Chapter 3

I sensed that something was off when I arrived at the law firm the following morning. I noticed that as I walked by, people would avoid my gaze and stop talking abruptly. I instantly felt a tightness gripping my stomach.

I hadn't even had the chance to ask what happened when Lucia suddenly rushed up to me. "Something happened, Elena!"

I set down my briefcase and asked, "What's the matter?"

Lucia handed me the tablet and said, "Romano Famiglia had released an official announcement this morning."

I glanced over the screen, my brow furrowing deeper by the second. Romano Famiglia had officially announced that I would be acting as their lead defense attorney.

I continued staring at the screen as the spokesperson for Romano Group faced the camera, speaking with an air of smug triumph.

"Mr. Romano is completely innocent, and those self-proclaimed victims are merely engaging in malicious extortion, instigated by foreign entities. It is known that the law firm Ms. Marino works at never accepts compromised cases, so the fact that Ms. Marino stepped in is absolute proof that Romano Group is innocent."

I gritted my teeth in response. It was both a brilliant and ruthless move on their end. In just a few short hours, they had pushed me to the opposing side of all the victims involved in the case, and at the same time, they dragged the reputation of the law firm I was working at straight into the gutter.

"It gets worse," Lucia said as she swallowed nervously. She then opened my inbox, and the unread messages instantly flooded the screen. There were hundreds, even thousands of them, and every single one was full of insults aimed at me.

"We trusted you!"

"You were the one who told us to keep fighting, and now you turn around and take money from the Romano Famiglia!"

"You promised that you would help us, so what's the meaning of this?"

In that instant, a heavy silence settled over the office. I stared at the screen for a few moments before lowering the tablet. Dante hadn't changed at all. He would simply upend the chessboard if he found himself unable to control the match.

I raised my head, speaking with a clarity that ensured everyone present could hear.

"I need an official statement put out right away, Lucia—the law firm won't represent Romano Group in any capacity. I will assume the role of legal counsel for the opposing party against Romano Group instead. I also need you to help me book the earliest available flight to Duskbay."

Lucia was confused. "D-Duskbay?"

"I'm going to go and meet with every single victim myself."

That statement was issued within an hour, and the response was extremely intense. There were major news outlets covering the matter by evening, with everyone speculating about who, between Dante and me, was actually telling the truth.

I boarded the plane and flew directly into the damp, biting sea breeze of Grayford. I traveled along the coast over the next couple of days, listening to victims tell the exact same story of despair in various languages.

I had just finished organizing the files in my hands late one night when I suddenly received a message on my phone. "You have to return at once; something happened at the law firm."

I instantly felt my heart sink. I rushed back to the law firm, only to find that police cars had already surrounded the building and that the conference room was packed with people.

Dante was standing casually by the window, looking as though he owned the place. There was a stack of thick documents stamped "Highly Confidential" on the desk in front of him.

It was then that one of the partners of the law firm stated with a grim expression, "Sabini Group case files were leaked, so they're getting ready to sue the law firm, Elena."

I felt a chill run down my spine. That was the biggest lawsuit our firm had handled in the past year, representing six months of painstaking labor and millions of dollars in legal fees. If confidential data were compromised, the consequences would be catastrophic.

In that instant, the atmosphere within the conference room grew increasingly heavy and suffocating.

Dante stepped away from the window and walked toward me with a smile. "Why won't you take my case, Elena?"

He slid a folder over to me and said, "You should take my case, Elena. I'll ensure your law firm weathers this storm if you do so."

In that instant, a deathly silence pervaded the conference room.

Dante took another step forward and continued, "If you refuse, your law firm, along with your entire career, might very well be ruined right here and now."

I looked past him, fixing my gaze on Lucia; after all, in the law firm, aside from myself, Lucia alone retained access to the Sabini Group case documentation, and she had been strangely quiet ever since I walked in. I instantly noticed the unshed tears brimming in her eyes the moment our eyes met.

Lucia whispered, "I'm so sorry, Elena, but my child is starting school soon, and they took care of the school admission for us."

She couldn't even bring herself to look at me, her shoulders shaking constantly. "In all honesty, going against the Romano Famiglia never ends well."

It turned out that the pain of the betrayal was far worse than I expected. Lucia wasn't even supposed to be working on this case.

I was the one who promoted her, mentored her, and entrusted her with highly sensitive information that rarely reached ordinary lawyers, and yet at this moment, this was what my trust had become.

I chuckled softly. I had placed my trust in Sofia, only to be betrayed by her, and now it was Lucia's turn. It seemed like I hadn't grown nearly as much as I thought I had.

I turned around and looked at Dante, asking, "Did you think I stayed at the law firm because I couldn't protect myself?"

I took off the law firm's ID card and tossed it onto the desk, saying, "I stayed because this firm gave me a second chance when I had nothing. I would never let it be destroyed because of me."

Upon hearing that, the partners quickly shook their heads. "Y-You don't need to do this, Elena—"

I raised my hand to cut them off. "I'll take full responsibility for everything related to this incident since this breach happened under my supervision."

I felt an unexpected wave of relief after saying that. "I'll be resigning, effective immediately."

In that instant, a collective gasp echoed through the conference room, while Dante's confident expression disappeared completely. "Have you lost your mind, Elena?"

I paid no attention to him and said, "If I step away, the law firm will no longer be impacted."

I cast one final look around the conference room. Three years ago, this law firm had helped me piece my life back together. I would always be grateful for that, but gratitude wasn't the same thing as belonging.

I picked up my briefcase, turned, and headed for the door. I felt that these four years of growth were plenty for me and that I had to walk my own path from here on out. "I'll be seeing you in court, Mr. Romano."