Chapter 24: Building Bridges
Day 78 started with a phone call I'd been planning for a week.
"Mrs. Chen? It's Scott Roden. I wanted to check how things were going with the building."
Her voice brightened immediately.
"Mr. Roden! Everything's wonderful. The management company is honoring the agreement—no harassment, no fake violations. We're staying for three more years."
"I'm glad."
"My grandson started kindergarten last month. I can pick him up every day because I'm still here. That's because of you."
That's not leverage. That's just... mattering.
"I'm happy I could help."
"Actually," Mrs. Chen continued, "my son Robert is in town. He's starting a technology company—something about payments for workers. He mentioned needing lawyers."
My attention sharpened.
"What kind of legal work?"
"Corporate things? I don't understand all of it. But I told him about you—how you fought for us when the big firms wouldn't. He wants to meet lawyers who actually care about people."
[WIN RATE CALCULATOR: OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT]
[INDEPENDENT CLIENT RELATIONSHIP VALUE: HIGH]
[CONFLICT WITH FIRM PROTOCOLS: MODERATE]
[LONG-TERM STRATEGIC VALUE: VERY HIGH]
[RECOMMENDATION: PROCEED WITH CAUTION]
"I'd be happy to meet with him."
Mrs. Chen gave me Robert's number, and we said goodbye.
I sat at my desk, staring at the contact information.
This is different from firm business development. This is a client who'd be choosing me personally, not Pearson Hardman.
That's portable. That's valuable. That's dangerous.
I made the call.
Day 79, coffee meeting with Robert Chen in a cafe near Washington Square.
He was younger than I'd expected—early thirties, Stanford MBA according to his LinkedIn, dressed in the standard tech entrepreneur uniform of expensive casual wear.
"Mom says you fought for her when no one else would. Why?"
Direct. I like that.
"Because the law should protect people, not just profit."
Robert smiled slightly.
"That's refreshing. The big firms I've talked to—Skadden, Sullivan & Cromwell, Cravath—they calculate everything. Client value, billable hours, partnership optics. You calculated whether it was right."
"Sometimes those calculations align."
"But not always."
"Not always."
Robert pulled out his tablet, showed me his business plan.
"Payment processing platform for gig economy workers. Current systems take three to five days to clear payments. We can do same-day settlement using blockchain architecture. Series A funding round closing in two months. Need corporate counsel for incorporation structure, IP protection, investor agreements."
I reviewed his projections while he talked—solid numbers, reasonable growth assumptions, clear market opportunity.
"What made you choose fintech?"
"I drove for Uber during business school. Watched drivers work twelve-hour days and wait five days for their money. Seemed broken. Thought I could fix it."
Mission-driven. That matters.
"Your legal needs are straightforward but critical. Incorporation structure determines tax treatment and founder control. IP protection determines whether competitors can copy your core technology. Investor agreements determine whether you keep operational control or become an employee in your own company."
Robert leaned back, studying me.
"The other firms quoted hundred-thousand-dollar retainers and offered junior partners who'd never met a gig economy worker."
"And you're looking for something different?"
"I'm looking for a lawyer who gives a shit whether the company actually helps people."
I set down his tablet.
"Here's my advice—free, because this is consultation, not representation. Your incorporation structure should be Delaware C-corp for investor familiarity, but with dual-class shares to maintain founder control. Your IP strategy should focus on algorithm patents, not blockchain architecture, because blockchain is commoditizing but your settlement algorithm is defensible. Your investor agreements should include founder-friendly provisions because Sand Hill Road VCs will try to optimize for their returns, not your mission."
Robert was taking notes on his phone.
"If you want Pearson Hardman officially engaged, I'll connect you to the right partners. If you want someone who'll treat your company like it matters, not like it's a line item on a billable hours report... keep my number."
"That's a sales pitch?"
"That's honesty. Big firms do excellent work. But they're optimized for big clients with big budgets. You're a startup with a mission. Different needs."
Robert extended his hand.
"I want to work with you. What's the next step?"
Day 80, I brought Robert Chen to Louis as a new client.
"Pro bono case generated business development," I explained, showing him Robert's business plan. "Fintech startup, Series A funding, needs full corporate representation. He specifically requested me based on work with his mother."
Louis reviewed the documents, eyebrows rising.
"You turned a housing dispute into a tech startup client?"
"I built a relationship based on trust. The business development came later."
"That's strategic thinking."
It was also just helping people. But I'll take strategic thinking as a compliment.
We engaged Robert Chen's company officially—Scott Roden as primary associate, Louis supervising, standard Pearson Hardman engagement terms.
But I was careful in how I structured the relationship.
All communications included my direct contact information. Client meetings were scheduled through my calendar. Technical questions came to me first, escalated to Louis only when necessary.
I'm building the relationship, not the firm.
[BLACKMAIL ARCHIVE: NEW ENTRY]
[ROBERT CHEN - TECH ENTREPRENEUR]
[TRAITS: MISSION-DRIVEN, LOYAL TO PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, VALUES INTEGRITY]
[ASSESSMENT: POTENTIAL LONG-TERM ALLY REGARDLESS OF FIRM AFFILIATION]
[STRATEGIC VALUE: HIGH - CLIENT PORTABLE ACROSS FIRM CHANGES]
The System flagged it correctly.
This wasn't just business development. This was insurance.
Clients who choose me, not just Pearson Hardman.
That evening, Donna noticed my distraction while we grabbed dinner near her apartment.
"You're planning something."
I looked up from my pasta.
"What makes you think that?"
"You get this look—like you're building a chess game in your head three moves ahead."
Too perceptive.
"I'm planning for uncertainty."
"That's ominous."
"That's realistic."
Donna set down her fork, expression serious.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Everything. The transmigration. The System. The fragmented memories that whisper warnings about firm instability I can't explain.
"Just thinking about career trajectory. Making sure I'm building something sustainable."
She didn't look convinced, but she didn't push.
"Okay. But when you're ready to tell me what's really going on in that calculating brain of yours—I'll listen."
"I know."
We finished dinner, and I walked her home.
But her question lingered.
What am I building? Security against an uncertain future? Portable value in case the firm collapses? Insurance against the chaos my fragmented memories suggest is coming?
All of the above.
The System ran quiet probability calculations about Daniel Hardman's eventual return, about Mike's secret being exposed, about all the canon events I remembered in fragments.
I can't prevent what's coming. But I can be ready for it.
Building relationships outside the firm's control wasn't just smart strategy.
It was survival.
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