“Miss Hewes, I respect that you’re one of the top litigators in this city. That’s why I’d like to settle.

The pause thickly settles in the conference room at Hewes & Associates, although the fogginess of the silence that ensues seems to break only Mike into a bit of a sweat. Even though he knows this is just a scheme to try and throw the litigators off. Patty has hardly batted an eyelash, seemingly fixated on the condensation on her glass of water, just out of her arm’s grasp on the table.

When she finally speaks, Mike’s jaw clenches. He’d only heard of Patty Hewes, and that was enough to make him never want to meet her. Even if he wasn’t the direct end of her icy, stoic gaze, being in the periphery was enough to make his nerves even worse. But one thing Mike Ross has always been gifted with was his poker face.

“Mr. Specter, there are a few things I don’t respond well to, but bullies are on the top of that list. Your clientrobbed thousands of innocent, hard-working people of their money. Their futures. They’ve been stripped of everything they’ve had, and they deserve justice.”

Harvey lets out an exasperated sigh. He knows that he’s not going to get anywhere, at least not in this meeting. And it’s rare that he doesn’t get what he wants.

“We’ll be seeing you in court, Mr. Specter. And next time? Please schedule your appointments.” Other than the formalities exchanged when the lawyers of Pearson Hardman had marched into Hewes and Associates, this is the first time that Mike has heard Ellen speak in the meeting. And it is immediately clear to him why she is Patty’s right hand woman, whether she accepts it (let alone knows it) or not.