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Death‑Row Ex: The Case I Won't Take
Death‑Row Ex: The Case I Won't Take
Author: Julian Cross

Chapter 1

Author: Julian Cross
Standing in front of my desk, my assistant, Alex Shaw, widened his eyes. The thick stack of top-secret case files nearly tumbled right out of his arms.

He stared at me in disbelief, his voice gripped with shock as he exclaimed, "A-Are you sure, Mr. Carter? This is Christa Lowry we're talking about!

"She's the star attorney in our state, and she's now implicated in an international money laundering case involving tens of billions of dollars. The main culprits will all be given the death penalty! You're the only one in our state—no, in the entire country—who has any chance of winning a case with such high stakes!"

He took a deep breath before urging, "Besides, Christa is offering a fortune for her legal fees. If you win, you'll become the most renowned and invincible—"

I glanced icily at the case files before interrupting, "Did you not understand me? Do I need to repeat myself? I've made my stance clear to you. Tell her I hope she rests in peace."

For 15 years, every time I closed my eyes, I would see my father clutching his chest as he collapsed in agony at the defendant's table in the courtroom.

At that moment, the barrage of comments that had gone silent for so long filled my vision once again.

[Spoiler alert! The most satisfying moment of revenge is about to come!]

[That awful woman is so deluded. She thinks that just by offering enough money, Mason will be willing to save her for old times' sake! What a joke.]

[Quick! Refuse her, Grim Reaper! Send her to hell! She needs to get a taste of true despair.]

[Mason never looked cooler than he does now. I'm glad he threw the pen into the trash. I wouldn't want to have anything to do with scum like Christa either!]

My lips curled as I read the comments. I rose to my feet and grabbed my coat off the back of my chair.

"Send the files back, Alex. If we get a call from the detention center again, tell them that I, Mason Carter, abide by a strict rule when it comes to taking cases. I do not help those who deserve to pay for what they've done."

Ignoring Alex's stunned expression, I opened the glass door to my office and strode out.

However, trouble always came along quicker than one would expect.

The moment I stepped out of the law firm, I heard the sound of tires screeching against the road. A black Rolls-Royce Phantom swung to a hard stop across the front of my car, completely blocking my path.

The rear door opened, and a sharply dressed man stepped out, his face brimming with arrogance.

It was Todd Harlow.

Now that 15 years had passed, the scion who'd used money and power to manipulate the outcome in the courtroom that day had now taken over the family business and become the city's most powerful judicial fixer.

He was the one who'd teamed up with Christa and used Dad's life to whitewash his family's criminal dealings.

"What's the rush, Mr. Carter? Why don't we have a chat?"

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  • Death‑Row Ex: The Case I Won't Take   Chapter 10

    I frowned. Just then, the comments running before my eyes started flashing red, like a warning.[Attention! Attention! Major spoiler alert! Todd, that bastard, isn't flying out of the country! He knows he's under travel restrictions, so he chartered a smuggling yacht and is currently heading to the East Harbor! He also has the physical ledger containing the key records of the money laundering network on him! Don't let him escape! If he gets away, he'll never be caught again!]I shot to my feet, grabbed the car keys from my desk, and immediately called Captain White of the city's economic crimes division."Captain White! Todd Harlow is trying to flee the country! He's not at the airport. Take your men to the East Harbor. He wants to escape by sea!"…One month later, I sat in the first row of the gallery in the Supreme Court, just like I had 15 years ago. Only this time, the defendants standing in the defendant's box were Todd and Christa, both in handcuffs.That day at the East H

  • Death‑Row Ex: The Case I Won't Take   Chapter 9

    Once Alex inserted the USB drive into the computer, the giant screen immediately began displaying the draft filled with Christa's annotations, proving that she'd forged the report.Todd's legs had already gone weak. He collapsed onto his chair, his lips trembling as he struggled to form a single coherent sentence.Kirk's face was ashen as well. Hunched over, he tried to quietly slip away through the back exit."Leaving already?" I called out coldly. "But I've saved the best for last, Mr. Wagner."I gave them no chance to catch their breath, releasing the final and most damaging piece of evidence. It was a covertly signed offshore equity holding agreement, along with a series of bank transaction records."You think that's all I had, Todd? 15 years ago, the day after my father died, one of your Harlow family's offshore accounts suddenly received an unexplained sum of ten million dollars. The money was then transferred multiple times before finally ending up in a shell company regist

  • Death‑Row Ex: The Case I Won't Take   Chapter 8

    Not a single security guard dared to step forward.I pressed the remote control once more. The image on the giant screen changed, revealing a document stamped with an official seal. It was the expert witness report submitted by a forensic accountant."15 years ago, my father was accused of embezzling three million dollars from public funds. The main evidence used to convict him was this expert opinion submitted in court by the prosecutor at the time, Christa, who later became lead counsel."I split the screen into two. The left showed the version submitted as evidence in court back then, and on the right was an original draft covered in dust, its edges worn and damaged."Please pay close attention to the screen, everyone. What you see on the left is the version submitted to the court. On the right is the original draft that I spent eight years piecing together, page by page, from the old archives of an accounting firm that was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time. Most of the arc

  • Death‑Row Ex: The Case I Won't Take   Chapter 7

    At 10:00 am the next day, the conference room in the largest hotel in the city was packed to the brim. Amid the bustling commotion, the camera flashes were a blinding sea of white.Not only had every major local media outlet and legal news channel set up their cameras and microphones in the back row, but even content creators with millions of followers had begun livestreaming the event across the internet.Todd had clearly believed that this event indicated that I was yielding to the pressure—that I was about to concede defeat by issuing a public apology and announcing that I was taking on Christa's case.With Kirk in tow, Todd swaggered to the VIP seat in the front row and sat down.When he saw me walk toward the podium, a cruel, victorious smirk appeared on his face. He eyed me like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.The moment I took my place, the reporters surged forward and thrust their microphones toward me."Mr. Carter, are the online rumors true? Did you demand an exorbita

  • Death‑Row Ex: The Case I Won't Take   Chapter 6

    Greg jerked his head up, while Jonah looked at me, his expression tense."It's no use, Mr. Carter…" Greg let out a pained growl, his voice filled with despair. "The Harlow family has more power than you can imagine. They can bend the truth however they please."I saw the news online. They're even trying to destroy you now. We can't beat them... They'll crush us like ants!"Jonah lowered his head, keeping quiet.I stepped forward and grabbed Greg's shoulders, forcing him to raise his head and meet my eyes."15 years ago, I was just a clueless college student. I couldn't save my father or help you two. I could only watch helplessly as they trampled all over you guys."I took a deep breath. My eyes were slightly red, but my gaze was as hard as steel."But now, I am Mason Carter, the Grim Reaper, the top criminal defense attorney in the country with an undefeated record. For 15 years, I bided my time, putting up with the agony and bitterness of the injustice, so that I could wait fo

  • Death‑Row Ex: The Case I Won't Take   Chapter 5

    After leaving the law firm, I didn't respond to the overwhelming tsunami of vitriol being thrown my way on the internet. With Alex in tow, I drove out of the bustling city center to a run-down industrial area on the outskirts of the city."Where are we going, Mr. Carter?" Alex frowned deeply as he took in the increasingly desolate surroundings. "The online backlash keeps growing. Shouldn't we find a PR team to handle the situation first?""A PR team can't help with this situation. The only thing that can turn things around is the truth."I abruptly turned the steering wheel and stopped the car outside an auto repair shop, its front end covered in grease stains and littered with discarded tires.There were two people I needed to find.I opened the rusty metal door of the repair shop. In a dim corner, a man with graying hair, wearing an old work uniform stained with engine oil, was tightening screws beneath a car."Jonah," I called out.Jonah Thompson stiffened, and the wrench in

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