Chapter 3

"I'll make sure you never have to suffer for money again. Just hang in there for me," Julius said.

I hugged him tightly, giving myself to him completely, as if I were offering up a sacrifice.

"Okay, I'll wait for you," I replied.

Thankfully, hard work really does pay off. Julius's career started to take off, and he began to make a name for himself.

But his ambitions didn't stop there. Julius dreamed of opening his own firm one day.

But he was short on both experience and cash. The little bit of money I'd managed to scrape together hardly made a dent.

It wasn't until August of the following year that I finally landed my first big deal.

That month, I made nearly 70 thousand dollars just in commission.

I was so excited I totally forgot Julius's birthday was still weeks away.

I withdrew the entire amount that same day. I stuffed the cash into a cake box and brought it over to Julius.

Julius was scrambling for cash, running into dead ends everywhere and looking totally worn out.

But he still forced a smile and went along with my act. "So today's my birthday, huh? Guess I forgot my own birthday.

"If you want cake next time, just say so. No need to make such a fuss."

As soon as the box was opened, Julius was struck dumb. He couldn't get a word out.

Julius just stared at the stacks of crisp cash for a full three minutes before finally looking away.

"What's all this?" Julius finally managed.

I smiled and set the box in his hands, not hesitating for a second. "It's your birthday gift from me. Julius, we're finally starting our own firm together."

With the money in hand, everything just fell into place.

Julius partnered with a senior classmate and officially registered SR Legal.

The night they hung up the sign, Julius got totally wasted.

He hugged me close, whispering my name again and again. "Isabella, Isabella, do you know why I called my firm SR Legal?"

I snuggled into his arms, feeling even happier than he was. "Is it to remind yourself not to forget your roots, to reflect on yourself every day?"

"Yes, and no," Julius replied.

Julius looked at me with such deep affection, like he was swearing an oath by the ocean, or making a promise that would last a lifetime.

Julius said slowly, "All these years, I've been asking myself. What did I ever do to deserve you, Isabella, going through so much for me?

"When can I finally give you the good life you truly deserve? How good do I have to be to you, Isabella, so I can feel worthy of you?

"Isabella, these are the things I need to ask myself every single day. Isabella, trust me. I swear I'll never let you down."

I remember every single word Julius said that night, like they were etched into my heart.

That's why I gave him everything, kept making sacrifices for him, time after time...

When Julius first asked me to help out at SR Legal, I actually thought about getting back to lawyering.

I'd been out for more than a year, but with my foundation, I knew I could make up for lost time.

But Julius said, "Isabella, the firm's just starting out, and I'm buried in all these details and chores.

"Can you handle some of the day-to-day stuff for me, just for now?

"Once everything's running smoothly, you can get back to being a lawyer. I'll mentor you myself, okay?"

I couldn't say no.

SR Legal was the dream we'd both poured everything into. Of course I wanted it to grow and thrive as soon as possible.

So I quit my real estate job, where I was just starting to make a name for myself, and joined SR Legal.

I ended up handling everything, admin, HR, and logistics, all by myself.

I covered everything, from paying the rent and utilities to scheduling meetings.

Even down to keeping the place spotless and fixing the printer when it broke, it was all on me.

In less than half a year, I went from totally lost to running the place like a pro.

When the firm's first anniversary came around, I couldn't hide my excitement as I asked Julius.

"Now that things are running smoothly, can I finally go back to being a lawyer?" I asked.

But Julius just told me to wait a little longer, until he'd made it even bigger, climbed even higher.

And I waited. Five whole years.