Chapter 3
Three days after the reunion.
Rumors in the legal world spread faster than wildfire.
"Did you hear? Edward and Emily are back, and they've taken on Henry's divorce case," someone said.
"They're representing Henry's ex-wife? That's an astronomical fee," the other answered.
"Emily's already bragging that after this case, she'll be joining the International Arbitration Tribunal. That's next level."
I was sitting in my office, listening to my assistant Lucas Grant fill me in on all the gossip.
Lucas was so mad his face turned red.
He said, "Samantha, they're way too cocky!
"Emily just posted a photo on her social media from a case strategy session at a five-star hotel, captioned, 'First case back home, victory is mine.' Everyone in the comments is fawning over her."
I flipped through the case file, not even looking up.
"Let her enjoy her moment," I said.
"But—" Lucas started.
"Lucas," I cut him off, "the real test is in the courtroom. She can post a hundred times on social media, but it won't change the fact that her skills are garbage."
Lucas bit his lip and said, "And yesterday, at a lawyer's salon, Edward said in front of dozens of people..."
He hesitated.
"What did he say?" I asked.
"He said, 'My ex-girlfriend Samantha just couldn't handle the pressure back then. She choked when it mattered most.
"In this business, it's all about skill, not luck," he continued.
My pen froze in my hand.
My knuckles turned white.
Three seconds later, I kept writing.
"Got it," I said.
Lucas looked at me, wanting to say something but holding back.
"Samantha, you're really not mad?" he asked.
I set my pen down and looked at him.
"Mad?" I repeated.
I gave a cold, almost chilling smile. "Lucas, I didn't spend three years just to get angry.
"I did it so Edward could watch as I destroy his client in court, right before his eyes."
Lucas shivered.
He'd worked with me for two years, but this was the first time he'd ever seen me smile like that.
"Get ready," I said, standing up. "Tomorrow's our first pretrial conference."
"Do they know you're the lawyer?" Lucas asked.
"Nope," I replied.
I grabbed my coat. "Henry signed a confidentiality agreement. My identity as counsel stays secret until the hearing.
"All they know is the other side has a lawyer. They just don't know it's me."
Lucas's eyes lit up. "So tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow," I said, "they're in for a surprise."
*****
The pretrial conference was held in the third Mediation Room of the Superior Court of Ashford.
I arrived ten minutes early.
I sat at the counsel table, flipping through the case files.
Then I heard the click of high heels outside the door.
Emily's voice floated in first. "Edward, we've got this. I did some digging. Henry's ex-wife hired a lawyer from some tiny local firm. Total nobody."
Edward's voice stayed cool. "Don't underestimate them. The Hawthorne Family has deep pockets."
"What's there to worry about?" Emily laughed. "Money doesn't win cases, skill does. We spent three years overseas working on top-tier lawsuits. Steamrolling some local nobody? Easy."
The door swung open.