I had just reached the top of the stairs when my adoptive father's voice called out from behind me.

"Wait, Ava."

I stopped but didn't turn around.

"You can't just walk away," Richard said. I could hear the calculation in his voice. "Chloe lacks experience. You'll need to be her second chair."

Second chair?

I turned and stared at his hypocritical face.

"The two of you, working together. Sisters, joining forces for the glory of the Miller name," he said, his eyes shrewd. "The press will eat that up."

A touching story?

More like a perfect plan to find a scapegoat.

If the case was won, the credit would go to Chloe's "natural talent." If it was lost, the blame would fall on my "failure to supervise."

"And..." he paused. "This also ensures we don't leave anything to chance."

Liam immediately nodded. "He's right, Ava. Your experience combined with Chloe's innovative thinking—it's a guaranteed win!"

Chloe clung to his arm, her eyes full of hope. "Sister, can we work together? I'll be really good, I promise!"

Good?

She said the same thing in my past life, then fell asleep in court.

I looked at their hopeful faces, my heart turning to ice.

"Okay."

Richard's expression instantly relaxed, and he even managed a rare smile.

"Good. That's the daughter I raised." He patted my shoulder. "I'll treat you and Chloe equally. No favoritism."

Equally?

In twenty years, when had he ever treated me equally?

"This is great!" Chloe cheered, jumping up and down. "Are we going to see the client now? I have to go do an energy cleanse first!"

She ran upstairs towards her meditation room. Liam followed, muttering something about "staying positive."

An hour later, I was standing outside the Miller & Associates building.

The Manhattan sun was blinding. The streets were a blur of people and traffic.

Liam's silver Porsche pulled up to the curb.

I opened the passenger door and froze.

On the black leather seat was a new, custom pink cushion embroidered with the diamond-studded initials "C.M."

"What's this?" I asked, pointing at the garish thing.

Liam rubbed his nose, looking awkward. "Chloe said her energy field is sensitive and she needs this to stay balanced... Don't mind it, it's just a cushion."

Just a cushion?

We were engaged for three years, and there was never a single thing of mine in this seat.

She's been back for less than a month, and she's already marking her territory.

"I'll sit in the back."

"No, it's fine, I'll have Chloe sit in the back," Liam said quickly.

"No need." I pulled open the rear door. "The passenger seat is hers now."

Twenty minutes later, Chloe finally arrived.

She wore a white dress, wrists stacked with crystal bracelets, and a massive amethyst pendant hanging from her neck.

"Sorry, I was just cleansing today's negative energy," she said, sliding into the passenger seat and settling onto her pink cushion. "Damon Blackwood's aura is so aggressive, I had to prepare myself."

Liam started the car. "It's okay, babe. Good things take time."

Babe?

From the back seat, I watched the show with cold eyes. He had never once called me that.

Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the Blackwood Group's headquarters.

The fifty-story skyscraper pierced the clouds, its glass facade reflecting the harsh sunlight.

The elevator shot up to the top floor.

Damon Blackwood was already waiting for us in the conference room.

His deep, cold eyes swept over Liam and me before landing on Chloe.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Liam gave a slight bow.

"Mr. Blackwood, this is the lead attorney our firm has assigned to you, Chloe Miller!"

Damon's face was blank as he extended his hand halfway.

Chloe jerked back.

"I can feel a negative energy field of stress coming from you. To keep my own energy pure, I can't have physical contact with strangers!"

The air in the room froze. His assistant, standing by the door, looked like he'd swallowed a fly.

The color drained from Liam's face. He scrambled to smooth things over.

"Mr. Blackwood, I'm so sorry, Chloe is... she's naturally highly sensitive to emotional energy. She was just joking!"

Damon slowly retracted his hand, his expression unreadable.

But the temperature in the conference room dropped ten degrees.

I stood silently to the side, just watching.

The rumor on Wall Street was that he built his empire with Mafia money.

This was not a man who played games with wellness gurus.

Feeling Damon's hostile gaze, Liam pushed on.

"Chloe is the jewel of the Miller family. She can be a bit eccentric, but she's a genius from Yale Law, graduated with highest honors!"

Chloe propped her chin on her hands, leaning across the conference table and batting her eyelashes at him.

"Mr. Blackwood, I've looked at your case. It's super simple!"

"The other side's energy field is very dark, but I'll defeat them with love and light and make them feel the judgment of the universe!"

Damon frowned and turned to me.

"Ava, you were the one handling my case."

"And you're sure this… woman… can handle my case?"

All eyes were on me.

I met Damon's sharp gaze, then turned to Chloe.

"Chloe, I need to confirm," I said, my voice calm and clear. "This case involves a $500 million settlement and the reputation of Miller & Associates. Are you sure you want to take it?"

Chloe's face turned crimson.

"Ava!" she shrieked. "Are you questioning my abilities?"

"I'm just confirming—"

"You're looking down on me!" She shot up from her chair, her crystal pendant clattering against the table. "You don't think I'm fit to be a lawyer, do you?"

Liam rushed to her side. "Chloe, calm down. Ava didn't mean it like that."

He turned to Damon, his voice pleading. "Mr. Blackwood, please, trust us. Chloe really is a genius from Yale Law. She's just... she's not used to the murky energy of this industry."

"Murky energy?" Damon's voice was ice. "Counselor, I don't care about energy. I care about results."

He walked to the window, looking down at the river of traffic in Manhattan.

"My company has already lost two hundred million because of this lawsuit." He turned slowly, murder in his eyes. "If we lose, I'll have to pay five hundred million."

The air seemed to solidify.

"The Miller family," Damon said, enunciating every word. "I hope you understand one thing. If I lose this case, I won't mind spending that five hundred million to burn your law firm to the ground."

Chloe's face went white. She shrank back in her seat.

Sweat beaded on Liam's forehead.

"Of course, of course, we absolutely won't lose," he said frantically. "Chloe has a unique… innovative approach."

Innovative approach?

I almost laughed out loud.

"Then this meeting is over," Damon said coldly. "I'll be waiting to see your performance."

Ten minutes later, we were in the car heading back to the office.

Chloe was curled up in the passenger seat, crying into her hands.

"His aura was terrifying!" she sobbed. "That violent energy almost tore me apart!"

"Babe, don't cry," Liam said, trying to comfort her while driving. "He's just a serious guy."

"I feel like my heart chakra is about to shatter!" she wailed even louder. "I need to go back and do an energy repair, or I'm going to get sick!"

Watching this ridiculous performance, I pulled out my phone and ordered an Uber.

"You two go ahead and repair," I said, opening the car door. "I'm going back to the office to sort out the files."

"Ava, where are you going?" Liam asked.

I looked at him, my voice as sharp as a knife. "Someone has to make sure this circus doesn't crash and burn before the finale. That’s my job now."

I slammed the door and got into the Uber.

An hour later, I was back at Miller & Associates.

The moment I pushed open my office door, a sharp slap hit my face.

"You ungrateful little bitch!"

My adoptive mother, Margaret, stood before me, her eyes blazing with fury.

"How dare you question Chloe in front of a client? Do you have any idea you almost destroyed this case?"

I touched my stinging cheek and looked at her coldly.

"I was just confirming her intentions."

"Confirming?" Richard stood up from behind his desk, his face livid. "You were deliberately humiliating her!"

"Damon Blackwood just called," he seethed, his voice trembling with rage. "He said if he sees your face anywhere near this case again, he's dropping us!"

Dropping us?

I sneered internally.

The Damon from my past life never said anything like that.

"Good," Richard said, walking up to me, his eyes full of disgust. "Ava, you're fired."

"What?" I feigned shock.

"Pack your things and get out of my firm!" he yelled, pointing to the door. "As of today, you are no longer an employee of Miller & Associates!"

"Uncle, calm down..." Liam said, having just walked in.

"Calm down?" Richard whirled on him. "She almost lost us our biggest client!"

"Ava, just apologize to them," Liam pleaded, walking toward me. "If you just say you're sorry, we can fix this."

Apologize?

I looked at the three of them, at their expectant faces, and remembered a lifetime of compromises and apologies.

Remembered all the useless tears, and the final despair.

I walked slowly to my desk and picked up the framed photo that had sat there for twenty years.

In the picture, I was eight years old, standing between Richard and Margaret, smiling so innocently.

I ripped the photo from its frame, tore it in half, and threw the pieces in the trash. Then I smashed the frame on the floor.

"Ava!" Margaret screamed.

I didn't look back. I grabbed my bag and walked to the door.

"As of today, I am no longer your daughter."

Two hours later, I was sitting in another skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.

Ethan Richards's office was spacious and bright, the floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of New York City's glittering nightscape.

"You want to represent the 127 evicted families?" Ethan put down the file, his eyes wide with surprise. "You want to be the plaintiff's attorney?"

"Yes." I nodded. "I know their entire case. Every piece of evidence, every legal strategy. I built it. And I know exactly how to tear it down."

"Do you know what this means?" He stood up and walked to the window. "You'll be going against the Miller family. Against Damon Blackwood."

"There's no turning back from this."

I looked out the window, remembering the humiliation of my past life and the freedom of today.

"I never look back."

Ethan smiled and extended his hand. It was warm and strong.

"Welcome to the fight."

A week later, when I showed up at the New York County Supreme Court, the Millers were already there.

Richard and Margaret sat in the front row. Liam stood beside them, anxiously checking his Rolex.

No amount of healing crystals could fix that kind of anxiety.

The defense table was empty. Chloe hadn't arrived.

The judge was seated, flipping through the case file. The court clerk kept glancing at the door, her expression growing impatient.

When the Millers saw me, they both scowled. Richard practically lunged at me, hissing through his teeth.

"What are you doing here? You've been fired from Miller & Associates. Can't you let it go?"

I looked at his twisted face and replied calmly, "I'm here to observe."

He was about to say more but was cut off by the judge.

"Is counsel for the defendant not present?"

It was 2:05 PM, five minutes past the scheduled start time.

"Five more minutes. If counsel is not present, the court will move for a default judgment."

Default judgment?

That meant an automatic loss for Damon Blackwood. A $500 million judgment.

More sweat appeared on Liam's face. Damon Blackwood's icy stare from across the room made him squirm.

He stood, bowed slightly to the judge, and explained carefully, "Your Honor, attorney Chloe Miller may have been delayed by the terrible Manhattan traffic. We beg the court's indulgence..."

Before he could finish, the judge cut him off coldly. "Traffic is not an excuse. This court has rules!"

The seconds ticked by. Just as the five minutes were about to expire, Liam couldn't take it anymore.

He shot to his feet, pointing a finger directly at me in the gallery.

"Your Honor, I request a substitution of counsel! Ava Miller! She built this case. She can take over right now!"

Margaret and Richard both whipped their heads around to look at me, their eyes filled with desperation.

I knew that look all too well.

It was the same look they always gave me when they needed something.

I slowly rose to my feet. Every eye in the courtroom was on me.

"I'm sorry, Your Honor," I said, my voice carrying clearly through the room. "I cannot take over for Chloe Miller."

"What?" Liam's voice cracked.

"Because one week ago, I was formally dismissed from Miller & Associates." I paused. "I no longer represent the defendant."

A wave of murmurs swept through the courtroom.

Margaret's eyes went wide. "Ava, now is not the time to be emotional!"

"The firm can re-hire you!" Richard shouted desperately. "Right now! Immediately!"

Re-hire me?

I scoffed.

They did the same thing in my past life. Treated me like a savior when they needed me, then kicked me to the curb when they were done.

"Unfortunately, I already have a new employer."

Just then, the courtroom doors burst open.

A soft, chiming meditation track echoed through the hall.

Everyone turned.

Then, Chloe glided in on a rhinestone-covered scooter, a pair of sparkling headphones over her ears.

She wore a white lawyer's robe, but it was embroidered with zodiac signs. A massive rainbow crystal hung from her neck.

The courtroom fell silent.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Chloe hopped off her scooter and took off her headphones. "The start time was so early, it completely drained my energy!"

The judge stared, looking at her like she was an alien.

"I was just doing an emergency chakra alignment!" Chloe continued, completely oblivious to the stunned faces around her. "The negative energy of this case is so heavy, I had to purify myself first!"

"Ms. Miller..." the judge's voice trembled slightly. "Did you just arrive on a... scooter?"

"Yes!" Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "It's my energy transport vehicle! Custom-made. Every single rhinestone has been cleansed by the moonlight!"

A few stifled laughs came from the gallery.

Liam quickly stood up. "Your Honor, please forgive her. Everyone has their own... work habits."

Work habits?

Riding a scooter into a courtroom was a work habit?

The judge rested his forehead in his hand, looking utterly defeated by the spectacle.

"Ms. Miller, please take your seat," he said, his voice thick with exhaustion. "Let's begin."

Chloe parked her scooter next to the defense table. After sitting down, she immediately started pulling various crystals out of her bag and arranging them on the table.

"These are my courtroom talismans!" she explained excitedly to Liam. "This citrine enhances logical thinking, the amethyst boosts intuition..."

The judge banged his gavel again.

"The plaintiff may begin their opening statement."

Looking at the empty plaintiff's table, Chloe smiled at her family behind her.

"Looks like my talismans worked. The plaintiff was too scared to show up! I told you those poor people's negative energy would be afraid of me..."

Liam awkwardly gestured for Chloe to stop her narcissistic rambling.

Just then, I stood up, clutching a thick stack of folders.

Every eye in the courtroom locked onto me. The room was dead silent.

"Your Honor," I announced, my voice ringing out. "My name is Ava Miller. I represent the 127 families suing the Blackwood Group for fraud and wrongful eviction. And today, we will have justice."

"Are you insane?!"

Liam shot to his feet.