Chapter 46: The Lawyer Meeting

 

I sat in the sleek office, the smell of polished wood and leather furniture making the space feel both intimidating and official. The air carried a weight of authority, every detail reminding me I wasn’t here to vent emotions I was here to fight for my life’s work. This was the first time I had spoken to someone outside of Thabiso about reclaiming what had been stolen from me. A lawyer. A professional who could help me navigate the tangled mess that was Sandile and Nkosi Construction.

She extended her hand across the desk with a firm smile, steady and practiced the kind that was meant to disarm clients before the real questions came.

Lawyer (Ms. Dlamini): “Nomusa, I’ve read the brief Thabiso sent me. You’re in a challenging position, but nothing is impossible. Before we proceed, I need to ask something personal.”

My stomach tightened. I had anticipated questions about contracts, ownership papers, or finances but this? Something about her tone told me she was steering us into territory I had carefully avoided putting into words.

Nomusa: “Yes… of course.”

Ms. Dlamini: “Is there infidelity involved? I need to know because it can affect divorce settlements, property claims, and custody arrangements. If Sandile has been unfaithful, we can use it to strengthen your case.”

The room suddenly felt smaller, the polished walls closing in. I blinked, the memories of Lerato and the whispers that had followed me through office corridors flooding back. My pulse quickened.

Nomusa: “There… there might be. I’m not 100% sure, but there are whispers, and some behavior that… well, it’s suspicious. He spends time with a PR manager, and people have noticed. I want proof, solid proof, before we do anything.”

Her eyes sharpened, not with judgment, but with calculation. She nodded slowly, as though fitting my words into a larger strategy already forming in her mind.

Ms. Dlamini: “Understood. That’s standard. You’ll need evidence texts, emails, photos, witnesses anything that can verify the claim. I’ll guide you on how to collect it discreetly, without putting yourself at risk.”

I swallowed hard, torn between the bitterness of even having to discuss his betrayals and the relief of finally speaking them aloud. My hands, resting on the table, clenched into fists before I caught myself and eased them open.

Nomusa: “I can do that. I will do whatever it takes. I just… I just need this to end. I need my life, my company, my dignity back.”

Her expression softened, but her words carried steel.

Ms. Dlamini: “And you will have it. But you must be methodical. Patience, strategy, and documentation these are your weapons. Sandile underestimated you once. He won’t make that mistake again.”

A surge of resolve coursed through me, stronger than I expected. For the first time since being pushed out, I felt the gears of action turning inside me. I wasn’t just sitting back anymore. I wasn’t just reacting to what he did. I was preparing to take control.

I breathed in the heavy scent of the office, the leather, the polished wood, the authority it carried. For the first time in months, it didn’t suffocate me it fuelled me. I wasn’t here to beg. I wasn’t here to fold.

Sandile may have tried to erase me, but I was coming back. And this time, I would win not just for myself, but for every brick, every contract, every sleepless night that had built Nkosi Construction.