Semua Bab Triplet Heirs; The Romano daughters : Bab 191 - Bab 200

~FIORELLA~The door closes behind me soft, controlled and final.And still, I don’t move.My hand remains on the handle a second longer than necessary, fingers tightening slightly against the cool metal.My pulse is steady, too steady, and too deliberate.Like my body is trying to prove something my mind already knows isn’t true.I inhale slowly, then exhale in composure…. always composure.I step into the hallway, heels clicking against the polished floor in precise, measured rhythm. Each step is calculated. Each movement is intentional and untouchable.That’s what they see.That’s what I’ve built.And I don’t let anyone take that from me.Not clients.Not opponents.And certainly not him….Lucas.The name lingers longer than it should.Annoyingly so.I tighten my grip around the file in my hand.I need to focus and work, that's what matters.Not the way his voice dropped when he spoke to me.Not the way he looked at me like he wasn’t intimidated.Not the way he s

~LUCAS~*One week later*The morning doesn’t feel like any other.I know that the moment my eyes open.There’s no grogginess. No resistance. No heaviness clinging to my body like there usually is after nights of overthinking and exhaustion.Just clarity….. sharp, clean, and focused.My eyes stay on the ceiling for a few seconds, breathing evenly, feeling something unfamiliar settle deep in my chest.It's confidence.Not the kind that talks loudly or tries to prove a point.It's the quiet kind, the dangerous kind, the kind that doesn't need validation.A slow breath leaves me as I sit up, running a hand through my hair.Today is the day.The fake courtroom presentation.The practical case.The stage where everything I’ve done over the past week finally comes together.And for the first time since this started…I don’t feel pressure.I feel ready.I swing my legs off the bed and stand, stretching slightly before heading into the bathroom. The cold water against

~LUCAS~The room doesn’t breathe.It tightens like something is about to snap.I rise slowly, buttoning my suit jacket with deliberate calm. My fingers don’t shake. My pulse doesn’t betray me.Across from me, Fiorella rises too.Of course she does.Perfect timing. Perfect posture. Perfect control.God… she’s good.But so am I.I step forward first.“My Lord,” I begin, voice steady, cutting clean through the silence. “This case is not about uncertainty. It is not about speculation.”I let my gaze sweep the room briefly… then land on the judge.“It is about choice.”I pause for a while before speaking again.“A pharmaceutical company… entrusted with lives… chose profit over safety. They developed a drug. They tested it. And within those tests… they discovered adverse effects which were severe, dangerous, and fatal.”I let the words settle, then I take a step closer.“And instead of halting distribution… instead of warning the public, they buried it.”My jaw tig

~LUCAS~The silence that follows the judge’s words is unlike anything I’ve ever felt.It isn’t just quiet.It’s suffocating.Every breath in the room feels suspended, like the air itself is waiting for permission to move. My fingers press lightly against the edge of the table, grounding myself because everything else feels like it could tilt.I can hear my heartbeat, slow, heavy, and relentless.Across from me, Fiorella stands just as still, composed, and untouched on the outside. Anyone walking in right now would think she’s already won.And maybe that’s what unsettles me the most.Because if this goes her way… it wouldn’t even look surprising.The judge shifts slightly in his seat, his gaze sweeping across the room before settling on us. I feel it land on me…..sharp, deliberate.Then he speaks.“This court has carefully reviewed the arguments presented by both counsel.”I don’t move. I don't even blink.“The defense has raised valid points regarding regu

~FIORELLA~I am in my office right now, and I should be working.I am working.The file in front of me is open, my pen moving, my posture perfect….controlled, composed, untouchable.But my mind?It’s not here.It keeps replaying him.The way he stood in that courtroom like he belonged there.Like he’d always belonged there.The way his voice dropped when he said “they knew”....calm, firm, lethal.The way the room shifted toward him.The way I…..My pen presses harder against the paper.“Stop, Fiorella,” I tell myself.I don’t obsess, instead I analyze.And what I’m feeling right now isn’t admiration anymore.It’s irritation…..pure, sharp irritation.A knock lands on my door once and confident.Like the person already knows they don’t need permission.My jaw tightens.“Come in.”The door opens.And of course, of course, it's him.Lucas steps in like he owns the space, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click that echoes louder than it should.For a seco