Chapter 37 (1/1)

Beaming with victory Charmaine knocked on Wayne's door and opened it without waiting for the usual 'come in' from him.  "I did it!" she exclaimed and placed a folder in front of him.  "I persuaded Fala Chen to drop her phony accusations against Raymond Lam!"Wayne flipped the folder open to scan its contents.  As his eyes traveled down the page of the document, a smile began to form.  "You've been gone for only an hour," he remarked but there was no denying the admiration in his eyes as he finished reading the document and re-closed the folder.  "I'm impressed.  How did you do it?"Charmaine shook her head and said, "It's a secret."Chuckling at her refusal to speak, Wayne pressed, "Come on.  Do tell.  I'm curious to know how you got her to settle without even taking a penny from Raymond Lam.""It's actually quite simple.  We all know what she's after from the start.  If she had really been raped wouldn't she have gone directly to the police instead of the press?  I've waited five days to meet with her so that I can give her a chance to take her accusations to the police.  She didn't."Clasping his hands together in thought, Wayne said, "That we all know.  I just want to know how you convinced her to drop the accusations without offering her any money to shut her up.""That's simple too," Charmaine said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.  "I told her if she continues to hurl these accusations to the press about Raymond Lam, then as his lawyer I have no choice but to sue her for slander.  When that happens she would be force to face her own false accusations of rape against him.  Once that happens, not only are we going to sue her for slander, but we're also going to sue her for false incriminations.  Who would end up the winner at the end?"Wayne nodded his head with approval, "You're a great lawyer."Charmaine laughed softly and said, "You would have done the same thing.  We both know this case won't go anywhere.  It's too obvious.""You're absolutely right," Wayne agreed, "And that's why I insisted you assist me on this case.  Learning experience."Cocking her head, Charmaine asked warily, "You were testing me?""Sort of," Wayne admitted.  "All along I believe you would make a great defense lawyer.  Taking on those small real estate and divorce cases is not for you.  You have the stamina to do more and I was right.""Well I do admit, the cases on my hands are quite boring compared to this one," Charmaine said sheepishly.Wayne leaned forward on his desk, his face changed to one of seriousness.  "I have a proposition for you and I want you to really think about it before giving me your answer."Curious, Charmaine asked, "What is it?""I want you to work on my defense team.  Right now we have a high profile case and you're just the person we need.  This case will either boost our firm or run it down.  That's how big the case is."Piqued by the grave expression on Wayne's face, Charmaine said, "You caught my interest.  Can you give me a little more about the case?"Wayne smiled and said softly, "How about I tell you the basic facts of the case before you make your decision?"Charmaine nodded her head eagerly and waited for Wayne to continue.Pulling out a folder from his left hand draw he placed it on the desk and flipped it open.  Inside was some documents and two pictures, one of a man and the other of a woman.  The man looked vaguely familiar to Charmaine and she leaned in for a closer look.  Using his finger, Wayne tapped at the man's face, "He looks familiar doesn't he?"Charmaine scrunched her face in thought and said, "He does, although I can't place from where.""His name is Ron Ng, son of multi-billionaire Damien Ng.  Do you know who Damien Ng is?"Charmaine nodded her head slowly.  People referred to Damien Ng as the Shipping King of the 21stcentury.  Not only does he own a fleet of ships that does import and export trading, his vast empire also include dozens of commercial buildings, a handful of restaurant franchises and oversea casinos.  He was a versatile businessman and his fortune was incurred by his own two bare hands making him a remarkable and truly magnificent person to be admired.  So to answer Wayne's question, Charmaine said, "I've read a lot about him in the papers."Wayne pushed the picture of Ron Ng towards Charmaine and said, "This is his son.  He has been accused of rape."Thinking that Wayne was giving her another bogus assignment, Charmaine teased, "Do I have to talk to the supposed victim and try to get her to take back her accusation?"Wayne sighed and his expression remained serious.  "I wish it was that simple.  It's the real deal this time.  The victim went directly to the police after the crime took place.  She was examined at the hospital and they found tears in her lower region in addition to the severe bruises all over her body.  There were witnesses that saw her running out of Ron Ng's apartment at the time of the alleged rape.""So he really did it," Charmaine gasped.Wayne shook his head.  "I didn't say that.  I'm just giving you the facts of the case.  Damien Ng hired our firm to defend his son.  I've already interviewed Ron Ng and he said he didn't do it.""Is he telling the truth?"Wayne looked down at the picture and said, "I think he is and that's the belief we have to hold onto in this case.  So our job now is to prove that Ron Ng is innocent."Charmaine knew she shouldn't ask this but she still surged ahead, "Before I decide whether to join in on this case, can I interview Ron Ng myself?"Wayne gave her a knowing look, "I knew you'll be asking this.  Knowing what a righteous person you are I know that if you believe him to be guilty you wouldn’t help him, am I right?"Charmaine nodded glad that Wayne understood her prerogatives when taking on cases."I've already schedule him to come up and meet with us tomorrow."----------------------------------------------Raymond walked into the bar and was directed by a waiter to a far table.  He has been coming here almost every week for the past two years.  That was how he met Ron Ng.  Ron owned the place.  They were introduced through mutual friends and after a few times, they realized how much they have in common and before long, they somehow ended up being best buds.  "Hey Ron," Raymond greeted taking the seat next to him."Ray!" Ron pulled a chilled beer from the bucket and pushed it at Raymond, "I've been waiting forever for you to arrive.  Now drink this!"Taking the bottle Raymond didn't drink it.  Instead he held onto it while his gaze searched Ron's brooding face. "Is everything okay?""No!" Ron snarled and grabbed another beer from the bucket.  "I hate this!  This stupid woman has ruined my life!"Raymond was aware of the rape charges against Ron and he felt pity for him.  He knew Ron would never rape any one.  It wasn't in his nature.  Ron may be loud and even playful at times but rape?  No way will Raymond ever believe him to resort to that type of behavior.  However, unlike him, his suppose victim Fala Chen didn't go to the police.  She stupidly accused him to the press which makes her entire accusations unreliable.  In Ron's situation, his supposed victim actually went to the police and filed formal charges against him.  There were also witnesses supporting her statements.  Raymond knew there wasn't anything he could do now to help Ron except be supportive.  "Don't worry.  You didn't do it and they'll soon find that out.""But when?" Ron argued heatedly.  "Am I supposed to put my entire life on hold until they do?"Raymond understood why Ron was angry.  Ron had always been a traveler.  He loved flying all over the world for little getaways.  With this case pending in Court, he has been prohibited from leaving Hong Kong until the trial.  This did not sit well with Ron.  Patting Ron on the back, Raymond said soothingly, "It'll be over soon.  I know it.  I bet your father is already working on getting this whole mess resolved."This knowledge eased some of Ron's anger.  Smiling apologetically at Raymond, he said, "I'm sorry for burdening you with my problems."Raymond chuckled at the silliness of his words.  Clasping a hand around Ron's neck he asked, "Are we friends?"  When Ron nodded, he said, "Then you're not burdening me.""Thanks Ray," Ron said sincerely.  "I guess I better be going now."Surprised by his early departure, Raymond said, "What?  It's only 11:00 o'clock."Standing up, Ron said, "I'm meeting with my lawyers tomorrow morning and I don't want to show up with a hangover or red-rimmed eyes."Raymond nodded in agreement.  "I'm going to stick around for a while.  Call me if you need anything."  Raymond watched as Ron disappeared out of the bar.  As he returned his gaze back to the table he found a young girl watching him with open interest.  When their eyes met, she got up and walked in his direction.  Seconds later she was at his table."I'm a big fan of yours," she cooed in a seductive voice.  "You're much more handsome in person than on TV."Raymond smiled but didn't say anything.The girl leaned against his shoulder and asked softly, "Can you buy me a drink?"Raymond abruptly stood up causing the girl to lose balance.  Luckily she caught the back of a chair to prevent herself from toppling over.  Giving her an apologetic smile, he said, "Sorry but I was just leaving."  Without waiting to see her response, Raymond quickly walked out of the bar.