- 2.
“Did you
litigator!”
hear? She’s just an intern? And she so easily beat Stella Hayes, the chief
“It’s not over yet, is it? Let’s see if Stella has any more evidence.”
The discussions in the gallery grew louder, everyone eager for the outcome of the lawsuit. My face was pale as I waited for the judge’s final verdict. When the word “lose” reached my ears, a murmur of shock and suspicion rippled through the audience. Mr. Harrison walked down from the bench, a look of disappointment on his face, patting my shoulder encouragingly.
“Maybe you’ve been working too hard lately. Take a couple of days off!”
23:21 Wed, 20 Aug
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“How could the chief litigator lose to an intern? Were all her previous wins just flukes?”
Listening to the audience’s speculation, I tried to calm myself. Since I’d been given a second chance at life, I would proceed cautiously, step by step, to find a flaw in her
methods. Chloe couldn’t possibly have beaten me through legitimate means. How else
could her evidence align perfectly with mine? I suspected Leo, my fiancé, might have
looked at my evidence at home for the sake of his law firm.
After two days of rest, Mr. Harrison assigned me another case. This time, I dared not go home. I always avoided Leo’s return times, and I locked all my evidence in a safe. Even when going out to investigate, I was extremely cautious, never driving myself. Ashley mocked me, calling me crazy and paranoid, saying I never went home. But I felt foolproof. This time, no one knew my whereabouts, and no one could access my evidence. I simply refused to believe that Chloe could use my own evidence against me this time.
Full of confidence, I stepped into the courtroom again. I meticulously laid out my evidence, connecting all the clues and motives, leading to the undeniable conclusion that the defendant was the murderer. But Chloe remained perfectly calm. I started to feel uneasy. Could she…
When I finished, she again presented evidence, completely demolishing mine. Ultimately, I lost again. Thunderous applause erupted from the gallery, crushing me, leaving me breathless.
After court, she walked toward me, a smile playing on her lips. “Stella, I guess I win again!”
This time, I had been incredibly careful, even avoiding going home, so the problem wasn’t with Leo. I calmly reconsidered. Perhaps, since the cases were similar and Leo and I were classmates and partners, our thoughts might align. So, he might have guided Chloe on where to find case breakthroughs.
The moment I took on a new case, I immediately asked for the name of the opposing counsel. As long as it wasn’t Chloe Sterling, my evidence would be impeccable. So, I boldly resumed my investigation, from surveillance footage of every street the victim walked down, to questioning people at every mall they passed through. I desperately collected every usable clue and piece of evidence, ensuring nothing was overlooked.
Ashley sneered, “Didn’t you refuse to go home last time, afraid someone would steal your
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16%
evidence? Why are you throwing caution to the wind now?”
I ignored her, focusing solely on organizing my evidence into a cohesive chain. This time, I was certain I would win this case! I found out that Chloe didn’t know I had taken on this
case, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as I presented half of my evidence in court, the opposing lawyer began to crumble under my relentless assault. After a one–hour recess, the defense attorney was replaced by Chloe. The result, as you can imagine, was the same: my evidence was once again completely overturned by Chloe.
