At Sun Coffee Shop
A young man in a red coat waved at the man and the woman who just came into the shop. "Erica!" he called out. "I'm here."
At the sight of Watkins, Erica immediately pulled Hyatt's sleeve and walked towards him. "Watkins," she greeted. "Have you waited for a long time?"
He shook his head. "No. Mr. Fei just arrived. Let's go inside, shall we?"
"Sure."
Watkins took them to an inconspicuous corner on the second floor of the cafe. A man in a black suit and leather shoes was already waiting for their arrival. Upon seeing them, the man in the suit stood up and greeted them with a bow of his head. "Mrs. Huo, it's nice to meet you all."
Kelvin Fei didn't need an introduction to know that Erica was Matthew's wife. After all, he had already scanned through the case documents.
After the greetings, Watkins asked Erica to sit in the chair near the window. He sat next to her while Kelvin and Hyatt sat opposite them.
Once they ordered their drinks, everyone went straight to the point. After all, it would make no sense if they beat around the bush. "May I ask you a question, Mrs. Huo?" he asked. "The lawyers of ZL Group are the best in the industry, yet you chose to contact me. Why?" Although he had an excellent reputation within the legal community, he wasn't on par with the lawyers in ZL Group.
When Matthew told her that he wasn't the one who had asked Phoebe to draw a portrait of him, Erica began to regret her decision. If she had known earlier, she would've calmed down and called him to explain first. Maybe then he could've lent her a lawyer from his legal team.
However, out of impulse, she contacted Watkins and asked him to help her find a good lawyer. Now that they had already contacted Kelvin, she had no other choice but to go through with it. She smiled sheepishly. "You know how my husband is busy with his work every day. I don't want to bother him with such a small matter," she stated. "I would rather solve this myself."
Everyone could imagine how busy the CEO of ZL Group was. Ten million in Matthew's eyes was like a hundred dollars to a commoner. It was normal for Erica not to bother the CEO with such a small amount of money involved.
Kelvin nodded. "It would be my honor to be your lawyer. In all honesty, it would've been easier for Mr. Huo to be personally part of this case, but seeing as you don't want to bother him, I'm guessing you'll be acting as a plaintiff on his side?"
"That's it."
"That's fine. However, there are still some documents that require Mr. Huo's signature. We might need to trouble your husband with this."
Erica tilted her head. "Just his signature?"
"Yes! According to the law of H Country, if the wife sues the defendant on behalf of her husband, the husband doesn't need to be present, but the wife must be present with a letter of authorization signed by him."
"It's no problem." Erica thought that she might be able to get Matthew to sign without him reading it. However, another thought crossed her mind. "What if I use his personal seal instead?" It would be easier to get his seal.
"That's fine, but you'll need his fingerprint."
"That's fine."
While Kelvin was looking for other information, Watkins leaned closer to her and whispered, "Why do I have a feeling that Mr. Huo knows nothing about this case?"
He knew Matthew well enough to know that it would be impossible for Erica to sit here and discuss the legal process with them. In fact, he might even be here himself.
Erica chuckled sheepishly. "I'll tell him later." She wanted to hide it from Matthew as long as she could. She wouldn't want to tell him because he might have second thoughts in suing the woman.
Watkins was amused. "You may be able to get his seal in secret, but he'll know about it once you get his fingerprints."
"He won't know," she assured. It would be a piece of cake. All she needed to do was take his finger while he was asleep and press it against the document.
'I'm a genius!' she praised herself.
Kelvin sorted out the documents he had prepared in advance and handed them to Erica. "Mrs. Huo, please take a look at them. These are all the documents that need Mr. Huo's seal and fingerprints. Ms. Su will receive the summons in two days."
"Money won't be a problem here, so please handle it ASAP." She really didn't want to waste her time on Phoebe. As much as possible, she wanted to get this done and over with so that she would never need to see her again.
"Got it! Don't worry, Mrs. Huo. I've already put aside all the other cases I'm working on, so that I can handle yours as efficiently as possible." All the cases under him weren't as important as Erica's. Although the amount of compensation wasn't as high, the case involved Matthew Huo, so Kelvin had to put him first out of everything.
Her eyes widened momentarily. "Thank you." Being Matthew's wife had its perks. She was always on everyone's top priority.
They chatted for a long time before they walked out of the cafe.
Watkins also treated them to a meal before sending Erica and Hyatt back to school.
When they arrived at the school gate, Erica turned to Watkins.
"Thank you for what you did today," she said sincerely. "If you need any help in the future, you can tell me."
Glancing at the girl in the back seat, he waved his hand dismissively. "Don't be so polite. Besides, you've saved my life. I'm indebted to you," he stated. "Now, go to school. Don't be late!"
"Got it. We don't have much time now. Bye!" The first class would start in a few minutes, and it would take them more than ten minutes to walk from the school gate to the multimedia classroom.
"Bye!"
As Watkins watched them disappear into the school gate, he started the car and drove away.
Erica and Hyatt arrived at the classroom out of breath. Just as they sat in their seats, the bell rang. It was already time for Professor Feng's class.
Professor Feng stood on the platform. When the classroom finally quieted down, he started, "First, let me tell you some good news. The Ninth Photography Competition of Y City has just launched. There is no theme or limit to the content of these photos, but the competition advocates for new visual and innovative methods to present the beauty around us. The first prize winner will win a hundred thousand dollars and an honor certificate. The runner-up will receive fifty thousand dollars and an honor certificate. The second runner up…" 'One hundred thou
'One hundred thousand dollars!' Immediately, the students were in an uproar. From what they knew, the last competition only offered fifty thousand as their cash prize to the first place. Now that the prize had doubled, it attracted many ears.
The professor continued, "The deadline is at the end of April. The specific details of the competition can be seen on the official website of the Photography Association of Y City. I hope that all of our students could sign up for it. Winning an honor certificate could be an asset in your resume."
Hyatt nudged Erica. "Are you going to sign up?"
"Of course!" she answered without hesitation. "Didn't you hear him talk about the honor certificate? Plus, imagine the camera lens I could buy with that much money! I'll definitely participate."
"I'll sign up too." He grinned.
Erica snorted. "Of course you would. Why else would you be in the Department of Photography? What kind of lens do you need? I can lend it to you."
Matthew had specifically built a collection room for her in the villa. It held at least a hundred cameras and different lenses that she could use.
