Chapter 5 Explosion

Adriana had just got into the car, took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and the phone in her bag rang –

Beep, beep, beep…

Adrianalooked at her phone. It was a call from her assistant, Mona.

"Hello?" she answered the phone.

"Ma'am, where are you? It's already one o'clock, why haven't you arrived at the court yet?"

Only then did Adriana remember that today was the final hearing of the White family case in court. Because of Calvin, she almost forgot about it.

"Mona, prepare all the documents related to the case and wait there for me. I will be there in twenty minutes," she said.

The case wasn't very complicated. It was an appeal case on behalf of a victim of school violence.

By the time the trial ended, it was already five o'clock.

The defense lawyer had tried to use the minor protection law to help his client get off, but Adriana had presented twenty cases to testify. As a result, the judge sentenced the defendant to ten years in prison and one year of probation.

Adriana was about to leave when Mona stopped her, speaking uneasily. "Ma'am, how about I drive you to the office? Or would you rather go home? I'm just worried about..."

Adriana knew Mona was concerned about possible retaliation. It wasn't exactly unheard of—every year, countless lawyers and judges lost their lives for similar reasons.

Adriana looked at her with a smile and shook her head. "No need. Don't worry, it's not my first day as a lawyer. I know their tactics, and I can handle them."

Being a lawyer had always been a high-risk profession. Defending so-called bad people made the world criticize you for lacking a conscience, while going against them often meant your life could be in danger.

"Alright, but please be careful. Stay away from empty alleys or deserted places," Mona insisted worriedly.

"Okay, okay, I'll be careful. Stop nagging already! Now, don't just stand here. We won the case, so go ask the boss for your bonus!" Adriana replied with a grin, patting Mona on the shoulder before getting into her car and driving away.

Her hands rested on the steering wheel as her eyes fell on the bruises on her arm. The adrenaline rush from the trial was quickly replaced by a wave of exhaustion.

She hadn't felt this drained even after days of court battles and sleepless nights pouring over case files.

But just a few hours with Calvin had left her mentally and physically depleted.

Even now, the mere thought of him made her frown and feel like she had just run a marathon, struggling to catch her breath.

(Do you think this is over?)

The threat echoed in her mind again, stirring the same pang of hurt from before.

But almost instantly, her lips curled into a smirk. Perhaps it was the euphoria of winning the case, or the pride of reclaiming her worth at work, but the fear that once gripped her was nowhere to be found.

The past was just that—past. It didn't matter anymore. She was now a formidable lawyer, someone people feared to cross.

She would never lose, not to an opposing attorney, not to a client's threats, and certainly not to her damned ex-husband!

With that thought, the fleeting sadness from moments ago was entirely forgotten. Adriana felt a surge of pride as she tapped her index finger rhythmically on the steering wheel, humming a tune.

Breaking her usual routine, she decided not to head back to the office to work late. Instead, she pulled over and rewarded herself with a "guilty pleasure" meal for the night.

Perhaps she was overly excited by this uncharacteristic choice, her mind already preoccupied with thoughts of the delicious treat that awaited her. As a result, she failed to notice the faint, almost imperceptible beeping sound that was emanating from under her car as she stepped out.

The soft click-clack of her heels on the pavement drowned out the subtle warning.

Nor did she pay any heed to the luxury car that had pulled over shortly after she did, its sleek silhouette blending into the background of the dimly lit street.

But then, just a few steps away from her car, an earth-shattering explosion erupted behind her!

Boom!

A thunderous roar erupted as the bomb detonated, an apocalyptic force that shattered the car's windows into a million razor-sharp fragments.

These shards of glass became deadly projectiles, hurtling through the air with lethal velocity, while a searing wave of heat, like the wrath of a thousand infernos, surged outward with such ferocity that it catapulted Adriana off her feet as if she were a rag doll.

Instinctively, she hurled herself forward in a desperate bid for survival, her body slamming into the unforgiving ground with a sickening thud.

Fragments of glass, like malevolent stingers, embedded themselves deep into her back, sending jolts of agony coursing through her.

The pain was so blinding that Adriana's vision swam, a dizzying vertigo threatening to consume her.

Blood, warm and viscous, began to ooze from the wounds, spreading in a macabre crimson stain across her body.

The once-proud vehicle was reduced to a mangled wreckage in the blink of an eye, nothing but twisted metal and smoldering debris remaining.

By a hair's breadth, Adriana had managed to scramble clear, for had she been a fraction of a second slower, the explosion's fury would have torn her limb from limb, scattering her remains to the four winds.

Adriana's lips parted, a feeble attempt at a cry for help forming in her throat, "Help...", but the excruciating pain stole her voice, leaving her gasping in silent torment.

Moments later, her world went black as she succumbed to unconsciousness, her body limp and broken on the blood-soaked ground.

And from behind her, a heartrending, almost despairing shout pierced through the chaos. "Adriana!!"

It was a voice filled with a mixture of shock, anguish, and disbelief...