All Chapters of Legally Bound : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Alex drove home from the coffee shop with that image burned into his mind, the CEO of a newly-terminated client stepping out of a car identical to the one Ray Smith had arrived in at the Cromwell residence. By the time he reached the house, his thoughts were running faster than his heartbeat.Inside, the house was quiet. His father was in the study reviewing documents, glasses low on his nose. When Alex entered, Mr. Cromwell looked up slowly.“You’re home earlier than I expected,” he said, noticing Alex’s unsettled posture. “What’s wrong?”Alex closed the door behind him and walked closer. “Dad, I need to tell you something strange I saw.”“Go on.”Alex exhaled. “I went to grab a coffee, and as I was walking back to my car, I saw the CEO of Beckmore Holdings, the same people who sent the sudden termination letter. He was getting into a car at the far end of the parking lot. Dad… the car looked exactly like the one Ray Smith came in when he showed up here.”Mr. Cromwell frowned mildly,

Alex was awake long before the sun.It was barely 4 a.m., Chicago still wrapped in its quiet blue darkness, and he sat at the small desk in the bedroom, shirtless, hair messy, eyes fixed on the laptop screen as he typed notes for his father. Old habits. The early-morning discipline that had been drilled into him since childhood. Except now, there was a softness in the air that had nothing to do with discipline and everything to do with the woman sleeping peacefully behind him.At 6 a.m., Lily stirred.Alex looked up just in time to see her blink her eyes open, confusion fading into a sleepy smile when she saw him watching her. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, her hair loose around her face.“You,” he murmured, “look too beautiful in the morning. It’s unfair.”Lily groaned and hid her face in the pillow for a second. “Don’t start. My face is puffy.”“Adorably puffy,” he corrected, walking over to sit by her. He cupped her cheek gently. “Good morning, sweetheart.”She sat

Mr. Barton was still staring at Alex, waiting, almost bracing for whatever came next. Alex leaned back in the chair just slightly, his expression settling into something sharp, calculating, and unmistakably confident.Both Lily and the senior associate straightened.Alex continued, his tone firm and coldly logical, “You need to temporarily lay off the lawyer involved. Immediately.”Barton blinked, stunned. “Lay him off? Alex, he’s been with this firm for eight years. I know him. I’m sure”“With pay,” Alex added calmly, cutting him off. “But he needs to be removed from all active cases.”Barton frowned, conflicted, “I’m certain it was an honest mistake”“You’re not certain,” Alex said gently, but his voice carried steel. “And that uncertainty alone is enough to damage the firm. Temporarily laying him off signals zero tolerance for misconduct. It shows you prioritize integrity above loyalty. And,” he added with a subtle edge, “it protects you if this goes deeper than you think.”Barton’

The moment Alex stepped out of the war room, he could already feel the shift in atmosphere, the kind of quiet tension that wraps itself around corridors, making every footstep echo louder than it should. Tom Rhodes was waiting in a small consultation room down the hall, shoulders hunched, tie loosened, eyes darting like a man who hadn’t slept in days.Alex pushed open the door with Lily beside him, Daniel Brooks following last. Tom shot up from his chair immediately.“A–Alex, thank you for seeing me. Thank you.” His voice shook, his eyes bloodshot.Alex didn’t bother sitting yet.His presence alone filled the room, calm, controlled, intimidating in a way he didn’t try to be but simply was.“Sit,please” Alex said quietly.Tom nodded and dropped heavily into his seat. Alex sat across from him, Lily next to him with her notepad open, Daniel standing by the wall.The silence stretched.Then Alex began.“Tom,” he said calmly. “We’re not here to judge you. We’re here to understand exactly w

The moment the client left the building, the hallway felt colder.Alex didn’t speak at first. He simply stood there, jaw clenched, one hand on his waist while the other rubbed the bridge of his nose slowly, his thinking pose. Lily and Daniel exchanged a look, both knowing the implication of what they had just heard.Tom Rhodes knew.That changed everything.“Let’s go,” Alex finally said, voice low.They walked straight to Mr. Barton’s office. Barton was still reviewing documents when they entered, but the look on their faces made him sit up.“What is it? What happened?”Alex didn’t waste time.“We got the client to talk. He confirmed he threatened Tom. That’s why Tom didn’t disclose the inconsistencies.”Barton paled.“Tom… knew?”Alex nodded. “He knew. And that complicates the case twice as much.”Barton leaned back, rubbing his forehead. “This is a disaster.”Alex remained composed, though his expression was sharp.“We’ll handle it. But we need Tom again. Tonight.”Barton immediatel