Chapter 3

"Aileen was just nervous and couldn't react in time," Hugo said. "But Sarah just jumped in, and all the work Aileen did was for nothing."

George added, "Sure, Aileen's way of handling things isn't as polished as yours, but you started out just like her.

"It's bad enough you took her credit, but now you're making her take the blame? She doesn't deserve that."

Colin and George stopped blindly backing Aileen and were now parroting Hugo, trying to act all righteous and criticize me from their supposed moral high ground.

I shot back coldly, "I've never bawled my eyes out and called out to George in court. Don't compare me to any random person.

"Aileen is on my team, so you guys can stay out of it. I'm punishing her and that's final."

"Enough!" Hugo cut me off, his face darkening. "Sarah, just because you're a senior partner doesn't mean you get to call all the shots around here.

"I'm the founder of this firm, and I'm not dead yet. If I say Aileen's fine, then she's fine.

"Why don't you take a few days off to cool down. That two-hundred-million-dollar case you're handling? George and Colin will take over for now."

This case had been my top priority lately.

My whole team and I had been pouring all our energy into it.

Even though I was being forced to hand it over, my team still had to keep at it.

I was left like a general without an army.

With that, Hugo turned to leave.

The sudden change left me reeling.

I couldn't make sense of Hugo's inexplicable favoritism toward Aileen.

For the sake of one intern, he was willing to pin false accusations on me and basically put me on suspension.

He chose to overlook our years of mentorship, and the value I brought to the firm. I came nowhere close to Aileen for him.

The mentor I'd always looked up to was now blatantly lying to my face.

"Mr. Mason," I shouted, bursting out of the office, refusing to let him walk away without hearing me out.

But George jumped in, blocking me from going after Hugo.

He said, "Sarah, Hugo's been your mentor for years. You owe him a ton. Are you really gonna fall out with him over something this small?

"He's a veteran lawyer. He just called you out for being too hasty, that's all. Why do you have to be so stubborn about it? Seriously, you're way too full of yourself!"

I could let whatever George and Colin said slide, since their opinions never really mattered to me.

But Hugo was the cornerstone of my legal career. Whenever I felt lost, he was the one who pushed me to hold onto my ideals and fight for justice and honor.

But now, he was turning his back on everything he'd ever taught me.

Trembling with rage, I barely managed to keep my voice under control.

I declared, "Mr. Mason, I won't accept this. I don't buy the way you're pinning the blame for what happened in court on me. I stand by how I handled it. There was nothing wrong with what I did."

Hugo's face turned stone cold, his usual smile vanishing. "I always knew you were competitive, but I never thought you'd be this petty.

"Aileen's got real talent, but do you have to keep stealing her thunder and never let her have her moment?

"If you're so jealous you can't stand anyone else in the spotlight, maybe it's time you resign."

No one at the firm really knew what went down in court.

But after Hugo spun the story his way, everyone bought it and started whispering behind my back.

Hugo was indeed a slick experienced lawyer. With just a few words, suddenly I was the villain of the story.

Gritting my teeth, I was just about to speak up and defend myself when someone strode right into the middle of our showdown, his voice carrying a playful edge.

He said, "Instead of going in circles, how about we take a look at the actual evidence?

"Aren't you all supposed to be lawyers? Shouldn't evidence matter more than hearsay for you guys?"

It was Darren Reynolds.

He was the founder of Shard Law Firm, and a young hotshot with real talent.

His firm's values really resonated with me.

He'd tried to poach me for his firm more than once, but I always turned him down out of loyalty to Hugo.

George scoffed, sounding unimpressed. "No one's allowed to record court proceedings without permission. So what kind of proof do you think you've got, Mr. Reynolds?"

Darren smirked. "Guess what, I was actually there in the courtroom for that hearing."

Colin shot back at once, "So what if you were there? George and I were both at that hearing too. Two of us versus just you: whose testimony do you think people will trust more?"

Darren shook his head. "Why so anxious, Mr. Lotimer? Feeling guilty?"