Chapter 4
Darren continued, "I was absolutely blown away by Miss Kirkland's poise and skill in court. I wanted our new associates to learn from the best.
"So I asked the court to fast-track the upload of the trial transcript to the platform.
"It should be up now. Feel free to check it out, everyone."
As soon as he finished, the office was instantly filled with the sound of keyboards clattering as the curious crowd gathered in small groups to look up the transcript.
Darren took the opportunity to sidle up to me and whispered, "Sarah, you're a total badass, crushing it in court and taking down pretentious bitches like Aileen.
"And that slap at the courthouse door was just awesome."
I could tell he was fishing for praise.
He must've seen the drama at the courthouse entrance and decided to set all this up.
"Thanks." My voice was soft. There was no hiding the hint of gloom in my tone.
He seized the moment. "If you're not happy in this firm, why not jump ship and join my firm?"
I hesitated. "I'll consider it."
He looked like he wanted to say more, but the office suddenly erupted with chatter.
A voice remarked, "What was Aileen even saying then? 'George, w-what am I supposed to do?' I've been a lawyer for years, and I've never seen anything this unprofessional in a court transcript."
Another said, "Seriously? Is that something a lawyer is supposed to say in court?"
The tide turned in an instant.
"Thank goodness Sarah kept her cool. I can't even imagine how bad our firm's reputation would've gotten if she hadn't."
"Sarah's comeback was legendary. Her logic and reflexes were total badass."
"What is this about Sarah not letting the newbies shine? Aileen should be the one thanking Sarah instead."
The chatter grew louder, and Hugo's face grew darker by the second.
All those accusations Hugo, Colin and George had thrown at me before were now nothing but hot air.
The trial transcript was the best proof.
Colin suddenly barked, "That's enough! If you've got time to gossip, maybe you need more work on your plate."
I said coldly, "We're just talking about what went wrong in court. Live and learn, right?"
I stressed the word "wrong," and just as I expected, the faces of Hugo, Colin and George got even darker.
Someone muttered under their breath, "Seriously, Aileen keeps hyping herself up as some genius, but once she's in court, she turns into a total drama queen."
"Getting paired with her is just rotten luck."
"That's enough!" Hugo barked, looking pissed.
Seeing Hugo lose his temper, everyone instantly fell silent.
"It was just a rookie slip-up in court. That's the end of it. No more talking about this," he said.
With that, he turned and walked out.
Watching him disappear down the hallway, I felt so choked up it was like something inside me was crashing down.
All for Aileen, Hugo turned his back on the client's interests, ignored the fairness and justice of the law, and even betrayed his own principles and beliefs.
He didn't care about the truth or the facts. He just wanted a scapegoat.
He was hell-bent on forcing me to admit fault.
I wondered if he the one pulling the strings, resulting in my death. I was sure it was him.
My fists trembled as I fiercely held back the tears threatening to fall.
In the heavy silence, everyone looked pretty grim.
Only Darren stood apart, proud as a peacock with his feathers on full display.
"See? I told you this trial was worth studying over and over," he said.
"It's rare to see a trial that's both a model example and a mistake," Darren added.
Darren shot a meaningful look at Aileen, making it clear who he was talking about.
Aileen's expression darkened in an instant. "Hey, it's normal for rookies to mess up in court. It's not like we lost the case anyway.
"Even if we had, it's not like Sarah's never lost before, right? Why am I the only one getting singled out?"
As she spoke, Aileen started to cry, looking so pitiful that anyone would feel sorry for her.
Darren burst out laughing.
He said, "Some people are just so shameless. Others have to clean up their mess and turn their crap into art. And then she has the guts to go around showing off that crap art like she did it all herself.
"Sure, Miss Kirkland has lost cases before, but she goes down with honor. You? You just bailed at the last minute.
"I'm not like some of your colleagues who are fooled by you."
Aileen was so furious she could barely catch her breath. "W-what gives you the right to criticize me?"
I lifted my chin and shot back, "Darren just asked you a couple of simple questions, and you were left speechless.
"With the way you freeze up and can't even string a sentence together, maybe you should just switch careers while you still can. Being a lawyer clearly isn't your thing."
Aileen tried to say something, but she was totally shut down, left standing there without a single comeback.