“Legal revenge?” Daniel Hart’s heart skipped a beat, and his breathing quickened as he looked at Adrian with renewed attention.
“Are you serious?” Of course he was interested.
Daniel had never cared about the money as much as everyone seemed to assume; what truly infuriated him was the fact that his wife and her lover had betrayed and humiliated him while apparently facing no consequences for it.
“Completely serious,” Adrian replied.
“Since that’s what you actually want, we should stop approaching this as nothing more than a divorce case and instead consider how you can retaliate without stepping outside the law.” Daniel leaned forward.
Adrian continued calmly, “They’re trying to hurt you financially, so the most appropriate response is to use financial pressure against them.
Your wife wants a divorce because she expects to walk away with a share of your assets, which means the first question we should ask is very simple: what happens if you refuse to divorce her?” Daniel’s expression froze.
“Refuse to divorce?” Before he could question the idea, Adrian poured him a cup of tea and pushed it across the table.
“Why are you so eager to get divorced in the first place?
What exactly do you gain from it?” Daniel opened his mouth, but no answer came immediately.
There were certainly advantages to ending the marriage, but the disadvantages were obvious as well.
His assets would have to be divided, and once the marriage was over, his wife would be free to openly live with her lover while enjoying whatever money she obtained from the settlement.
Adrian watched his expression and continued, “From your position, divorce currently brings you more disadvantages than benefits, while your wife is the one who desperately wants it because she expects to receive money from you.
If we’re looking at the situation from the perspective of revenge, then simply refusing to give her what she wants already puts pressure on her.” Daniel could see the logic, yet something about it still bothered him.
“But if we stay married, wouldn’t the income I earn during the marriage still count as marital property?
Wouldn’t half of everything I earn effectively belong to her?” A shrewd smile appeared on Adrian’s face.
“That’s where your understanding of marital property is slightly incomplete.” He picked up a pen and began writing on the paper in front of him.
“Having a legal interest in marital property is not the same as having unrestricted access to every dollar earned by your spouse.
The law limits certain unilateral decisions involving major shared assets, but that doesn’t mean your wife can simply demand half your monthly salary and spend it however she pleases.” Daniel frowned as he listened.
Adrian continued explaining, “Ordinary personal expenses and routine household spending are treated differently from major transactions.
If you want to spend your own available income on reasonable personal expenses, you generally don’t need your spouse’s permission, while significant transfers or expenditures involving jointly controlled assets may require both parties to agree.” Daniel slowly began to understand where Adrian was going.
“So you’re saying I only need to give her a small allowance?” “Not exactly.” Adrian continued making notes.
“In theory, you aren’t obligated to fund every luxury or recreational expense she wants simply because you’re married.
What matters is whether reasonable household needs are being met.
Food, clothing, housing, utilities, transportation, and ordinary family expenses are one thing; handing your wife money so she can maintain an extravagant lifestyle is another.” Daniel stared at him.
“So even though we’re still married, I don’t necessarily have to keep funding the lifestyle she’s used to?” “Correct.
There are still practical obligations, and I’m not suggesting that you completely abandon household responsibilities, but there’s a large difference between maintaining the household and financing ten or twenty thousand dollars a month in personal spending.” Daniel’s eyebrows rose.
Adrian glanced down at the paper.
“How much does your wife normally spend every month?” Daniel thought for a moment.
“Usually somewhere between ten and twenty thousand.” Adrian nodded.
“And what if, for the sake of calculation, your official monthly disposable income were only around two thousand after legitimate business and household expenses?” He wrote down several figures, performed a quick calculation, and pushed the paper toward Daniel.
Daniel looked at the number and immediately sat straighter.
“Three hundred?” He looked up in disbelief.
“You’re telling me I could reduce what she has available from twenty thousand a month to around three hundred?” “That would be a conservative estimate under the scenario we’re discussing.” Daniel stared at the paper.
Three hundred a month meant only thirty-six hundred a year.
For someone accustomed to spending tens of thousands every month, that kind of reduction would be unbearable.
His wife had never needed to work seriously, and if she suddenly wanted enough money to continue shopping, traveling, and entertaining herself, she would have to find some source of income herself.
The more Daniel thought about it, the brighter his expression became.
Making someone who had spent years living comfortably off his money suddenly earn her own living sounded far more satisfying than simply handing her a divorce settlement and watching her disappear.
Adrian noticed the change in his expression.
“And depending on your legitimate expenses, the amount available could potentially be even lower.” Daniel almost smiled, but then a thought occurred to him.
“I currently live in a property owned by my father, so I don’t have to pay rent.
If I had rent and other expenses, that would obviously reduce what I have available, but I don’t.” Adrian looked at him.
“You could pay rent.” Daniel blinked.
“What?” “You’re an adult living in property owned by your father.
There’s nothing inherently unusual about an adult child paying rent to a parent, provided there is a genuine lease arrangement and the terms are reasonable.” Daniel stared at him for several seconds.
“You’re telling me to have my father charge me rent?” “I’m telling you that if you’re occupying property owned by someone else, a legitimate rental arrangement is legally possible.” Daniel’s expression became increasingly strange.
“Is that actually legal?” Adrian’s face remained perfectly serious.
“Mr.
Hart, I am your lawyer.
I would prefer not to recommend things that end with both of us explaining ourselves to a judge.” Daniel still looked unconvinced.
“There’s really no rule saying my father can’t rent his property to me?” “Not simply because he’s your father.
The arrangement would still need to be genuine, documented, and commercially defensible.” Daniel slowly nodded, although he was beginning to suspect that this young lawyer’s definition of “ordinary legal planning” was rather different from everyone else’s.
Then another problem occurred to him.
“But my income is still high.
I own a food company, and most of my income comes from my salary and the business itself.
Even if I start paying rent, my official income is still—” “You own the company,” Adrian interrupted.
Daniel looked at him.
Adrian tapped the pen against the paper.
“If you are genuinely overpaying yourself relative to what makes sense for the business, you are capable of adjusting your own salary.” Daniel’s eyes widened.
“You mean…
reduce my own salary?” “Yes, assuming there is a legitimate business reason and the adjustment is properly documented.” “How low?” “That depends on what can reasonably be justified.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend something ridiculous like paying yourself one dollar a month merely to provoke your wife, because that would make your intentions rather obvious.” Daniel’s eyelid twitched.
The fact that Adrian’s objection to a one-dollar salary was apparently that it would be too obvious somehow made the proposal sound even more outrageous.
“What about a thousand?” Adrian considered it.
“That would depend on your role, the company’s finances, and whether the figure could be commercially justified.” Daniel rubbed his forehead.
He had come to Blackwood & Reed expecting another lawyer to tell him that there was nothing he could do, yet within less than an hour, Adrian had somehow turned his salary, his father’s house, and his household expenses into pieces of a financial chessboard.
He hesitated before asking, “What about my shares in the company?” Adrian glanced at him.
“Judging from your age and what you told me earlier, I assume you established the company before getting married?” “Yes.” “Then the original ownership interest is tied to your premarital assets, although growth, distributions, and appreciation generated during the marriage may be treated differently depending on the circumstances.” Daniel nodded slowly.
Adrian continued, “If you ever restructure or transfer shares, it has to be done at a genuine and defensible value, with proper documentation and a legitimate purpose.
You cannot simply pretend assets disappeared because you don’t want them considered in a divorce; that would create an entirely different legal problem.” That warning made Daniel somewhat more comfortable.
At least Adrian apparently recognized that there was a line somewhere.
Still, the lawyer’s next words once again stretched Daniel’s understanding of where that line might be.
“There are also legitimate distinctions between personal assets, business expenses, salary, distributions, and gifts from family members.
If those things are structured lawfully rather than mixed together carelessly, your financial position on paper can look very different from what it does now.” Daniel slowly stood up, staring at the notes Adrian had written.
For the first time since discovering the affair, he felt as though he had actually gained some control over the situation.
He had spent weeks hearing that the law tied his hands, yet Adrian had just shown him that the same legal system could also restrict what his wife was able to demand from him.
Daniel swallowed.
“This really isn’t illegal?” “It is legal if the underlying transactions are genuine,” Adrian replied.
“If you fabricate arrangements solely to conceal assets from the court, that is another matter entirely.
The reasons, documentation, and actual conduct all have to withstand scrutiny.” That qualification was important, but Daniel barely seemed to hear it.
He was already imagining his wife discovering that the extravagant lifestyle she had taken for granted was coming to an abrupt end.
Adrian looked over the calculations again.
“If your finances were legitimately reorganized along these lines, your wife’s available discretionary spending could fall dramatically, and how long that situation continues would largely depend on how long the marriage continues.” Daniel looked at him.
“In other words, if I don’t agree to the divorce…” “She doesn’t immediately get the outcome she wants.” Daniel slowly smiled.
If his wife refused to work, she would suddenly have very little money available for the lifestyle she had become accustomed to.
If she wanted more, she would have to earn it herself or rely on someone else.
Either way, she would no longer be comfortably spending Daniel’s money while openly planning a future with another man.
And if she continued the affair, that conduct might become useful evidence in later proceedings depending on how the situation developed.
Daniel felt as though an entirely new world had opened in front of him.
He had spent the past month obsessing over how quickly he could end the marriage, but Adrian had turned the problem upside down.
Why give them what they wanted immediately?
If his wife wanted the divorce badly enough, perhaps she could spend some time discovering what life looked like without unrestricted access to his money first.
Adrian set down his pen.
“Do you have any other questions, Mr.
Hart?” Daniel looked at him with undisguised excitement.
When he had first seen Adrian walk into the room, he had assumed the firm had dumped his case on an inexperienced young attorney because nobody else wanted to deal with him.
Instead, this young lawyer had somehow produced more useful ideas in one conversation than all of the previous consultations combined.
Some of those ideas felt strangely aggressive, but Daniel no longer cared.
If everything could be done within the law, why should he?
He suddenly reached across the table and clasped Adrian’s hand.
“I’m satisfied.
More than satisfied.
My only regret is that I didn’t meet you a month ago.” Adrian smiled.
“In that case, shall we go to the finance office and settle the consultation fee?” “Absolutely.” Adrian finished preparing the written guidance summarizing the legitimate steps and precautions they had discussed, issued the fee notice, and then led Daniel out of Reception Room 103.
The strategy involved several areas where careless execution could easily create legal problems, so Adrian’s written instructions emphasized documentation, legitimate business purposes, and the need to avoid sham transactions or concealment.
When the door opened and the two men walked back into the main hall, several employees looked over.
Their attention immediately settled on Daniel.
The client who had spent a month leaving consultations dissatisfied was now following Adrian with an expression that could only be described as grateful.
Several lawyers exchanged confused glances.
He actually solved it?
Even the employees in the finance office looked surprised when Adrian entered with Daniel.
“Emily, could you settle the consultation fee for my client?” Emily Parker, one of the firm’s finance employees, looked up from her desk and then glanced between Adrian and Daniel.
“You finished the consultation?” “Yes.” Her surprise deepened.
She knew exactly which client had been sitting in Reception Room 103.
This was not a simple consultation where someone merely needed a contract reviewed; Daniel had purchased a strategy package, which meant the assigned lawyer was expected to provide a practical solution to an emotionally charged dispute.
Several more experienced attorneys had already tried and failed to satisfy him.
Yet Daniel looked delighted.
Emily could not help wondering what Adrian had told him.
“All right.
Give me a moment.” She processed the paperwork and handed Daniel the receipt.
Daniel glanced at it before frowning.
“Why is it only seven hundred?” Emily looked up.
“That’s the agreed consultation fee.” Daniel immediately replied, “Then add another twenty thousand.
I’m paying voluntarily.” Emily’s eyelid twitched.
Before she could answer, Adrian spoke from beside him.
“We can’t simply alter the fee however we want.
If you’re particularly satisfied, you can add a modest gratuity within the firm’s rules, but twenty thousand is unnecessary.” The last thing Adrian wanted was to create problems with his professional license over improper billing before he had even decided whether he intended to remain at Blackwood & Reed.
Daniel thought for a moment.
“Then make it nine hundred and ninety-nine.” Emily silently processed the new amount.
One consultation had just earned more than she made in a month.
She glanced at Adrian again.
Was this really the same Adrian Cole who had struggled to receive worthwhile cases for months?
Daniel folded the receipt and looked at Adrian sincerely.
“Attorney Cole, you’ve really helped me today.” “I’m only doing what you paid me to do.” Daniel nodded and turned toward the exit, already imagining the conversation waiting for him at home.
His wife expected him to return ready to negotiate a divorce.
Instead, he was going to tell her that he loved her very much and had absolutely no intention of ending their marriage.
The thought alone improved his mood.
He had almost reached the door when Adrian suddenly remembered something.
“Mr.
Hart, wait.” Daniel turned around.
Adrian looked thoughtful.
“You mentioned earlier that your wife’s lover contacted you and sent you those photographs and videos.
What exactly did he want?” Daniel’s expression immediately darkened.
“What else?
Money.
He said that if I didn’t pay him, he might release the videos.” Adrian’s gaze sharpened.
“Did you give him anything?” “Of course not.
I hung up as soon as he started demanding money.” Adrian nodded.
“That was probably the safest decision.” Daniel frowned.
“What do you mean?” “If someone threatens to release private material unless you pay them money, that can create serious criminal exposure depending on exactly what they demand and how they make the threat.
If he contacts you again, don’t provoke him, don’t make threats of your own, and don’t try to manufacture evidence.
Preserve whatever messages, recordings, or other evidence already exists and bring it to me.” Daniel stared at him.
“So if he actually tries to extort me…” “Then we deal with the conduct that actually occurred rather than inventing anything,” Adrian replied.
“If he crosses that line on his own, you may have options far more unpleasant for him than anything you could legally do yourself.” Understanding gradually appeared in Daniel’s eyes.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
“Attorney Cole…” “Yes?” “You really are a good lawyer.” Adrian gave him a polite smile.
“I’ll choose to interpret that as a compliment.” Daniel laughed, thanked him again, and finally left the office.
Adrian watched him disappear through the door before turning back toward the finance office.
He had barely placed his hand on the doorknob when the familiar pale-blue screen materialized in front of him.
[Congratulations!
You have completed one Civil Consultation.] [The client has given your service an exceptionally high evaluation and is extremely satisfied.] [Reward: 10 Gratitude Coins] [Additional Reward Obtained: Culinary Arts Lv.
1 — 0/10] Adrian stopped walking.
A skill?
So client satisfaction could really give him abilities in addition to Gratitude Coins.
He studied the notification for a moment, but there were too many people around to experiment with it immediately, so he dismissed the screen and stepped out of the finance office.
The moment he returned to the main hall, several lawyers looked toward him.
One of the female attorneys finally gave in to her curiosity.
“Adrian, did you really settle the consultation from Room 103?”