As they took their leave one by one within half an hour, I was the only person left in the office.
“Those two really hate each other’s guts,” I couldn’t help but complain.
“Ms. Stanhope.” Brooklyn suddenly entered with a bunch of documents in his hands. Standing right in front of me, he placed them on my table.
“There are three cases here that involve contract disputes between some small companies. I’ve gone through them and found them straightforward enough. I reckoned they will likely not cause you too much trouble.”
Before I could be called to the bar, I needed to complete ten cases independently. It appeared that John had informed Brooklyn about this.
“I appreciate what you’re doing for me, Mr. Newman. I will complete this to the best of my abilities and not disappoint you.”
It was an industry practice within the legal fraternity that anyone new would not have the opportunity to meet with clients. Even Eugene of Tinsel Group only allowed Zander and me to accompany him to court. But now, Brooklyn was directly giving me his cases. By doing so, he was doing me a huge favor for which I was naturally grateful for.
“Don’t rush. Just take your time. As someone new, it will be a while before you settle down. Also, there’s something else I want to talk to you about.” Brooklyn was someone easy to talk to. Furthermore, his gentle expression gave off a warm and friendly vibe.
John was right to say that pleasant sights do improve one’s mood.
“Go ahead,” I replied with a smile.
“Since Mr. Stanhope trusts me enough to put me under you, there are certain things which I want to be upfront with you.” With a serious expression, Brooklyn clasped his fingers in front of himself. “Although it is just the law firm’s first day of operations, we are burning money every second. Therefore, I was wondering if you could link our company up with the Moore family as soon as possible? Or perhaps work out a legal partnership with Featherstone Corporation? So that we can prevent any potential trouble.”
As I had just thrown my weight around in front of Stella, it would be a bad idea for me to visit Featherstone Corporation so quickly. Therefore, my only choice was to meet with Cameron and Zachary.
It wasn’t a difficult endeavor. In fact, I could even get the Harrisons and Tinsel Group to let us manage their legal affairs. However, Brooklyn’s candidness caused me to feel concerned.
After the many painful lessons that I had been taught, I realized time couldn’t show one’s true character. After all, compared to the eternal nature of time, the duration we could spend with anyone was simply too short.
“I understand. I will work on that. But, for these few days, let’s just focus on stabilizing the firm’s operations.”
“Sure. In that case, I’ll stop bothering you then. I’ll be outside if you need me.”
Just as he spoke, Brooklyn stood up and left.
His actions are all very decisive. John really knew my taste well.
When Emery called and invited me for afternoon tea, I agreed as I was coincidentally working on a case with a company in the vicinity.
The person who received me at the company likely had been in contact with Brooklyn. Everything went smoothly, and I was done in less than half an hour.
When I arrived at the café, Emery was still driving her way there. Hence, I chose a seat by the window and ordered a glass of warm milk while waiting for her.
Before long, the waiter served me my milk. The moment I took a sip and looked out the window, I saw Emery swaggering glamorously toward the café in her sunglasses and fashionable outfit.
Just when she was on her way here, a figure suddenly stood in front of her, blocking her way. The man’s body was so massive that he blocked off my view of her. What worried me was that he didn’t look friendly at all.
The next moment, the man said something, causing Emery to take off her sunglasses and stagger a few steps back. Realizing something was very wrong, I quickly paid the bill and rushed out.
“Emery!” Yelling from the entrance, I hoped to scare the man away. After which, I continued running toward her.
Having heard my voice, both the man and Emery looked in my direction. As they weren’t far from me, I managed to reach her side within a few seconds.
“Who are you? Are you trying to commit a crime in broad daylight?” Gritting my teeth, I calmly waved my phone in the air and threatened, “I have already called the police. If you don’t want to go to jail, I advise you to leave now.”
“Damn you b*tches for daring to call the cops!”
The man had a deep scar that stretched across his nose and extended toward the corner of his mouth. Given how agitated he was, his expression was filled with ferocity. When he heard what I said, he raised his fist in rage and threw it in my direction.
I instinctively tried to block his attack. Before his fist could reach my face, however, Emery stepped forward and launched a surprise attack by kicking the man in between his legs.
“Argh! F*ck!” Grimacing in pain, the man covered his groin and dropped to his knees.
“How dare you try and hit my friend! You are certainly asking for it!” Emery looked down at the man with a fearless expression.
Just as she spoke, she pushed me behind her to protect me. Not far away, the Moore family bodyguards came rushing over. The group of young men in sunglasses and black suits caused quite a commotion with their appearance.
When the man heard them approaching, he turned back to look. Out of desperation, he forced himself to stand and glared viciously at Emery. Reaching into the pocket of his suit, he took out a plastic bottle.
Before we could react, he quickly opened the bottle and threw its contents toward Emery’s face. “Die, you b*tches!”
Emery covered me and ducked, but her heel was trapped by a crack on the payment, causing her leg to buckle. Losing our balance, both of us fell backward together.
At that exact moment, I could see traces of liquid streaking through the air. After which, Emery threw herself around to protect me from it.
“Be careful!
“Argh!”
As the liquid hit her back, Emery’s grimacing expression struck me to the core.
“Emery!” She collapsed into my arms with her face reddened from the excruciating pain.
When the man realized his job was done, he dropped the bottle and fled immediately.
The bodyguards rushed over, carried Emery away, and provided me cover to leave the place. Naturally, a police report had also been made.
At the hospital, the doctor’s initial diagnosis was that she had been burned by sulfuric acid. The large swathe of skin on her back that was burned would likely not be able to grow back.
Anthony was the first to call. At that moment, I was sitting at the entrance of the operating theater oblivious to the ringing of my phone. It wasn’t until the bodyguard reminded me of it that I answered the call.
“Why did you take so long to pick up?” Anthony sounded exasperated. Despite not seeing him in person, I could still feel how concerned he was.
“I’m sorry, Emery is still in the operating theater. I was just feeling too anxious about her,” I replied in a dejected tone.
It was natural for girls to enjoy flaunting their bodies. Emery had a good figure with flawless skin. Hence, she loved wearing revealing outfits that expose her shoulders and back. But now, she would never get to wear her favorite clothes anymore. Life is just too cruel to her.
The more frightening thought was that the man was actually aiming for her face. What sort of bad blood between them would cause him to commit such a heinous attack?
On the other side of my worries was my fear. I was afraid that I was the cause of the incident and also afraid that I had burdened someone else before my death.
“Sienna.” Anthony’s tone suddenly changed. Its steadiness emanated a power that was able to calm my heart. “Believe me, it has nothing to do with you. That man isn’t one of Armond’s.”
The moment he read my mind, the tears that I had been holding back gushed out instantly. Holding my phone tightly, I cried like a child.
Anthony didn’t say another word until I managed to calm down. I heard his deep voice over the line again. “John and the Moore family’s men will arrive soon. Try and recall exactly what happened and explain it to them quickly. It will make it easier for them to catch the perpetrator. Can you do that?”
I gritted my teeth. “Yes.”
When the men arrived, I began to carefully recount what had just happened.
I had learned my lesson from previous mistakes where we allowed our enemies to succeed because we didn’t seize the initiative. This time, I wasn’t going to allow the perpetrator to go off scot-free.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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