Sean donned the dark brown coat Lucy had hurriedly retrieved. Though its cuffs were slightly worn, the coat exuded an air of authority under his straight back, as if to say, 'Keep your distance.' Carrying the leather bag containing two copies of the 'Life-and-Death Documents,' he strode steadily toward the dungeon beneath the town hall, Lucy's worried gaze following him.
The dungeon was permeated with a damp earthy odor and the lingering scent of inferior tobacco. Behind the iron bars, Smith and Matthew occupied the left and right cells respectively, separated by a narrow corridor, glaring at each other like two wounded bulls.
"Jack? What the hell are you doing here, you drunkard? Trying to see my act?" Smith roared first, his face covered in raw flesh and his fists still bearing the scars of a fight.
Matthew snorted coldly from the other side, straightening his shirt collar that had been ripped out of shape. "Smith," he said with a sarcastic tone, "is this the hope you're looking for? A dumb lawyer who can't even protect his own sheep?"
Without a word, Sean didn't even glance at them. He calmly pulled a coin from his pocket and handed it to the jailer, gesturing for him to go outside and smoke a cigarette.
As the clatter of iron doors echoed through the hall, Sean found himself at the corridor's center, between two cells. He set down his briefcase and slowly pulled out the two files, patting them in his hands.
"Two of you, the county judge will arrive in town in two hours," Sean's voice, calm and composed, abruptly cut off the prison's clamor. "Under state law, if you fail to reach an out-of-court settlement before the judge's departure, this brawl will be classified as' deliberate damage to public property.' Smith, your mine will be sealed as compensation; Matthew, your railway contract will be revoked. Both of you will serve at least five years in state prison."
Their faces turned pale.
Don't scare people like that! Matthew shouted, his voice strained. We've got the proof!
"Evidence?" Sean sneered, pulling out the left file and flashing it to Smith through the fence. "Mr.Smith, I can prove Matthew's railway plan violates the priority occupancy clause in the Federal Mining Act. Once I sign, not an inch of his tracks will be laid."
Smith's eyes suddenly lit up.
Before Smith could speak, Sean turned gracefully and presented another dossier to Matthew: "Mr.Matthew, I have a statement regarding the 'Compulsory Expropriation of Public Transport easements.' Once I submit it, Smith's mine entrance will be deemed an illegal obstruction, and the bailiff will clear your tracks with explosives tomorrow morning."
"You..." Both of them froze.
Sean resembled a patient hunter, watching two prey gradually fall into the trap. "Now, the situation is simple. I have two knives in my hand—one for one of you, and the other will be inserted into your back."
He pulled out his pocket watch, glanced at it briefly, and snapped it shut with a click.
The judge's carriage arrived promptly. Whoever signs my legal representation agreement first and pays the $100' emergency consultation fee' shall be my client. As for the other individual... "Sean flashed a Manhattan-style professional smile," I shall represent justice and personally send him to prison.
"One hundred dollars?! You're robbing me?" Smith roared.
"Nine minutes to go," Sean said indifferently as he counted down, turning to leave. "Maybe I should go to town to meet the judge and tell him there are two hopeless thugs waiting to be sentenced."
" wait a minute !"
Two sounds almost simultaneously exploded in the dungeon.
Matthew and Smith exchanged a glance, their initial hostility instantly transformed into a survival instinct. In the classic 'Prisoner's Dilemma' model, the first to betray would survive.
"I'll give you one hundred dollars! I'll write the IOU right now!" Matthew lunged at the fence, his arms outstretched.
"Laozi's got two hundred bucks! Jack, if you get that railroad crook locked up, I'll double it!" Smith roared defiantly, even rummaging through his pockets for the hidden gold coins.
In the dimly lit dungeon corridor, Sean stood watching the two usually domineering figures now biding their time like beggars before him, a familiar yet chilling thrill rising in his heart.
This is the world he knows. The law is not a shield, but a sickle to harvest greed and fear.
"Deal, Mr.Smith," Sean snapped, turning to the mine owner with a sharp look. "Two hundred dollars plus your mining rights for legal representation over the next three years. Sign it."
Then he turned to Matthew, whose face was deathly pale, and whispered in a voice so low that only Matthew could hear: "As for you, Mr.Matthew. If you don't want to go to jail, I have a' Labor Dispatch Compensation Agreement 'here. All you need to do is pay Smith a sum of money and hire me as the railway company's legal compliance advisor, and I can get you out of this in a dignified way."
Kill two birds with one stone .
In just ten minutes, Sean not only doubled his commission but also turned two arch-rivals into his future cash cows.
As he emerged from the dungeon, the sun was blazing. The piano at Nate's Tavern entrance had grown crisp and melodious.
Sean pulled out a IOU with a hefty sum from his bag, waved it at Lucy waiting in the distance, and flashed a triumphant grin.
Lucy, go tell Nate the boss to settle all my wine debts. And... ask him to get us a bottle of the finest champagne. We're celebrating the town finally having a proper lawyer.