Witnessing a Happy Moment

Juliet's face twisted with complicated emotions.

She didn't believe it to be a trivial matter. She thought it was a fateful moment in my life.

Knowing that things didn't go the way she planned felt worse than hearing me snap back.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed her luck. "Stop pretending! You're holding a grudge because I stopped Dad and Mom from adopting you twenty years ago. Now you want revenge on me and my brother!"

I snorted. "Ms. Stafford, your accusation is uncalled for."

A cold look replaced my smile. "Why would I waste time on you? Speaking of which, I should thank you for talking your parents out of adopting me. Otherwise, Madam Astrea Perkins wouldn't have adopted me, and I wouldn't have achieved greatness."

I paused, then concluded calmly, "So really, I can't thank you enough. There's no reason for me to be angry with you."

The more I downplayed the importance of the Stafford family to me, the more harm my words did to her.

She choked on her words, unable to find a clever comeback. Embarrassment had painted her cheeks red.

"Watch what you say. What does this have to do with Astrea Perkins?"

As if she had caught me in a lie, she mocked, "Just because you're a Perkins now doesn't mean you're related to her. You can keep dreaming about having ties to that family, but you'll never truly be one of them!"

At that, A black Bentley pulled up to the curb.

The door opened, revealing a slender, elegant woman.

She strode toward me and put a trenchcoat on me.

The whole time, she ignored Juliet.

Gently caressing my head, she urged, "Let's go, Sage. Grandma is waiting for us."

Only then did Juliet's presence seem to catch her attention. "Who is she, Sage?"

I linked my arm around hers and smiled at her. "Don't worry, Sylvia. She's a client. We were just talking."

The revelation stunned Juliet.

She stared at us in disbelief. She refused to connect Sylvia's affection and the luxury car to me.

Still, she could not deny it.

She recognized Sylvia as the founder of a top law firm.

She had also heard that Sylvia had a younger brother, treasured by the whole Perkins family.

She simply never expected me to be that brother.

She couldn't help but recall a young man in a prison uniform staring blankly at her from behind the glass panel in the visitation room. It happened in her previous life.

But now, the same man was smiling sweetly and linking arms with another woman.

Leaving her frozen in a daze, I got into Sylvia's car.

The next day, Dakota told me that Juliet had used her connections to transfer the fraud case and involve me directly.

As he compiled the documents, he complained, "Mr. Perkins, what's wrong with Juliet Stafford? Not long ago, she still had doubts about your competence. But today, her attitude changed. Now, she specifically demands your involvement. I bet she wants to win your favor after learning your family background."

I dismissed it with a faint smile and signed the referral application.

I looked forward to seeing what Juliet would bring me.

Cheap Tricks Getting Old

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Stafford family arrived at my office.

They had been summoned as the suspect's family.

Although it was my first time seeing Charles in this life, he was as polished and carefully presented as ever. With that innocent face of his, he could easily stir anyone's protective instincts.

The shift in Juliet's attitude was surprising. She apologized respectfully, "Mr. Perkins, I apologize for my outburst last time. I'm sorry."

Her parents, Owen and Geraldine, stood anxiously to the side, looking at me with unreadable expressions.

I didn't bother to address them. I simply cut to the chase. "The suspect stays. His family can wait outside."

The door clicked shut, shielding Charles and me from the inquiring looks.

In an instant, the naiveness and innocence on his face vanished. In their place was something twisted and malicious.

After sizing me up, a sarcastic smile curled his lips. "Miles… or should I call you Sage? I have to admit, you got lucky. Even though the Stafford family didn't take you in, you still managed to latch onto the Perkins family. Well done."

I stared at him, unmoved. His jabs were getting old. I reminded him, "Mr. Stafford, remember your place. I didn't bring you here today to insult me."

Realizing he failed to strike a nerve, he lost his composure.

He lounged in the chair, changing his approach to unnerve me. "So what if you're a prosecutor now? You can only be jealous of the happy life I've had. Being a Perkins doesn't change anything between us.

"I'm still Juliet's beloved brother. She only hired you because she didn't know you were Sage Perkins beforehand. Don't think you're better than me. You'll always be beneath me."

In our previous life, he had been just as two-faced.

He was a kind and thoughtful family to our parents and Juliet. When they weren't around, he insulted me with the most hurtful remarks and trampled on my dignity.

After killing people in a car accident, he begged me to take the blame and swore he would spend his life repaying me.

However, once I was sentenced to prison, he hopped in his sports car with his friends and traveled the world. Never once did he remember me.

I could only swallow the unfair treatment and take it as it was.

Over time, Juliet despised me more. Eventually, our parents decided that I was beyond redemption and gave up on me.

Nonetheless, I had left everything in the past.

In this life, he could no longer shake me with his cheap tricks.

I interrogated him for two hours according to procedure, making sure every question was direct and precise.

He denied the allegation, thinking his statement was flawless. He even dared to accuse me of blurring the line and abusing my authority.

He thought he was clever, but his little performance only wore down my patience. Still, I refrained from acting on impulse and glared at him.

Startled, he deflated.

After the interrogation, I asked him to sign his statement. Once that was done, I left my office with a displeased expression.

Outside, his family was desperately waiting for us to emerge.

When I exited the door, Juliet came forward. "Mr. Perkins, how was your interview with Chuck?"

Geraldine grabbed my arm. Tears clung to her lashes.

She pleaded, "Mr. Perkins, Charles is innocent. He has to be! They must have overlooked something!"

I impatiently announced, "There's clear evidence of his involvement, and we'll file charges against him."

They gasped.

Dakota looked at me in shock. I usually valued rigor and caution, so it was the first time I jumped to a conclusion so fast.

The Staffords' faces turned pale.

Geraldine's legs gave out. Owen held her in time to prevent her from collapsing.

"No! It can't be! Chuck hasn't done anything wrong…"

Juliet sneered. "I don't believe you! Chuck told us he's innocent. You don't have evidence to convict him!"

"It's personal, isn't it?" She growled.

Just then, Charles walked out of my office.

A flicker of smugness flashed across his face. But soon, tears welled in his eyes as he leaned obediently against Juliet. "It's fine, Juliet. I expected him to treat me unfairly. I understand where he's coming from."

I stared at them coldly and added, "Your precious son just confessed to the crime himself."