“What time does the mandatory settlement conference start tomorrow?” Evelyn asked.

“Ten o’clock sharp in Rachel’s main conference room,” I said.

“Is he bringing his lawyer?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said, straightening the plastic sleeves in the binder pocket.

“They still think they control the deadline.”

The afternoon light was fading behind the downtown streetlights when I got back to Rachel Kim’s office at five o’clock.

Rachel sat behind her desk, reviewing the final legal summons bound in a bright blue cover.

“The process server confirmed delivery twenty minutes ago,” Rachel said, squaring her papers into neat stacks before looking up.