Chapter Text
May 31st 2010
The dusk of an early summer evening encompassed the skies, lining at just the right angle to gleam through the window of a young, aspiring lawyer. Having just recently moved, her arms grew weary from all the unpacking, but she knew living in the city was a necessity so she could focus on her dream job. Though, to her, her dream wasn't merely fantastical thoughts, it was a mission she was steadfast in achieving. She needed to become a lawyer.
With a strong spark of unwavering determination flickering behind her eyes — one that everyone around her had always noticed — she set the final box on the ground, breathing out a heavy sigh.
“No looking back now.” she muttered to herself, glancing over towards a copy of the resume she had submitted.
The relief of being accepted as an intern at a prestigious and upstanding law firm, Grossberg's to be exact, was palpable. But with every item she pulled out of the box, her mind wandered farther and farther to the immediate future.
Knowing better than to let her thoughts spiral out of control, especially with the infamy that man's name has drawn, she turned to her determination to see this through. Though, she could only hope this place had the answers she was so desperately searching for, it was better than nothing.
She put away the last box in her closet and plopped herself onto her bed once she was done unpacking. She underestimated how much work moving from place to place can be, especially for a single person. Yet despite that, it was nice to finally live in an apartment of her own instead of being cramped up in a tiny college dorm, or in a rural village isolated from the rest of the world.
Tired, but happy, she glanced towards her phone that sat silently on her nightstand. Looking at it for a moment, she considered whether she should give her little sister, Maya, a phone call. Deciding it was important for the upcoming day, she sat up and picked up her cellphone, quickly tapping away at the dial until she heard ringing on the other end.
“Hey Maya.” she said.
“Ah Mia!! It’s been a while!” An energetic little voice chirped on the other end.
Mia smiled. “I know right? I finally finished moving into my new apartment; things have been really busy for me lately. Has everything been all right for you at home?”
“Yeah, I’ve been great! I think I’m starting to get better with my training!”
Mia chuckled. “That’s great to hear.”
“And what about you? How’s that lawyer thing going? Did you get the job yet?”
“Yeah! Well… sort of. I’m not a full-time lawyer yet, but I just found out yesterday that I got accepted as an intern at one of the biggest law firms in the city. Isn’t that exciting?”
“It sure is, Sis! I hope it all goes well for you!”
“I hope so, too.” She sighed wistfully. “I’ll get to the bottom of this whole mess, and I’ll find out what happened to mom, I promise.”
“I believe in you, Sis!”
Mia smiled as she felt a small tear creeping up in the corner of her eye. “Thanks, I appreciate it.” She paused for a moment to wipe it away before speaking again. “I’ll have to go now, though. I need to be awake early tomorrow morning, I can’t be late for my first day.”
“Okay! Goodbye and good luck, Sis!”
“Talk to you later!”
Mia hung up and put her phone on charge. Though it was a little early, she decided that getting ready for bed was the best option now. Her mind was buzzing, and her heart was already racing; tomorrow was going to be one of the most important days of her life, and she knew from the get-go that her real journey began now.
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June 1st 2010
The blaring of the alarm clock was loud enough to wake the dead. Mia groaned and hit the button to turn it off, then spent a few minutes trying to wake herself up. It wasn’t a surprise that she didn’t get the best sleep last night; her anxiety was at an all-time high. Feeling all groggy as she sat up, she stretched her arms all the way out before sleepily stumbling into the bathroom to splash some water on her face. The coolness of the droplets hardly helped her anxious mood, but it was enough for her to get herself ready for the morning.
While she waited for her breakfast to simmer, she got out her black suit dress and scarf that she bought specifically for this career. It was certainly out of her norm, but she decided to go all out for this dress since this occasion was once in a lifetime. Only being an intern, the worst part of her kept telling her there was no need to be this formal, but she went through with it anyway because she wanted to leave a good impression.
It didn’t take long to go through her morning routine before heading out on her own motorcycle. She flew through the roads with how fast she was going; it was obvious this career meant everything to her. But as soon as she parked and stared at the entrance of the building, she started to have some doubts. Even the welcoming sign that read ‘Grossberg Law Offices’ didn’t help the pang of unease and uncertainty in her stomach.
“What if they’re way out of my league…?” she thought to herself. She didn’t know what to expect; she wasn’t even sure if she was actually prepared. “Ah, what am I saying? I graduated at the top of my class, I know what I’m getting myself into! I can do this!” She hit her cheeks to snap herself back to reality and proceeded to enter the vicinity.
Upon entering the doors, she noticed a polite looking secretary sitting behind the front desk; Mia recognised her from when she came here last time for her interview.
“Ah, you must be Ms. Fey, right? Mr. Grossberg is waiting for you in his office.” The secretary smiled. “Do you need directions?”
“Oh! Yes please, thanks.”
The secretary stood up and led the way for her. “Right this way.”
Mia nodded and followed her lead. She spent this time looking around and noticed how small, yet, extravagant this place is. There were a few paintings on the walls and a couple of plants sitting in the corners of the rooms; probably the most expensive kinds. Despite how well accomplished everyone seemed to be, the silence in the building seemed almost eerie.
“Is it usually this quiet here? I expected it to be more busy considering it’s a weekday.” Mia asked.
“It’s not as busy as it used to be. Mr. Grossberg doesn’t have much interest in getting new hires anymore, but that being said, you’re pretty lucky to have this opportunity. He doesn’t just pick any ordinary person to join his firm, let alone take on an intern like this. You must really be something special.”
“I-Is that so…?”
“Yeah, honestly, I’m surprised he’s letting you go through with it. If you’re already this far, then I’m sure you can fit in comfortably with the rest of the employees. You’ll be a breath of fresh air around here, and I’m sure Mr. Grossberg must have a special reason for taking you on board.”
“Special reason indeed.” Mia thought to herself, she knew exactly what this ‘special reason’ was. It all goes back to the DL-6 Incident; the big case that she’s currently looking into. She mentioned it to him during her interview, and she practically begged him to take her on so she could find out what happened to her mother. Upon hearing this, Grossberg didn’t have the guts to refuse her request. He could sense that she was dead-set on her mission, and he knew she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
During that interview, as soon as Grossberg noticed Mia’s surname, he became as pale as a ghost. It occurred to Mia that he was rather familiar with the name and it came as no surprise that he reacted that way; after all, there’s layers of infamy and controversy behind it. Mia worried that her relation to her mother, Misty, and the whole incident was going to ruin her chances of reaching her goals, but thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case.
Finally, Mia made it to the grand doors leading to Grossberg’s office.
“Well, here we are. Good luck, Ms. Fey!” The secretary waved her off, leaving Mia to enter the office in a nervous sweat. She slowly knocked on the door until she heard a muffled “come in” from the other side. From there she heard an over-the-top clearing of the throat and a warm welcome.
“Ah, Ms. Fey! Come on in, make yourself comfortable.” Grossberg said as he politely gestured to one of the seats sitting in front of his desk. “I’m glad you made it here alright.”
“Of course, it’s not a problem!” Mia bowed before taking a seat. “Thank you for having me.”
“My pleasure, m’dear. Now let’s get down to business, shall we?” He shuffled through some papers that were on his desk; quickly skimming through the notes from the interview. “I recall you being very adamant about becoming a lawyer, and it’s all for the sake of your mother, am I correct?”
Mia nodded. “Y-Yes. I remember you being present on that day to witness the channelling. You were her lawyer, weren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m… very sorry about everything…”
Mia blinked confused. “Why the sudden apology…?”
“It’s a very, uh… delicate matter as you’re well aware, but I simply cannot keep this a secret from you; it would be entirely selfish of me to do that, especially since you’re Misty’s daughter.”
Mia frowned. “Are you talking about my mother’s information being leaked to the press?”
“Y-Yes… I’m very, very ashamed to admit this, but… I must get this off my chest before it gets out of hand.” He sighed sorrowfully as he had the most guilt-ridden expression on his face. “I’m sorry, but… I was the one who leaked the info, I-I was fooled by being offered riches at the time. I know my actions back then are inexcusable; it’s an embarrassment to me now… The guilt has weighed heavily on me for so many years now, and… I feel absolutely miserable about it.” There was a genuine sadness in his eyes that Mia couldn’t help but twist her face at. “I understand how you must feel m’dear, I really do. You’re the very first person I’m able to talk to about this, let alone this out of the blue. I don’t expect, and quite frankly, I don’t want you to forgive me, but I can at least let you study to become a lawyer under my name so you can finally put this case to rest once and for all; this world needs a lawyer like you.”
Mia blinked, and her words caught in her throat. It was almost too much to take in, but she knew she couldn't stay silent. "You... really believe in me? Just like that?"
“Of course. Not only are you Misty’s daughter, but you also graduated at the top of your class, according to your records. You also carry a burning passion in your eyes that any good lawyer should have, I can’t just turn a blind eye to someone with that much potential. Letting you on board in my firm is the least I can do for you. You also may be our last hope in solving the DL-6 Incident.”
“Right, it’s still unsolved to this day isn’t it?”
Grossberg nodded. “That it is, m’dear, that it is.” He sighed. “That incident ruined the lives of so many people; it cursed me as well.”
“It cursed you?” she repeated curiously.
“It’s a long story that I’m not at liberty to disclose, I’m afraid…” He frowned sadly. “M-My hands are tied…” He mumbled that last sentence quietly to himself, but Mia was sure she heard him correctly.
Mia wasn’t daft. She knows there’s more to this case than meets the eye, but it’s probably best to leave it alone for now. She can prod him for more information later. Of course, she’s upset at Grossberg for what he did in the past, but she couldn’t let that get to her now, she needs to focus on finding the whole truth. She had her suspicions about him when she saw his name crop up when conducting channelings for her own investigations into DL-6, and seeing that same name again when searching for law firms really piqued her interest. She knew about Grossberg’s ties with DL-6 and the whole scandal with her mother before she even sent her application here. She knew the risks this could have on her, but she was willing to take them if it meant finding her mother and fixing her family’s reputation.
Now she can tell that this whole ordeal is weighing down on Grossberg too; maybe she can find a way to help him out, just so he can move on as well.
Even so, it is still difficult for her to not lash out on him for what he did. He was partially responsible for her mother’s disappearance. But no, she must remain professional and focus on finding the truth; that’s what she keeps reminding herself. She mustn’t let her impulsive thoughts and urges get the better of her.
Grossberg suddenly cleared his throat in the most over-exaggerated manner and changed the subject. “Anyway, let’s not waste any more time, I’ll let you get settled in and introduce you to your subordinates, and then we’ll continue with the other standard procedures and all that.”
Mia nodded. “Right. Thank you!”
As if it were right on cue, the doors to Grossberg’s office opened up and in came a tall, tanned man with dark fluffy hair carrying two coffee mugs — one in each hand. Mia was a little startled by the sudden creak of the heavy doors but she was instantly curious as to who this man was. His appearance most certainly caught her eye.
“Ah, Diego m’boy! Impeccable timing!” Grossberg gleefully said. “Just leave my mug on the desk, I was just about to introduce our new recruit to everyone.”
Diego placed one of the mugs on the desk and quickly took a sip from the other one. Mia pouted a little; for some reason she thought the other one would be for her. “A new recruit, eh? I’m surprised Marv, I thought you said you didn’t want any more new hires.”
“Ah, well… She’s a special case. Ahem, in any case, this is Mia Fey. She’ll be studying here as an intern, and she’s hoping to become a lawyer later down the road.” Grossberg explained. “Ah, and this is Diego Armando. He’s a fantastic lawyer and he’ll be your fellow associate. I hope you two will get along nicely.”
“I’m sure we will, Marv.” Diego said as he held out his free hand for her to shake. “Nice to meet you, Miss Fey.”
Mia smiled shyly, accepting the handshake to be polite. “Ah, uh… likewise!”