Chapter 1
Elodie never thought that after five years, her first encounter with the man she once kept as a sugar baby would be in a courtroom.
She looked down at her washed-out delivery uniform, then glanced at Sidney's clearly expensive, tailored suit across the room, her throat tightening with anxiety.
Now, Sidney was a nationally renowned lawyer, nothing like the struggling law student she remembered, who had worked multiple jobs to make ends meet.
And Elodiestood in the defendant's box, all because she had accidentally scraped a parked Maserati while delivering food.
To make things even more ridiculous, the owner of the car turned out to be her ex-best friend's new boyfriend.
After recognizing her, he blew up the damages and demanded 300 thousand dollars in compensation.
And he plastered the story all over social media, turning "the fallen heiress turned delivery girl" into a trending topic.
"Now, the defense may present their case." The judge's voice snapped Elodie back to reality. She instinctively turned to her lawyer.
The lawyer she had hired for thirty dollars through a discount deal online was frantically shuffling through his papers.
And he didn't even take the time to push his glasses up when they slipped to the tip of his nose.
My lawyer said, "Uh. Regarding this case, my client, Ms. Dawson, would like to state..."
A few snickers came from the gallery, and Elodie's ears were burning. She couldn't help but glance over at Sidney.
He was taller than she remembered, with broad shoulders and a slim waist wrapped in a sharp, dark gray suit. Those long fingers she used to obsess over were now calmly tapping on a folder.
The guy who once stared at her with teary eyes, begging her not to break up, wouldn't even look her way now.
Elodie closed her eyes. She knew all too well how Sidney operated.
When she kept him five years ago, she had already witnessed his near-obsessive perfectionism and his total control over every detail.
Now, Sidney was a nationally renowned lawyer, famous for being sharp and ruthless.
He could easily pick apart every flaw in her case and ruin her financially.
What cutting remarks she had made when she broke up with him back then.
"If I want to break up, I break up. If I tell you to leave, you leave. No questions asked." That was what she had thrown at him back then.
"Plaintiff's counsel, please present your case," the judge said.
The judge turned to Sidney.
Elodie's back went rigid.
'If I really have to cough up 300 thousand dollars. With what I make from three jobs, even if I starve myself, how many years would that take?' Elodie thought.
"Your Honor," Sidney addressed the judge.
His voice was deep and steady.
"After a professional assessment, the actual damages come to about seven thousand dollars. Given the defendant's financial situation, we suggest going with the lowest possible penalty," he continued.
In the end, the judge ruled that Elodie had to pay one thousand dollars, payable in installments.
Once everyone had cleared out, Elodie's mind was still spinning.
Was Sidney taking pity on her?
Or maybe he just thought this case was beneath him?
Then Elodie recalled how he hadn't spared her a single glance in court and immediately shot down that first thought.
Five years was a long time. He had probably wiped that whole ridiculous chapter from his memory. Now, it was strictly business.
As she left the courtroom, Elodie purposely slowed down, hanging back until she was absolutely sure Sidney was gone.
"Well, well, look who decided to show up," Imogen said, her voice thick with sarcasm.
She had her arm looped through Myron's, her makeup absolutely on point.
"Ms. Dawson can barely scrape together a thousand bucks these days, huh?" Myron said.
Myron let out a mocking laugh.
"Three jobs just to get by? If you'd known you'd end up like this, maybe you wouldn't have acted like you were all that back then," Imogen added.
People in the hallway slowed down, curious to watch the drama play out.
"Ms. Dawson, look at you now, totally down and out. The word is, after your dad jumped, you couldn't even scrape together enough for his urn," Imogen said.
Elodie clenched her fists, nails digging deep into her palm.
Three years ago, her dad's company crashed, and he jumped from the top of their sixty-story office tower.
All those people who used to suck up to her family turned into the nastiest debt collectors overnight.
Right now, Elodie didn't have it in her to spar with Imogen. All she wanted was to escape this suffocating hallway, fast.
"Move," Elodie snapped, her voice icy.
But Imogen just stepped closer, her overpowering perfume making Elodie want to gag.
"What a shame, huh? If things hadn't gone south, you could still be keeping some cute boy toy around. But..." Imogen trailed off.
She deliberately dragged out the last word, making sure everyone could feel the sting.