Halstead placed the tablet face-up on the desk. The screen showed a news site, the same damning photo of her and Gerald splashed across it.“There will be no pleasantries,” Halstead began, his tone brooking no argument. He tapped a blunt finger on the screen. “This. This circulating scandal. It is a direct and catastrophic violation of every ethical guideline this firm, and the bar association, holds sacred.”He leaned forward, planting his palms on the desk. “You are already under probation from the state bar for your… aggressive discovery tactics in the Henderson case. Your professional license is hanging by a thread, under scrutiny. And now, while representing a client in a capital case—a case with national political ramifications—you are photographed in a compromising situation with the lead federal investigator from the opposing side.”He spat the last two words as if they were a profanity.“Do you have any concept of the position you have put this firm in?” he continued, his voi

Ava set the cardboard box down just inside the door, a tombstone for her career. The briefcase with her personal laptop felt heavier now, a casket of secrets.Her body moved on autopilot. She poured a glass of water she didn’t drink. She stood in the middle of her living room, the taste of Sandy’s triumph and Halstead’s finality still bitter on her tongue. Her hand dove into her purse, pulling out her personal phone. Her thumb scrolled past contacts for clients, judges, colleagues, before landing on the entry she’d added just days ago, after a night that had felt like a dangerous, thrilling leap into the unknown.She pressed call and brought the phone to her ear, a part of her hoping to hear his steady, analytical voice, to have an ally in this freefall.The robotic female voice was instant, merciless: “The number you have dialed is currently switched off. Please try your call again later.”She tried again. Same result. A third time, her thumb jabbing at the screen.Switched off. Swi

“Miss Thorne,” Robert said, speaking with Sandy, his voice a low rumble that required no volume to fill the room. “Halstead informs me you are now in possession of my son’s future.”Sandy nodded, projecting a calm she didn’t entirely feel. “I am, Mr. O’Connor. I’ve reviewed Ava’s preliminary work, and I assure you, I am approaching this with the utmost—”To Sandy, this was her chance and she wasn’t going to blow up for any reason. All she needed to do was to prove to Mr. Robert O’ Connor that she was competent enough to handle the case and to do as well as Ava would have done it if not even better.“I am not interested in assurances,” Robert interrupted, his gaze unwavering. “I am interested in the endgame. You need to understand the full scope of what victory looks like.”Robert leaned forward slightly, the leather of his chair groaning. “This case is not merely about Christopher’s acquittal. That is the baseline, the non-negotiable floor. My son walks free, his name cleared. That is

All eyes in the room shifted from the grim transcripts to Chance. The lead attorney, Edmund Pierce, stared at him with a mixture of surprise and disapproval.“Clifford Hills?” Pierce repeated, his tone implying the name was a bad taste left in the mouth. “What about him?”Chance met his gaze, his own voice gaining a firmness that surprised even him. “He should be brought into this. Officially.”A heavy silence fell. The second lawyer, Chen, let out a soft, incredulous breath. Davies, the youngest, shifted uncomfortably in his seat.It was as though Chance had just said something he shouldn’t have said in the first place, and they really wanted to know where that was coming from.“Chance,” Pierce began, his voice adopting a patient, paternalistic tone that immediately set Chance’s teeth on edge. “We appreciate your concern. But legal strategy is a complex matter. Mr. Hills is… a specialist. A blunt instrument. This situation requires nuance, discretion, and deep institutional understan

Chance’s mind had refused to settle. The tactical problem was clear: they needed a legal defense and they needed the truth. Hills was out of reach. The old guard was wounded. But the need to act, to do something, was a fire in his veins.He thought of Meghan Lincoln’s tear-streaked face on the screen. Her pain was a weapon aimed at them, but it was also a door. Robert O’Connor saw it as a lever. “We need to talk to her,” he said abruptly, breaking the heavy silence.Julia looked up, confused, “Who?”“Meghan Lincoln.”Julia’s eyes widened. “Chance, no. That’s exactly what the opposition wants to do—exploit her. It’s dangerous, and it’s cruel. She’s grieving.”“I’m not talking about exploitation,” Chance said, standing up, pacing the length of the room. “I’m talking about… reaching out. Extending a hand. She just lost her brother. We understand loss. We understand being pawns in a game you don’t understand.” He stopped, facing his mother. “She went on TV because she feels no one is li