Businesswoman Chapter 185

Jury selection called for “Entrepreneur Paul” Atkinson to appear in court. He laughed. This presented one of the few times he actually wore a suit. A ten- thousand-dollar suit at that. Once he read through the letter, he had in mind both his timing and effort in applying his business acumen.

At the outset, he looked over his various businesses. He sent out messages to his executives to maintain the companies while he served his civic “duty.” It made him more direct and engaged in his powers as a businessman. To be able to brave the onslaught of autographs and people coming up to him to ask for advice, he knew he could keep going.

In the face of making his way in the world, he’d been called to jury duty twice before when he did not possess global acclaim. In the New Castle County Court system, the Delaware legal eagles flew high. The powerful attorneys, some of them Atkinson knew, provided him with no briefings. He wanted to go in fresh.

During the beginning of the trial, a state case, the way Atkinson noticed the cameras and rows of reporters taking notes and holding their cameraphones up to record the proceedings.

When the defendant first walked into the room, Atkinson looked up and saw the familiar face. His half brother’s.

He knew he’d been in trouble but he had lost touch with him with his first foray into the underworld of selling weapons to criminals. Atkinson looked at the judge and then at his brother, Callman Vichy. His half brother stood about five foot nine and wore a kelly green sweater and bifocal eyeglasses.

Someone messed up, he thought. This is family. They’re supposed to vet out potential jurors. While he had no problem serving, he did take issue.