The curtains were drawn, the lights were not on, the room was dark, Cassidy sat on the floor, leaning against the door and sobbing, the words that the FBI inspector had pointed to herself just now seemed to echo in her ears.

It was a good feeling to be interviewed, to be in the newspapers, to appear on camera, to lead social activities, to cheer up for her father and his colleagues, and that had never been so conspicuous in her life as it had been in recent times......

But now......

It's all over, she remembers that when she was working part-time at A+ Records, people there would often mention one word: personality, now that the old things she had with black singers have been exposed by the FBI in front of so many people, how can she face those people outside who have been firmly supporting her? It's so ashamed, the beautiful character that she just enjoyed for a long time is all over, and she feels like she is experiencing a social death......

'Knock knock ......'

There was a knock on the door, "Cassidy, are you okay?" A biker's voice came from outside the door, "Is what the FBI said just now true?" ”

She shuddered with fright, not knowing how to answer, and looked up with tears in her eyes, just in time to see a paper cutter on her desk......

"Cassity?"

There was a look of despair in her eyes, and she slowly stood up and fastened the anti-theft hinge of the door, because there were too many people coming and going in the house recently, this thing had just been installed.

"Cassidy? Now everyone is a little bit at a loss of what to do, and many people have already left on their own. ”

The voice outside the door was still asking, "Can you come out and explain it to us?" ”

She only had the knife in her eyes, and she struggled to move it step by step.

"Cassidy!? Open the door! "The people outside started to rattle and rattle the doorknob.

The hand holding the knife trembled violently, and his eyes fell on the pile of densely written papers spread out on the desk, and he was working on a draft for his afternoon speech just now, and it was almost finished.

"Cassity?"

A woman's voice came in, as if it was the wife of an activist, "Mr. Lawyer should have paid me for this week's purchases in the morning, and if I don't get the check, I won't be able to pay my many bills." ”

The woman usually took the time to help with her cooking and managing expenses, Cassidi was stunned, she saw the generous statement she had written for her father on the manuscript paper, and her mind instantly cleared, Now I can't kill myself, "including...... Ahem. So he cleared his throat and asked, "Does that include paying Tashone's lawyer?" ”

"Yes, the new fee will be paid to her law firm in the afternoon." The woman replied.

"Damn it!"

Cassidy dropped the knife and ran to undo the burglar hinge, then opened the locked door.

"Are you okay Cassidy?" The woman walked in, followed by two or three strong bikers, and the others who hadn't left were also probing their brains on the opposite side of the door.

"I'm fine, can you give me a little personal space?"

She said to the men, "I'll explain it later, but let me solve the most pressing problems first." ”

Everyone didn't say anything, they went outside the house to get together and chat, she closed the door again and turned on the light.

"Can you withdraw money from the donation account?"

The woman asked.

"I don't know anything about that." Cassidy shook her head, "It used to be all arranged for me by southern lawyers......

"But he's arrested now, he's always giving us a week's worth at a time, and today is the day to settle the payments, and if there is no money, all the protests, the media, the lawyers, and even the food will be in trouble." The woman said.

"Uh...... That...... What to do? ”

Cassidi was so anxious that she kept pulling her hair with her hands.

"Can Mr. Southern Lawyer be released on bail in the afternoon?" The woman was a little nagging, "There are other people who have been arrested, and you are also obliged to provide support, because they are all helping with your father's affairs......"

"It can't be that fast, please wait, let me calm down first."

Rushed to some impatience, Cassidy grabbed the car keys, "I'll talk to Lawyer Tashouni, you can come too." ”

Ignoring the other people's gazes, she led the woman to the garage, slammed on the accelerator, the tires rubbing against the ground with a screeching sound, and sped towards Tashauni's law office.

"Cassidy, we don't have any money in our hands right now, Tashauni's bill ......," the woman continued.

"Please don't mention the money for a while, okay!?" Cassidy yelled at her and shut her up, "I'm sorry, I'm stressed right now......"

"I understand."

Tashauni's law firm is newly leased, the small office space is not renovated, there is nothing but a desk, a chair and a telephone, "this place needs to be repainted, here, and here, the sofa I want to put over there......"

The red-haired lawyer was jumping around excitedly like a child leading the renovation workers to explain their work, and she saw Cassiti who had just entered the door, "Cassiti, you're here!" Look, this is my new law firm, how about it? Oh, that's right, your ......" she rubbed her index finger and thumb together, gesturing to count the money.

"That's what I'm here for, our lawyer was arrested by the FBI this morning, and he happens to be in charge of managing the fundraising account, and I want to hire you to help bail him out, but the lawyer's fees may need to ......be late," Cassidy explained carefully.

Tashauni's face suddenly turned pale, "Ho! Ho! She took a few deep breaths, "But, but I just signed a contract with the renovation company, and if I don't have that money, I'm going to default...... I...... I had just come out of a mental hospital, and I was about to start my career again, was I going to go bankrupt? ”

She nervously said as she showed symptoms of breathlessness, and with the help of the renovation workers, she clutched her chest and sat down on the only chair, "Water, water, thank you......"

"This is the lawyer your father insisted on?" Seeing this scene, the woman in the same company was stunned and complained.

"Can you go out for a moment and let me talk to Ms. Tashwani alone?" Cassidy pushed her out the door, then called the renovation workers out as well, "Tashauni, I need help, right now." ”

"You're running out of money, are you? That won't help. Tashwani took a large sip of the level.

"Please, it's not that we don't have the money to pay you, we just can't get it for the time being!" Cassidy pleaded anxiously, "For my father's sake!" ”

"Wait, you wait......"

Tashone raised her hand to stop her approaching, "Vic is just my client, you pay, I represent him and help him with the lawsuit, I actually ...... Actually, you don't want to help him, OK? He's not a pure white rabbit. ”

"He was wrongfully imprisoned......"

"Poof!" Cassidy's words made Tashuni laugh out loud, "I understand that every daughter's father figure is tall and majestic, but ...... Unfortunately, Vic wasn't that kind of person, and he didn't get my sympathy. ”

"Okay, okay, but you're his lawyer."

"Yes, I am his lawyer, provided that the lawyer's fees are paid on time and in full."

“OMG！” Cassiti was crushed by the logical chain that the lawyer only recognized the money, "If you help bail out the lawyer of our organization, we will pay you the lawyer's fee!" She jumped at Tashwani in a gaffe.

"I'm sorry, that's a new case, so it's still a matter of attorney's fees." Tashauni said ruthlessly.

"Damn! I don't have any money right now! Even the house has been banned from trading by the FBI, and I have nothing but the organization now! Cassidy yelled at her.

"Be quiet......" Tashone back, closing the distance between her, "...... you," she whispered, "you can ask the singer for help." ”

"That Nger has long ignored me, he's married, it's too late for him to hide from me now, and I'm going to be dragged down by the relationship I used to have with him!" Cassiti's tears flowed down her cheeks again.

Tashone laughed instead, "He's been paying for your family, and he's paying for your siblings' medical bills." ”

"My younger siblings were lucky enough to get on the free health plan." Cassidy shook her head.

"Look at you, hehe."

Tashauni couldn't help but laugh, "Stupid girl, stupid bubbling...... That's the kind of thing, he donates money to the hospital, and then the hospital uses legal charity projects to help your younger brothers and sisters, which seems to have nothing to do with it, but the rules of the game are like this, money flows so tactfully, there is no free lunch in the world. ”

"So......" Cassidy covered her mouth and muttered in a choked voice, "He's been quietly helping me." ”

"It's not a help for you, Vic will have to give you something in return, kid." Tashauni said.

"He couldn't have caused my father to get in, would he?"

Cassidy suddenly thought of something, "My father doesn't like to owe him the most. ”

"It's not that simple, black and white, forget it, even if you're Vic's daughter, I can't reveal too much, I have to abide by the lawyer's duty of confidentiality." Tashone picked up the microphone and dialed, "Is it Goodman and Hamlin?" Please transfer Mr. Goodman and tell him that Tashone is looking for ......"

"Goodman, it's me, Tashoney, Vic's legal fees are paying for something, his daughter is in a hurry right now, I'll let her tell you."

Tashuni handed the microphone over, "Cassidy, say it, tell me all about your difficulties, and most importantly, don't let me break the contract with the renovation company." ”

"Mr. Goodman......" Cassetti quickly cried to the other end of the line.

"OK, I understand, please wait, Cassity, don't rush."

Goodman said a few words and hung up, "What are you going to do...... Hello? Mr. Goodman, hello? Cassidy hung up in disappointment, "Mr. Goodman said nothing. She complained to Tashauni.

"Wait." Tashone relaxed, "Oh, I'm sorry, there's no chair for the time being, you can sit at the desk, it's okay, I don't mind." ”

Cassiti didn't sit at the table, of course, she anxiously kept circling around the room for about forty minutes, when there was a knock on the office door of the law firm, which had not yet officially opened, and she went to open the door, almost startled by a black villain with a fierce face and tattoos on his neck and face.

The other party didn't say a word, dropped a black travel bag into the door, and immediately turned around and disappeared.

Tashone to the ground and unzipped her bag, "Hah! Cash! I like it! ”

"I'll borrow this money from him." Cassidy muttered as she looked at Tashauni, who was counting the green rice knives like a money fan.

"OK, let's get to work!" Tashauni immediately became a professional lawyer.

"I need some money to send the woman who came with me." It was only then that Cassidi remembered that there was a companion outside.

"Go get it yourself, it's all the money that the singer gave you anyway." Tashauni generously pointed to the travel bag.

"I borrowed ......"

Three hours later, Cassidy sat at her desk, glanced at Tashauni behind her, and dialed the phone after receiving an encouraging look.

"Mr. Editor-in-Chief, it's me, Cassidy, that you already know about your lawyer's arrest, right?" Cassiti said.

"Yes, and I've heard some rumors that prevent me from telling our fundraisers Miss Cassidy, they won't like your love affair." The editor-in-chief said.

"I don't want to lie to you, but I want to say that it was that time that strengthened my resolve to devote myself to our great cause, and I probably hate that group even more now than you do." Cassidy said calmly.

"There's no way to explain that, you can't say anything to our fundraisers who have been cheated out of their feelings, you know? The conservative white community is not interested in this kind of thing, and they will have the disgusting feeling of being deceived once they know that you have been in a relationship with a black person. ”

The editor-in-chief said impatiently, "Okay, this matter is over, I'll send someone to Chicago to bail out our own people." ”

"No, please don't do that, Mr. Editor-in-Chief!" Cassidy pleaded in a hurry.

"Sorry you're embarrassing us......" the editor-in-chief was about to hang up.

"Wait, wait!" Cassidy shouted, "If the people don't know about it, how can you be embarrassed? ”

"If the FBI dares to shout in public, it means that they have evidence, and if we fight again, they will throw out the evidence......"

"I won't admit it, they are slandering and persecuting!"

"So you're not going to admit it again?"

"Me, we worked together very well some time ago, didn't we? I can raise money and everybody likes me, doesn't they? What is there in this world that is not packaged? I'm good for being on camera and speaking for our community, it's a win-win! What's in it for your newspaper to stop the project to save my father? If the project is stopped, and I admit that love history, won't the white people who donated money blame you, and you just said that they won't bother to listen to some long explanations. ”

"I sent someone to Cassidy in Chicago out of good intentions, and now you're trying to blackmail us again?" The editor-in-chief was angry, "You make me sick, very, very disgusting. ”

Cassidy's face turned pale from the scolding, but she continued at the signal of Tashauni, "Come on, isn't it also a business for your newspaper to curry favor with white supremacist target groups?" ”

"That's our great cause!"

"Well, great cause, then I'll make a deal, I'll go further and be a little more radical than our great cause, how about it?"

"What...... What's a little more radical? ”

"I will speak publicly for the main suspect in the Oklahoma City bombing, the FBI arrested my father, and even shamelessly insulted me for the childish mistakes I made in middle school, and my father was also violently treated by them and detained for an extended period of time, I have nothing to fear anyway, and I will fight them to the end!" Cassidy looked at the cheat sheet written by Tashuni in her hand and said categorically: "After the bombing, all the conservative white media was suppressed by public opinion and law enforcement, right?" You need people to share the pressure. ”

"Uh, you're ......," the editor-in-chief moved, "what would you say?" ”

"Didn't the suspect say that he wanted to bomb the building because he was dissatisfied with the FBI's brutal law enforcement in the Waco massacre?"

"Then I'll say I sympathize with the victims of the bombing, but the FBI itself is responsible, and their misconduct in the Waco tragedy was the cause of the subsequent series of events," Cassidy said. ”

"Yes, Cassidy, conservative whites really don't like the FBI, but they don't support the criminals who blow up so many people, including children and pregnant women, and the severity of these two things is very different, do you have a concept? That would make your supporters very scarce, even among conservative whites......" the editor-in-chief said.

"I've studied the itemization of fundraising accounts, Mr. Editor-in-Chief."

"About 80 percent of the money raised for my dad and his colleagues came from 1,000 accounts alone, and more than 30 accounts accounted for more than half of the donations, so you don't have to please most people, right?" For example, if 100 million people donate one dollar each, and there are countless people to please them, what they can get is actually 100,000? But for example, if a million white supremacists donate one piece each, and there are ten people who please them, wouldn't that still give 100,000 each? ”

"Your newspaper is doing well because of that, isn't it? The vast majority of people can't eat the pie of psychological needs, and they can live well if they focus on currying favor with a small number of people, and maybe only 100,000 or 10,000 people who are more radical than your newspaper's stance? I don't care, I'm just going to focus on trying to please this small part of the market, my father doesn't need a lot of legal fees anyway, and I have fewer competitors! ”