Lahat ng Kabanata ng His office my rules : Kabanata 111 - Kabanata 120

CARTERThe ballroom was exactly what one would expect from a legal foundation gala, polished marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and clusters of impeccably dressed people speaking in careful, practiced tones.I adjusted the cuff of my jacket as Dante and I stepped inside.“Remind me again,” Dante muttered beside me, “why lawyers need events like this.”“To pretend we enjoy each other’s company,” I said.He snorted softly.The room was already busy. Judges, senior partners from different firms, corporate executives, and a few political figures, most of whom had likely sponsored some part of the evening. It was obviously networking disguised as charity.I scanned the room quickly.“Come on,” I said. “We should greet a few people before the speeches start.”Dante followed as we moved through the crowd.The first stop was Judge Harrington, who stood near the bar speaking with two attorneys from a large corporate firm.“Judge Harrington,” I said as we approached.He turned, his expression

CARTERI wouldn’t have thought that Dante was serious about relocating but over the next few days, it became clear he hadn’t just been thinking about it, he had already begun planning.I was halfway through reviewing a contract amendment when he stepped into my office one afternoon without knocking, a folder tucked under his arm.“You’re busy?” he asked.“When am I not? I jokedHe took the chair across from my desk anyway and I set my pen down and leaned back slightly.“What’s on your mind?”He placed the folder on my desk and slid it toward me.“Preliminary projections,” he said.“For what?”“For a new office.”I raised an eyebrow and opened the folder. It was pretty detailed. There were client demographics. Almost like CarTer but in a different state. This was not a casual thought. This took a lot of planning“You’ve been working on this for a while,” I said, flipping through the pages.“A couple of months.”“And you only mentioned it last week.”Dante shrugged. “I wasn’t sure yet.”

CARTERThe conference room was fuller than usual that morning.Most of the firm’s senior associates were present, along with a few junior partners who had been working closely with us on the latest corporate merger case. Papers were spread across the long table, laptops open, coffee cups sitting dangerously close to stacks of legal briefs.It was one of those strategy meetings that always started with a clear agenda and inevitably drifted into three separate discussions.I stood near the head of the table, reviewing the last section of the proposal.“If we push the acquisition timeline forward by two weeks,” I said, tapping a finger lightly against the document, “we’ll reduce the risk of any competitor firm stepping in.”One of the associates nodded. “That would mean restructuring the preliminary agreement.”“Yes,” I said. “But it’s manageable.”Across the table, Dante leaned back in his chair, watching the discussion with a calm expression. He’d always been good at letting conversati

CARTERThe send-off went better than I expected. Which, in itself, was unexpected.By early evening, the firm’s event space had been transformed into something warmer than its usual corporate sharpness, with soft lighting, polished tables, and quiet music humming in the background. Nothing extravagant, but it was just enough to make it feel like a proper occasion.People had shown up more than Dante had wanted but it was still less than a full gala. Exactly the balance I had intended.There was laughter. Conversations layered over one another. A few light-hearted toasts from senior associates who clearly ignored my earlier decision to “keep it simple.”Dante, to his credit, handled it well.He moved through the room easily, exchanging words with everyone, from colleagues, interns to even staff he rarely interacted with on a daily basis. If anything, he looked… relaxed.I stood near the edge of the room at one point, a glass in hand, observing. This was what we had built. And now he wa

ELIThe air felt different after Dante left.Liam stood awkwardly near the door for a moment before muttering something about giving us space. I barely registered it. One second he was there, the next, the door had closed behind him and it was just me and Carter.I glanced at him. He hadn’t moved much since Dante walked out. He was still staring at the door like something might undo itself if he waited long enough.“Carter…” I said softly. No response.I took a step closer. “Hey.”That got him. He blinked slightly, like he was snapping back into the room, then dragged a hand down his face.“I should have seen it,” he said quietly.“You couldn’t have.”“I’ve known him my entire life, Eli.”“And that’s exactly why you couldn’t,” I replied.He let out a short, humorless breath. “That doesn’t make it better.”“No,” I admitted. “It doesn’t.”I walked closer until I was standing right in front of him.“You didn’t deserve that,” I said.His eyes flicked up to mine.“None of this,” I added. “