Chapter 2

Three days later, I deliberately took the day off from work to accompany Dad to court for the lawsuit.

"Once I get my wages back, the first thing I'll do is buy your mom a few new outfits. I can also help Uncle Daniel out so he can buy Iris a laptop for her college applications." The thought of getting his money back visibly lifted the old man's spirits, and he babbled on the entire ride.

Yet, the moment we arrived at the courthouse, Mr. Smith, who had contacted Dad the night before, seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth. No matter how many times we tried, we couldn't reach him.

"Did he get the time wrong?" Dad sat in the plaintiff's seat, anxiously picking at the thick calluses on his hands. "Clem was the one who contacted Mr. Smith, Cece. Why don't you call Clem and ask him?"

However, before I could dial Clement's number, the door was pushed open. The person who walked in wasn't Mr. Smith, but Ben's newly hired lawyer—the intern Clement had been staying late at the office to mentor and help with her thesis, Reina Ellington.

Right then, Mr. Smith finally answered the phone. "I'm so sorry, Celeste. Mr. Hawthorne suddenly sent me out of town to handle a case, so I can't take Mr. Blackwood's case at the moment."

As soon as he hung up on me, Reina's voice echoed through the courtroom. "Your Honor, I'm an attorney with Hawthorne Law Partners and the legal representative for the defendant, Ben Lindwood. We can proceed with the hearing."

"Hawthorne Law Partners, legal representative for the defendant..." Those words completely crushed the hope in Dad's heart. "Hawthorne Law Partners... Isn't that Clem's law firm, Cece? W-What's the meaning of this?"

My heart felt as if a sledgehammer had struck it. It never crossed my mind that Clement would go back on his word at the last minute, let alone that Reina would turn Dad from the plaintiff into the defendant.

"The defense hereby files a counterclaim in the labor dispute case brought by the plaintiff, Ben Lindwood, against David Blackwood.

"The grounds for the counterclaim are as follows—first of all, during his tenure, the defendant, David, led his team in carrying out construction in violation of regulations, resulting in substandard project quality and causing the plaintiff direct economic losses."

Reina stated mercilessly, "Secondly, throughout the construction process, the defendant used inferior materials in place of those specified in the contract and substituted substandard building materials, seriously violating the terms of the contract. Thirdly…"

The hearing lasted two hours. We didn't have a lawyer, and not a single witness dared to speak up for Dad. Even my appeals were deliberately interrupted.

He was stranded up there all on his own, stammering as he tried to explain himself. The more anxious he became, the harder it was for him to make himself understood.

Slowly, the judge's expression shifted from sympathy to impatience.

In the end, we lost. By the time the dust settled, the original 120 grand had ballooned to four times that amount, and Dad was ordered to pay Ben for emotional distress.

When we emerged from the courtroom, Dad clutched the ruling with trembling hands.

"It's going to be okay, Dad... I'll figure something out." I held his hand as my nose stung.

Just then, a black Mercedes pulled up in front of us. When Clement climbed out of his car, Dad's dim eyes abruptly flared back to life.

He hurriedly greeted him, clutching the ruling. "Clem, you're here! Are you here to help me—"

Clement, however, walked right past us. He popped open his umbrella and stopped in front of Reina. "Great work today. You must be exhausted. I made reservations at your favorite fine-dining restaurant to celebrate your victory!"

Reina smiled and slipped her arm through his. "I couldn't have pulled off that counterclaim without your help, Professor Hawthorne!"

"You were exceptional to begin with. I merely put the cherry on top." The couple chatted and laughed as they walked down the steps, as if no one else existed around them.

My fingernails dug deep into my palms as I called out to Clement, "Clement Hawthorne, are you deaf? Did you not hear Dad?"

The air instantly froze.

Ben walked out of the courthouse, his gaze shifting between Clement and Dad. "Mr. Hawthorne, is this your father-in-law?"

Clement didn't even bat an eye. "I don't know him."

Ben's expression visibly relaxed. He turned around and glared at Dad menacingly. "Did you hear that, old man? The big-shot attorney doesn't even know you, yet you have the nerve to pretend you're his father-in-law. Why don't you take a good look in the mirror and see who you are?"

Dad's face turned beet red. His lips trembled, yet he couldn't make a sound.

"Clement Hawthorne, you bloody bastard!" I bellowed.

However, he only halted for a fraction of a second. The moment Reina said, "Professor Hawthorne, I'm hungry," he started his Mercedes and sped off without the slightest hesitation.

Dad stood rooted to the spot, clutching the ruling in his hands. His body swayed as though he could collapse at any moment.

"Dad?" I ran over to support him. "Dad, what's wrong?"

He looked at me with tears glistening in his cloudy eyes, though he refused to let them fall. "Cece… did I embarrass you?"

My tears burst forth. "N-No, of course not, Dad…"

"In that case… why won't my son-in-law acknowledge me?"

Even after I took him back to his hometown, I still couldn't answer him. For the first time in my life, I hated myself for being so powerless, and I hated myself for marrying the wrong man.