Chapter 1

The smile froze on Natalie's face.

"What did you say?"

I closed the file and raised my voice just enough for everyone in the room to hear. "I said you didn't get the job."

The other interviewers exchanged uneasy glances. The attorney seated to my left leaned toward me and lowered his voice.

"Ms. Sutton, she's only 20, and she's already won the National College Moot Court Championship. She's published six papers in major national legal journals and is one of the most promising candidates we've seen this year. Maybe you should reconsider."

He spoke quietly, but the conference room was so silent that Natalie heard every word. Her back straightened as she stared at me, disbelief spreading across her face.

"I've made my decision."

I pushed her résumé aside.

"Ms. Natalie Collins, we won't be hiring you. Please leave."

For a moment, no one moved. The room seemed to hold its breath.

Then the disbelief on Natalie's face gave way to anger. She planted both hands on the table and stood.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

I didn't answer. I simply stared at her, taking in the shape of her eyes, the arch of her brows, the bridge of her nose, and the curve of her jaw. Every feature was painfully familiar. She looked almost exactly like the woman in that old photograph I'd looked at so many years ago.

My hands curled into fists beneath the table.

Natalie frowned, clearly offended by my silence.

"Do you even know who I am?

"My grandfather is a professor emeritus at Westbridge University School of Law," she said, her voice growing sharper with every word. "My grandmother is a renowned painter and a lifetime member of the National Academy of Fine Arts. Both of my parents were Supreme Court justices before they died. Everyone in the legal profession knows their names."

She paused, as though expecting me to be impressed. When I said nothing, she continued.

"And I graduated from Westbridge University, the country's top school for law and political science, ranked first in my entire class. So, tell me…" She lifted her chin and looked down at me. "What exactly makes me unqualified?"

"Academic performance is only one factor."

I held her gaze, keeping my voice calm. "If you want to join this profession, I care about more than grades, awards, or family connections. Character matters. Integrity matters. And so does the kind of person you are when no one is watching."

Her expression hardened.

"As for your family…" I paused, my fingers tightening around her résumé. "Your family's reputation and connections have nothing to do with your qualifications in my eyes."

I pushed the file aside and leaned back in my chair.

"So, please leave."

Natalie stared at me in disbelief. She was probably hearing the word "no" from someone in a position of authority for the first time in her life, and the humiliation quickly spread across her face, turning it bright red.

"You're deliberately targeting me!"

She snatched her résumé off the table and pointed a trembling finger at me.

"Emily Sutton, right? Just wait. One word from my grandfather, and you'll never make it in this profession again."

With that, she turned and stormed out of the conference room. Just before she disappeared through the door, she looked back at me one last time.

Her eyes were filled with pure resentment.

"Ms. Sutton…"

The two interviewers beside me started to speak, but I raised a hand to stop them.

"Let's continue. Send in the next candidate."

The next three candidates were all highly qualified, and the interviews continued without further incident. By the time I returned to my office, the confrontation was still playing over and over in my head.

I was setting the candidates' files on my desk when the door suddenly burst open. Nathaniel Reed, one of the firm's senior partners, strode in with a look of panic on his face.

"Emily, have you lost your mind?" he demanded. "Why did you reject Natalie Collins' application? Do you have any idea what kind of family she comes from?"

He was speaking much faster than usual, barely giving me a chance to respond.

"Her grandfather is a professor emeritus at Westbridge University School of Law, and he's had a long-standing professional relationship with this firm. And now you've turned his granddaughter away? Do you have any idea what kind of consequences that's going to have for us?"

He took a breath, then delivered his order.

"Publish the hiring announcement and bring her back. Now."

"Too late."

I looked him straight in the eye. "I already sent her file back."

Nathaniel's expression froze.

Before he could say anything, his phone rang. He glanced at the number on the screen, and the color drained from his face. Without another word, he grabbed his phone and hurried out of my office.

Just before he disappeared through the doorway, he looked back at me.

I didn't need him to say anything. That look told me everything. I'd just turned a simple hiring decision into a much bigger problem.

But I wasn't afraid. I'd waited far too long for this day.