Yasmin saw the knife in the criminal''s handing straight toward her. In a panic, she grabbed a nearby person and shoved them in front of her as a shield.


    The unlucky person she grabbed was Jasmine, whose face turned ghostly pale. Trembling like a leaf, tears streamed uncontrobly down her cheeks, revealing her overwhelming fear.


    The ruthless criminal thrust the knife toward Jasmine, who shut her eyes tightly, giving up all resistance. However, the expected pain never came. Instead, the surrounding crowd gasped in shock.


    Jasmine cautiously opened her eyes, only to be left speechless by the scene before her.


    Tessa, empty-handed, was locked in a fierce struggle with the criminal.


    The man, brandishing a knife and clearly unhinged, attacked wildly, shing and stabbing in every direction. Tessa dodged and weaved, avoiding critical blows as she did. But she was still cut on her arm, leaving a bloody wound in its wake.


    Crimson blood seeped out immediately, staining her white shirt.


    The criminal roared in rage, "You''re asking for it!" and lunged at her with the knife again.


    Gritting her teeth against the pain, Tessa sidestepped the de and grabbed the criminal''s wrist, twisting it forcefully.


    The sound of a loud crack was followed by the man''s scream of agony. Overwhelmed by pain, the criminal instinctively released the knife, letting it tter to the ground.


    Tessa kicked the knife far away. A male colleague quickly stepped forward to retrieve it. Without the deadly threat of the knife, the criminal stood no chance against Tessa.


    She delivered a series of punches, making him howl in pain. Then, with a swift kick, she struck his head hard. The man staggered, disoriented and unsteady.


    Before he could recover, Tessaunched a flurry of kicks, finishing with a shoulder throw that mmed him forcefully to the ground.


    The surrounding onlookers gasped and murmured in astonishment. No one had expected the quiet, demure-looking Tessa to be so fierce and powerful in a fight.


    Afterpletely subduing the criminal, Tessa finally stood down just as the ambnce and police arrived on the scene.


    The criminal was taken away, and Tom, whoy in a pool of blood, was also carried off by paramedics. Only then did the shaken colleagues dare to approach Tessa.


    Having witnessed a colleague being stabbed, thew firm felt no relief at surviving the ordeal. Instead, they were consumed by fear and lingering dread.


    Jasmine''s face was streaked with tears, her voice trembling as she stammered, "Ms. Yates, I-I thought I was going to die. It was so terrifying. If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t still be here. Thank you, Ms. Yates." Sarah, still visibly shaken and pale, said, "In my ten years of practice, I''ve never encountered anything like this. Being awyer really is a high-risk profession."


    Her face still filled with terror, Yasmin asked nervously, "Ms. Young, will Mr. Zimmer... Will he make it?" Sarah replied coldly, "Mr. Zimmer will be fine."


    The male staff members, finally snapping out of their panic, began praising Tessa''s skills and bravery. "Ms. Yates, I didn''t know you could fight like that! I waspletely stunned. You were amazing!" "Yeah, Ms. Yates. Thank you for saving all of us."


    "Ms. Yates, I never imagined someone so gentle and quiet could be so strong. Ipletely underestimated you."


    Tessa, however, didn''t respond to theirpliments. Keeping a stern expression, she walked straight toward Yasmin.


    "Ms. Collins, were you trying to use Jasmine as a shield just now?"


    Yasmin avoided her gaze, her guilty conscience evident. Stammering, she muttered, "I-I was just acting on instinct for self-preservation."


    All the staff members had clearly seen Yasmin push Jasmine in front of her during the critical moment. Hearing her feeble excuse, they looked at her with disdain.


    Yasmin felt wronged and frustrated. If she hadn''t used someone as a shield, she would have been the one stabbed.


    People were selfish by nature.


    "What a fine example of self-preservation. You call yourself awyer? Shouldn''t you know that human lives cannot be used as tools for ''self-preservation''?" Tessa said coldly, her voice devoid of any warmth. This was a fundamental legal principle that anyone with even basic legal training would understand. Yasmin''s argument was nothing more than a feeble excuse.