Audrey and I were known in the legal community as the ultimate courtroom rivals. The internet had tried for years to get us to face off in court. But as top-tier lawyers, we weren't about to sabotage our own firm's reputation. Six years of public pleading, six years of disappointment. Everyone said we were a match made in heaven. Same academic pedigree, same undefeated record, even our calculating, step-by-step courtroom style was identical. Until today. I was organizing case files in the mediation room when she walked in with the defendant. In that moment, I realized my fiancée had taken a case against my client. She sat across from me with a faint, almost imperceptible air of arrogance. "Graham, give up. You can't win this. There's no need to ruin the reputation you've spent years building over a single case." I looked up at her, slowly putting down my pen. "Who says I'm going to lose?" The defendant sitting next to her, a young man, suddenly reached out and gently tugged her sleeve. I stared at the watch on his wrist, my pupils contracting. Audrey, who had just returned from an international trip last night, had gifted me a pair of cufflinks. They were a complimentary gift that came with that exact luxury watch. 1 During the hearing, I found myself losing focus. Audrey was presenting her evidence, her expression grave and professional. Liam sat beside her, idly playing with his watch strap as if he were bored. A burning sensation spread through my chest. I felt a sudden urge to rip off the cufflinks I was wearing. Audrey stood up, placing a document on the table in front of me. "The defense requests a preliminary clarification on the nature of the debt dispute. The plaintiff deliberately concealed her financial liabilities, which constitutes fraud." Her voice was steady, smoothly transitioning from the mutual intent of the loan to the chain of evidence, from legal precedents to the burden of proof. But none of the evidence she was presenting had been included in our pre-trial discovery exchange. "Objection," I said, rising to my feet. My voice sounded heavier than I intended. "Opposing counsel failed to exchange this set of evidence prior to the trial as required by civil procedure rules." Audrey cast a brief glance at me, turning to the judge with absolute composure. "Your Honor, this evidence was only obtained by my team late last night. We had no time to exchange it, and we respectfully request the court's discretion to admit it." The judge admitted the evidence. Left with no choice, I requested a recess under the guise of reviewing the new material. As I walked out of the courtroom, Audrey caught up with me. "I told you before, you can't win this," she said, stopping a few paces away. Her tone was entirely confident. "A trial isn't a law school exam. You don't win just by memorizing the rules." As the underlying meaning of her words settled in, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. "So, you win by being deeply familiar with your client's personal life instead?" Audrey’s face darkened instantly. Just then, Liam sauntered over. The moment Audrey saw him, the coldness in her eyes softened. Liam stopped in front of me, his posture carrying a subtle, defensive stubbornness. "Mr. Barrett, Paige is a fraud. She lied about her finances before we married and forced me to bail her out. Are you really going to defend a woman like that?" "As a lawyer, shouldn't you be fighting for justice? We're just trying to protect ourselves from being financially exploited. Paige might have paid you an exorbitant fee, but are you really going to watch my life get ruined just for the money?" His voice was soft, making him sound like the victim, yet every word was designed to paint me in the worst light possible. The reporters who had been waiting outside immediately swarmed us, thrusting microphones into my face. "Mr. Barrett, is what Mr. Liam says true? Did your client pay you a fee far above the industry standard? Did you solicit that amount?" 2 "Mr. Barrett, both you and Ms. Pierce have maintained undefeated records since the start of your careers. However, your case volume is significantly lower than hers. Facing off against her directly today, are you under immense pressure?" "We heard you struggled during the opening statements. Is it because you're taking it easy on your fiancée?" I forced myself to remain calm. In the next second, Audrey stepped in front of me, shielding me from the cameras. "Apologies, but we will not be answering any questions while this case is active. Please excuse us." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the parking garage. To keep the reporters from following, she pushed me into the passenger seat of her car. It was only then that I noticed Liam was already sitting in the front passenger seat. He turned around to look at me, a perfectly calculated look of apology on his face. "Mr. Barrett, there were so many reporters out there that I panicked and jumped in first. I usually sit in the front, I hope you don't mind?" Before I could speak, Audrey reached over and playfully tapped the back of his head. "Just sit still and behave yourself," she said softly. He smiled and turned back around, though our eyes occasionally met in the rearview mirror. For the entire drive, the car was filled with Liam's voice. He pointed out expensive sports cars on the road, excitedly urging Audrey to look. When we passed an exclusive, members-only restaurant, he eagerly listed his favorite dishes from their menu. I had always believed Audrey disliked talkative men. Yet sitting in the back seat, I could clearly see the faint smile on her lips and hear her occasional, quiet laughter. I unlocked my phone and opened our chat history. Our last message was from a week ago. She had texted me saying she was flying out of the country for a business trip. I scrolled up further. The pictures of stray cats I had shared, the sudden rainstorm, the new coffee shop downstairs, she hadn't replied to any of them, not even with a single punctuation mark. I closed my eyes, feeling incredibly weary. She dropped me off at my building, standing by the door to tell me to get some rest. "Since we're on opposing sides of this trial, it's not appropriate for us to live together. I won't be coming back here for the next few days." As she turned to leave, I reached out and caught her sleeve, finally asking the question that had been burning in my chest. "You and him... when did it start?" 3 "What?" "You and Liam." She froze, then let out a soft, dismissive scoff. "Are you seriously throwing wild accusations at me just because you're losing the case?" When I didn't respond, she reached out to touch my arm, her face tightening with impatience. "Stop overthinking. There's nothing going on. He's just a client." Before she could finish, her phone buzzed. The name on the screen read: Liam. Her brow furrowed slightly. She instinctively turned her body away from me and answered. Liam's soft, strained voice came through the speaker. "Audrey, my stomach is acting up again..." Audrey's fingers tightened around her phone. "Hold on. I'm on my way." She hung up and turned around immediately, her heels clicking rapidly against the floor as she rushed toward the elevator. She didn't offer a single word of explanation. This was the man she called a mere client. I closed the door, looked around the empty apartment, and began to pack up, forcing the chaotic thoughts out of my mind. The next morning, I arrived at the firm as usual. The moment I walked into my office, the head of finance was already waiting for me. "Mr. Barrett, the petty cash Ms. Pierce withdrew last month still hasn't been accounted for. We need to close the books by the end of the week, but I can't reach her. I was hoping you could..." "How much did she withdraw?" "One hundred thousand dollars." My gaze darkened. What did she need that much cash for? After dismissing the accountant, I immediately contacted a close friend of mine in banking to pull Audrey's personal financial records. On the seventeenth of last month, she had transferred one hundred thousand dollars into a personal account belonging to a woman named Martha Jenkins. Before I could even dial Audrey's number, my assistant knocked on the door, looking frantic. "Boss, we have a problem. A video of you and Ms. Pierce outside the courthouse yesterday went viral. The public reaction is extremely hostile toward you." I put down my phone and took the tablet he handed me. And they called this a clash of titans? This is a total embarrassment. We waited six years for this? Graham Barrett actually calls himself a top attorney? No wonder he never dared to face Ms. Pierce in court. His undefeated record was clearly just clever marketing. Even my interns have better composure under pressure. He needs to get out of the legal profession. The comments were flooded with demands for the firm to fire me, and our official social media accounts were being hammered with abuse. Suddenly, the office door was pushed open. "Graham, you need to drop Paige's case," Audrey said as she walked in. Her eyes fell on the bank statements and transfer receipts spread across my desk, and her face instantly darkened. "Why do you have my financial records?" I leaned back in my chair, my voice entirely calm. "The accounting department couldn't find you to balance the books, so they brought them to me." Her jaw tightened. "Don't you think you owe me an explanation for this money?" I stared at her, and she instinctively avoided my gaze. "I can't explain it to you right now. Just cover it for me from the firm's account. It's a personal matter, it has nothing to do with the case." "Nothing to do with the case? Then what is it about? And who is Martha Jenkins?" Audrey’s brow furrowed deeply, and she glared at me. "Are you investigating me?" She snatched the approval form off my desk, crumpling the paper in her tight grip. "Deduct the hundred thousand from my year-end dividends. And as for Paige's case, I'm telling you to drop it. You've been handling the administrative side of the firm for years and barely litigate anymore. Don't push yourself." I looked down at the empty desk. I remembered our college days, when we were always neck-and-neck at the top of our class, constantly competing, refusing to back down. It was through those fierce academic battles that we had grown to admire each other. When she confessed her feelings to me, I had accepted without a second thought. After graduation, we started this firm together. To allow her to focus entirely on the courtroom, I took over the management, operations, and administrative side of things. She was the face of the firm, while I secured the foundation. It had been a perfect partnership. But as her win rate climbed and her reputation grew, she began to believe the firm's success was entirely due to her efforts, completely dismissing my contributions behind the scenes. We had argued and gone through cold wars over this. To prove myself, and to reclaim my own voice, I had agreed to represent Paige. I never expected that we would end up standing on opposing sides of the courtroom. I had wanted to have a real talk with her, but now, it seemed entirely pointless. 4 After Audrey left, I poured all my energy into the case. Taking the evidence she had presented in court, I went to meet with Paige. When Paige saw the documents detailing millions of dollars in debt, she froze. "This isn't mine..." I pointed to the signature on the copies. "Then why is your signature here? You need to understand that if you keep hiding things, we will lose this trial. You won't just lose everything, you'll be saddled with a crushing debt." Paige, who was only twenty-six, panicked. "Were these debts accumulated before your marriage?" I pressed. "Yes... but it was all for Liam," she whimpered. "He told me his father was a heavy gambler and his mother was bedridden with a terminal illness. When we were dating, his father came to our door demanding money multiple times. I felt so sorry for him that I..." I listened to her explanation, a strange feeling of unease settling in. "Do you have any proof of this?" "I can check the security camera footage at our old apartment..." While Paige went to retrieve the footage, I didn't sit idle. I had someone pull Liam's bank statements. His personal accounts were pristine, with no large transfers over the past five years. So, I asked my contact to look into his immediate family members. Half an hour later, I received a detailed transaction history. Starting two years ago, his mother's account had received a total of nearly half a million dollars in various transfers. And the most recent transaction made me freeze. It was a wire transfer of one hundred thousand dollars from Audrey’s account. I let out a cold laugh. I remembered my mother's birthday earlier this year. Audrey had gifted her a cheap glass ornament, completely unwrapped. My family's expressions had been incredibly awkward, and I had to step in to smooth things over. Later, when we were leaving, I had asked her, "Be honest with me, did you forget my mother's birthday?" Instead of apologizing, she had flared up in anger. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you complaining about my gift?" "You know very well that the firm's profits only exist because I'm constantly taking cases, yet we split the money fifty-fifty." "If I recall correctly, you bought your parents a house and a car. Even if you paid for it, a portion of that money belongs to me, doesn't it?" "Without me securing our reputation out there, you wouldn't even have that money." Looking at Audrey as she meticulously kept score of our finances, I had felt a profound sense of exhaustion. She was the one who had claimed she hated administrative work, which was why I had forced myself to step back from litigation to handle operations. I had shouldered every tedious detail so she could shine. I was the one who prepared the outlines, the strategy, and the evidence folders for every single one of her cases. For five years, Liam's case was the only one she had handled completely on her own, without my assistance. Yet, in her mind, I was merely riding her coattails. The ringing of my phone broke my train of thought. It was Audrey. "Graham, where are you?" I gave her the name of the restaurant I was at. "Stay there. I'm coming to get you. Don't go anywhere alone." In less than twenty minutes, her car pulled up to the curb, and she hurried inside. The moment her eyes found me, she let out a visible sigh of relief. She walked over, her heels clicking against the tile. "Don't go out for the next few days. I saw online that some people are threatening to teach you a lesson. I've already had another lawyer take over Paige's case. Just stay home until the heat dies down." The panic in her eyes was genuine. And I knew exactly why she was so terrified. Years ago, during a dispute involving a factory layoff, a disgruntled worker had threatened me. He had tried to throw acid at my face, but Audrey had thrown herself in front of me. I had escaped unharmed, but her left arm had been severely burned, leaving a large, permanent scar. Back then, seeing the raw terror and love in her eyes had deeply moved me, filling my chest with an overwhelming warmth. Now, faced with a similar situation, I felt absolutely nothing. My heart was entirely quiet. 5 I gently brushed her hand away, my voice polite but distant. "Thank you for the concern, Ms. Pierce. But as you said, we are opposing counsel on this case. It's not appropriate for us to meet. I won't be dropping Paige's case, and if anyone tries to threaten me, I will handle it myself." Audrey stared at me, stunned. "What are you trying to prove?" I stood up slowly, looking her in the eyes. "Nothing. I just want to see this through to the end." She grabbed my arm, her frustration finally boiling over. "Do you think I don't know what you're doing? You're just trying to prove you can still litigate. You want to beat me to satisfy your own ego. You know you can't win, so why push it?" I pulled my arm back. "Think what you want, but let me remind you: we are adversaries in court. Please keep your personal emotions out of this case." A cold, bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Fine. If you're so intent on ruining your own career, I won't stop you. Just don't regret it when you lose!" She slammed the door as she left. I paid the bill and walked out without a word. What I didn't expect was for Liam to show up at my firm. In the coffee shop downstairs, he sat dressed in a perfectly tailored white shirt, his hair styled flawlessly. "Mr. Barrett, I know you're keeping a tight grip on this case because you suspect something is going on between Audrey and me. But our relationship is strictly professional. Audrey has never done anything to betray you." "You shouldn't try to ruin my life just because of your own insecurities. Please, Mr. Barrett, show some mercy. Let me have my life back..." He stopped, his throat bobbing as if holding back a wave of deep emotion. What I didn't realize was that he had hidden a camera in the nearby potted plant. That very night, an edited version of our conversation was uploaded online. The public outrage intensified. I was painted as a powerful, arrogant attorney using my position to bully a vulnerable young man. By four in the morning, my phone was ringing incessantly with abusive calls. "Graham Barrett, have you no shame? You couldn't keep your own fiancée, so you're taking it out on an innocent kid? And you call yourself a lawyer? You're a pathetic excuse of a man." I calmly started a recording on my laptop, set the phone aside, and let it play. This was the twelfth call tonight, and some of them were far viler. I spent the rest of the night organizing the evidence for Paige's case to the sound of strangers hurling insults at me. By the time the sun came up, my phone had completely run out of battery. Checking the clock, I realized the trial was less than four hours away. I brewed myself a strong cup of black coffee and left to pick up Paige. The crowd outside the courthouse was several times larger than before. I slipped through the back entrance, guiding Paige quickly inside. By chance, we crossed paths with Audrey and Liam, who were entering through the main doors. Audrey paused, offering a cold smirk. "You really are insane. Are you truly willing to throw away your entire career for this?" I didn't answer. I walked past her, heading straight for the courtroom. Before the session began, the live-stream room was already flooded with hundreds of thousands of viewers. The comment section was moving at a dizzying speed, everyone waiting to watch me fail. The judge took the bench and called the court to order. Audrey was the first to present. Her logic was seamless, her presentation flawless. Every piece of evidence she presented pointed to Paige concealing her pre-marital debts, painting her as a fraudulent spouse. When it was my turn, I presented Paige's bank records. "First, my client did not conceal any financial liabilities. Every single debt she incurred was done under the direct manipulation of the defendant, Liam." I handed the files to the bailiff to present to the judge. The live chat erupted. Is this guy out of his mind? This is a court of law, not a creative writing class. Is he seriously trying to claim these debts were gifts? Does he think we're all idiots? He knows he's going to lose, so he's resorted to slander. How pathetic. Once the judge had reviewed the documents, I spoke again. "Furthermore, my team has acquired evidence proving that the defendant committed adultery during the marriage. And his partner was none other than his defense counsel: Audrey Pierce."
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