“Lessie, who are we waiting for here? Are you sure it’s okay to take time off right now, especially with everything going on?”


    “Don’t worry about it.” As Alessia spoke, a man in a sharp suit walked in from outside.


    “Miss Morton.” Calvert reached out to shake her hand. Alessia stood and met his grip briefly.


    “Attorney Calvert. I didn’t expect it would be you.”


    Calvert had spent his life immersed in casew, dissecting every statute and precedent. No matter how big or small, if a case piqued his interest, he’d dig into it relentlessly. He had high standards and cared about little outside of thew. That was exactly why Alessia was so surprised to see him here.


    “The others wanted toe, but you mentioned something else that caught my eye, so I figured I’d handle it myself.” Calvert nced at Ethan, who stood nearby.


    “I read over your résumé. Thatmercial dispute case was textbook–never thought you’d been involved. Young people these days keep surprising me.”


    “Thank you, Attorney Calvert. I really just helped with some of the early investigative work and organizing the evidence,” Ethan stammered, both nervous and honored. Meeting a legend in the legal world–and getting his praise–was more than he’d ever dreamed.


    “But if it weren’t for your final argument, the whole case might have slipped away. Thatst–minute push turned things around.”


    “Oh, is this the case you mentioned before? The one you said was fascinating?” Alessia immediately caught on.


    “That’s the one. Not exactlyplicated, but the opposing counsel was


    clever–easy to get tripped up if you weren’t careful. If he hadn’t submitted those new documents at thest minute, we’d have lost for sure.”


    “So, which issue are we tackling first?” Calvert was known for getting straight to the point, even when making small talk.


    “Let’s go retrieve what’s ours first.”


    “Understood.”


    The two of them began gathering their things. Ethan followed suit, still looking


    14:45


    rather lost


    “Lessie, what’s going on? You actually know people from Libra &


    Associates–Attorney Calvert, no less! What are we even solving? Don’t tell me we’re heading to Zenith?” Ethan led the way, with Calvert following behind.


    “Just stand there and don’t say a word when we get inside. Afterward, just act normal. I’ll exin everything once it’s all handled.”


    Ethan nodded, dropping his questions. Before long, the three of them arrived at the building.


    “Didn’t you say it was a small business? This ce looks pretty big.” Alessia shot Ethan a curious look.


    Ethan ruffled her hair. “Most of these buildings lease out individual suites. Zenith just rents one of the offices.”


    Alessia, usually the one exining things, found it oddly amusing to be on the receiving end for once.


    “Here we are.” Ethan stared at the ‘Zenith‘ logo printed on the ss door, a swirl of emotions tightening in his chest. He’d poured nearly all his spare time here throughout college, only to be told, “Sorry, you’re talented, but Simon Wells is the son of our biggest client.”


    “Wait here in the lobby. This shouldn’t take more than ten minutes.”


    Ethan was about to follow them in when Alessia gently held him back.


    “Miss Morton, five minutes will do.” Calvert straightened his tie. Even at nearly fifty, he exuded a dry, effortless wit.


    “You’re sure I shouldn’t go in with you?”


    “Trust me. Walking in together would be giving them too much credit.”


    <i>“</i><i>All </i>right. I’ll leave it to you, then.” Surprisingly, Ethan didn’t protest at all. He didn’t care if Alessia made a scene, nor did he feel the slightest embarrassment about causing a fuss over a bit of money.