Chapter 1

The newbie associate, all high and mighty because she wanted to play the "legal prodigy," volunteered for a court hearing.

But when the opposing counsel started grilling her, she folded like a cheap suit, and our case went south fast.

After the verdict, she ran crying to my fiancé, making excuses:

"Waaah, the other lawyer was so mean! It was my first time, and I got so nervous!"

Because of her screw-up, our client, who should've walked free, was now facing hard time.

My fiancé and my protégé just patted her on the head, all sympathetic:

"Don't worry, sweetie, nobody wins 'em all!"

"Our Lexi is so smart, she'll crush it next time."

I blew a gasket.

"Court isn't a playground! It's about finding the truth and fighting for justice!"

"An innocent person is going to prison because of your incompetence! How can you even sleep at night?"

Lexi, acting all offended, started sobbing and threatening to jump off the roof.

My fiancé and protégé, instead of telling her to grow up, twisted the whole thing around, making me the villain.

They blamed me for everything, making me Lexi’s scapegoat.

I was forced to resign in disgrace and was threatened with losing my license.

Desperate and alone, I was crossing the street when a car hit me. End of story.

But now I'm back, reliving the day we went to court with Miss Perfect.

This time, things are going to be different.

"I... I don't know..."

Lexi, our lawyer for the defendant, was straight-up crying in court.

The opposing counsel smelled blood in the water and kept hammering her, exploiting every weakness in her testimony.

Her face went white as a sheet, and she turned to my fiancé in the gallery, begging for help.

"Oh, Sean... Wh-what do I do?"

Last time, Lexi got flustered, and our case fell apart.

Our client, who had a good shot at walking, ended up facing a decade behind bars.

The family of the client was pissed and made noise in the office.

To smooth things over, my fiancé, Sean, threw me under the bus to protect Lexi.

I lost my job and was facing a lawsuit.

When I asked my protégé, Wyatt, for help, he laughed in my face.

I was crossing the street when I got hit by a car.

As I lay dying, I seethed with rage.

Lexi screwed up, but I was the one paying the price!

Fueled by fury, I was reborn in Lexi’s court session.

This time, I'm going to make them pay.

While the courtroom buzzed, I stood up, pushed Lexi back into her seat.

I took a deep breath and announced:

"We object to the plaintiff's evidence for lacking foundation and relevance."

I hammered the other lawyer, tearing apart his evidence and exposing every flaw.

After a real battle of words, the judge ruled that the case couldn't be proven and set our client free.

Leaving the courthouse, I glared at Lexi.

Smack!

The sound echoed in the open air.

I poured all my rage and hatred into that one slap, giving Lexi what she deserved.

Lexi fell to the ground, stunned and in disbelief.

I pointed at the scales of justice hanging above us.

"Useless! Fighting tooth and nail for your client is your damn job as a lawyer!"

Lexi, all pathetic, sniffled:

"Ms. Ellis, it was my first time in court, waaaah... I was so nervous!"

Ever since Lexi showed up at our firm, she's been pulling this routine.

She acted like she was a genius, so everyone expected big things from her.

But she couldn't back up the hype, so she just flirted her way out of trouble.

But this time, it was different. It was someone's life on the line!

"Sean..."

"Shut up!"

I shot Sean a death glare.

"If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen! You were so eager to take this case, but you choked when it mattered!"

"Are you going to do his time for him?"