked at Damien.
"I almost said yes."
---
"I almost said yes because my mother was working three jobs. She was killing herself to keep me in school. She was sacrificing everything."
She wiped her eyes.
"I almost said yes because I couldn't watch her suffer anymore."
She paused.
"Then you called. And everything changed."
---
James stood.
His voice was rough.
"I was two hundred fifty thousand dollars in debt. I worked as a public defender. I was overworked. Underpaid. Burning out."
He paused.
"I was approached by a man. He said he worked for a cartel. He said they needed people who could help them discredit witnesses. Bury evidence. Make problems disappear."
The room was silent.
"He offered me two hundred thousand dollars. Just to start. Just to say yes."
He looked at Damien.
"I almost said yes."
---
"I almost said yes because I was tired. I was tired of being broke. Tired of being alone. Tired of watching everyone else succeed while I drowned."
He wiped his eyes.
"I almost said yes because I didn't see another way out."
He paused.
"Then you called. And everything changed."
---
One by one, the others stood.
Each had a story.
Each had debt.
Each had been approached by the cartels.
Each had almost said yes.
Each had been saved.
---
When the last person spoke, the room was silent.
Damien stood.
His face was calm.
But his hands were shaking.
"Thank you for trusting me with your stories."
No one spoke.
"I know it wasn't easy."
Maya shook her head.
"It was easy. Because you're the first person who ever asked."
---
Christabel stood beside him.
She was crying.
Not the silent tears.
The kind that came from somewhere deep.
Somewhere that had been hurting for years.
"I'm sorry," she said.
The lawyers looked at her.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm sorry the world failed you. I'm sorry you were so close to losing yourselves."
Maya shook her head.
"You saved us."
"You saved yourselves."
"You gave us a chance."
"You took the chance."
---
Damien stepped forward.
"I'm filing a lawsuit. Against the student loan industry. For twenty million dollars."
The room went silent.
"Not for me. For the next generation. For the brilliant kids who are being overlooked because they don't have money. For the students who are being forced to choose between debt and death."
He looked at each face.
"The money will go into a fund. A fund to pay off student loans for the truly brilliant but unlucky. The ones who have everything to give and nothing to start with."
---
Maya started crying.
"You're going to save more people?"
"We're going to save more people."
"Just like you saved us?"
"Just like you saved yourselves."
---
David stepped forward.
"I want to help."
"With what?"
"The lawsuit. The fund. The future."
Damien looked at him.
"Then help."
---
Sarah stepped forward.
"I want to help too."
"Then help."
---
James stepped forward.
"I want to help too."
"Then help."
---
One by one, the lawyers stepped forward.
Each offered their time. Their talent. Their passion.
Damien looked at them.
"This is why I built this firm. Not for me. For you. For the people you're going to save. For the future we're going to build."
---
That night, Christabel put Lena to bed.
Not Damien. Her.
Lena was full of questions.
"Mama, why is Papa happy?"
"Because he helped people."
"What people?"
"People who needed help."
"Like the baby?"
Christabel laughed.
"Like the baby."
---
Damien appeared in the doorway.
"She's asleep?"
"She's dreaming."
"Of what?"
"Of you."
He walked to her.
Took her hand.
"We're filing a lawsuit."
"I know."
"For twenty million dollars."
"I know."
"To save people we've never met."
"I know."
"Why aren't you surprised?"
She looked at him.
"Because I know who you are."
First Line of Chapter 165 (Teaser):
"The one hundred twentieth week, the lawsuit was filed. Not quietly. With a press conference. With the lawyers standing behind Damien. With the world watching. And the student loan industry panicked."