few weeks later.
"Damn, Bella, you're doing way better than Emily." I commented as Bella set a fresh cup of coffee on my desk with that calm efficiency she'd perfected in just a few weeks.
"Yo, she doesn't even have the same job as me! She's an assistant, for fuck's sake!" she declared, smacking her palm to her forehead like she was in some dramatic telenovela.
I didn't even bother to hide the annoyance lacing my voice.
"Shut up, Emily. She does more in an hour than you manage in a whole day. Get off your phone and start stamping, lazy bitch."
Emily's eyes widened like she'd just been slapped through a window. Her phone disappeared into her pocket instantly, and she glued herself to the stack of paperwork, stamping like her life depended on it.
Bella hid a smirk as she left my office, closing the door softly behind her.
God, she had adapted so fast—picked up everything with barely any training. Meanwhile Emily had been here five damn years and still acted like this place was a daycare.
I exhaled and sank back into my chair, letting the leather cradle my spine. The office light buzzed softly overhead, and the smell of Bella's freshly brewed coffee wrapped around me like comfort.
My desk was a mess of open case files, signed affidavits, sticky notes with half-formed legal strategies—but I was almost done.
Just a little more work. A few more signatures. A couple more cases closed.
And I wouldn't have to step foot in this damn building ever again.
The law firm owed me their entire backbone. I'd made them more money in three years than their senior partners did in ten. If I disappeared for a decade, they'd still send me Christmas bonuses like I was the second coming of Christ.
My phone buzzed once, nudging the corner of my keyboard, and I glanced at the lock screen: saved real estate listings.
Mansions. Wide open fields.
Long driveways where no one could bother us. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking forests.
Sunrises that belonged only to us.
Only the best for my future husband, Noah.
I hadn't told him. I wanted to see his face when I drove him through the gates and said, "It's ours."
That moment was going to be perfect—seeing him light up like he did whenever he felt safe, loved, protected.
I curled my fingers around the warm mug Bella had made and took a slow sip.
Soon.
Just a little more work, and then the rest of our lives could start.
Then my phone buzzed—once, twice—sliding across the corner of my desk like it was trying to run from the caller ID. A number flashed on the screen. Not saved, but painfully familiar.
Mary.
My stomach knotted. Good news never came from that woman.
I answered anyway.
"Elara Miller speaking."
There was a beat of static, then Mary's voice slipped through—low, uneasy, like she already knew she was delivering something foul.
"Hey, Elara... this is Mary. You know who. Anyways—look, I was digging into Laura's files like you asked, and turns out... she was selling Noah off to a group of girls—"
"I want them all gone.”
I cut her off instantly, my voice a blade. I dropped my tone to a whisper, not because I was being polite—because I didn't need Emily's nosy, incompetent ass listening in.
"Five thousand each," I continued, every syllable cold enough to frost the air. "Disintegrated. Anyone who touched Noah that wasn't me or Bella deserves nothing but the fucking dirt. I trust you'll take care of it."
Mary didn't hesitate. She knew better.
"Yeah. I'll handle it. I'll text when the job's done. I'm deleting this entire call from our system—just in case."
Good.
She hung up.
I placed my phone face-down on my desk and exhaled slowly, letting the fury simmer into something sharp and focused. My pulse was steady—too steady. That was how I knew I meant every word.
When I glanced up, Emily was, once again, doing the one thing I told her not to do—scrolling her fucking phone like she was a teenager sneaking Snapchat under the table.
"Emily..." I said, voice flat as stone.
Her head snapped up. She shoved the phone into her pocket so fast it nearly fell out again.
I stared at her, unimpressed.
"Girl..." I dragged the word out with all the exhausted disbelief in my soul.
She scrambled to her feet and started stamping papers like they owed her money.
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temple, letting the room fall silent except for the rhythmic thud of her rubber stamp.
Mary was handling my revenge.
Emily was finally working.
And I—
I was one step closer to making sure Noah never had to fear anything again.
Not while he had me and Bella.