Ethan Grant looked at the sunlight streaming in, his eyes downcast, voice very low, "Talia Rhodes."
Wyatt Jacobs’s voice rose in surprise, "What? Talia Rhodes? She’s getting engaged? To whom?"
"To whom is not important." Ethan’s voice carried a crazed obsession, "I won’t let her get engaged to that man. She can only be mine! I will win her back!"
"Uh..." Wyatt was so shocked by Ethan’s words that he was speechless for a moment.
After a while, he carefully spoke, "Ethan, don’t you think... that’s unethical?"
Ethan sneered, "Ethics? I don’t care about ethics, I only want her by my side."
Wyatt was left speechless by these words.
Are you serious, brother? When she was with you, you treated her as a stand-in.
When your first love came back to the country, you started fooling around with her.
Now that you’ve broken up and she’s about to get engaged, you’re pretending to be all sentimental here?
And you say you don’t care about ethics, as long as she’s by your side.
Absolutely unbelievable.
Wyatt opened his mouth, sighed, and said, "Brother, I’ve never tried stealing someone else’s fiancée, so I don’t really understand. Different fields, you know? I wish you success."
Brighton Court Apartments.
Adrian Jennings cooked lunch for Talia.
After lunch, Talia said, "I’ve arranged with my colleagues to visit our injured colleague at the hospital this afternoon."
"The one injured in that stabbing incident?"
Talia nodded, "Yes, I’m going with a few colleagues from the litigation department. We also need to buy some flowers, fruits, and dietary supplements."
Adrian said, "I’ll have my assistant prepare those."
Talia didn’t refuse, "Okay."
Mason Lynch drove over to pick them up.
"President Jennings, as per your instructions, here’s the fruit basket, flowers, and supplements." Mason opened the trunk of the Cullinan, revealing the items Talia needed.
"Alright." Adrian nodded.
Talia smiled, "Thank you, Assistant Mason."
Mason laughed, "You’re welcome."
Fifteen minutes later, the Cullinan stopped at the hospital entrance.
Talia got out of the car and went around to the trunk to get the fruit basket.
As the Cullinan drove away, Angela Coleman walked over, "Hey, Lawyer Rhodes, did I see that right? You just got out of a Rolls-Royce?"
Talia frowned, "What’s the matter?"
Angela smiled slyly, "Didn’t expect that, Lawyer Rhodes."
Her male colleague, Victor Kenyon, looked gossipy, "Lawyer Rhodes, who was that just now?"
Talia answered honestly, "My boyfriend."
"Boyfriend? Hahaha." Angela taunted, "We get it."
Talia ignored her inexplicable attitude, picking up the fruit basket, "I’m going to see Lawyer Zhang first."
As Talia walked away, Angela watched her back and gossiped with Victor, "The guy driving the Rolls-Royce must be Talia Rhodes’s sugar daddy. Didn’t expect she’d be kept by someone."
Victor, being a chatterbox, nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I was wondering how she could afford to treat all the firm’s colleagues to a meal at Xiangmanlou. The meal cost nearly ten thousand and she wasn’t even bothered. So she has a sugar daddy behind her."
Angela gave a contemptuous look, "Disgrace to the legal profession." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel•fire.net
The next day, Monday.
Nearing the end of the workday, Jane Young approached Talia’s desk with a set of documents.
"Talia, according to the firm’s practice, negotiating cases is usually the business department’s task, but as you know, being a lawyer requires negotiation skills. Often it’s best to negotiate cases yourself. I have a case that needs you to negotiate."
Talia picked up the documents to have a look.
Jane said, "If you manage to negotiate this case, I’ll give you a 20% commission based on the business department’s standards, which can be stacked with the subsequent lawyer fee commission."
Talia wasn’t very focused on the commission.
She valued the opportunity to negotiate cases to improve her negotiation skills.
Previously at the law firm in Mirehaven, it was also the business department that negotiated the cases which were then handed over to the lawyers to handle. In Mirehaven, she didn’t have many resources or connections, so she hardly had the chance to negotiate cases herself.
Talia took on the task, looking up at Jane and saying, "Understood, Manager Jane."
Jane reassuringly patted Talia’s shoulder, "At seven o’clock, go to The Astral Club. I’ll have Victor Kenyon go with you. Apologies for the overtime."
Talia nodded, "Okay, no problem."
Talia proactively went to Victor Kenyon’s desk, "Lawyer Kenyon, how should we get there?"
Victor gave her a peculiar look, seemingly with a hint of disdain, "Why not flaunt it a bit and drive your boyfriend’s Rolls-Royce Cullinan?"
Yesterday, when visiting the colleague in the hospital, Angela Coleman and Victor saw Talia get out of the Cullinan, and Victor had asked her about it.
Talia frowned upon hearing this, "Having him drive over now is too late, so I’ll just take a cab."
She did have a car, but it was left at the Rhodes Family villa yesterday. Adrian Jennings had driven her to the apartment, and her car hadn’t been brought over yet.
Besides, Jane had told her after work that she needed to negotiate the case, leaving no time to bring the car over.
Victor taunted, "Oh, feeling reluctant? Well, for ordinary working folk like us, we aren’t worthy of sitting in your sugar daddy’s Cullinan. Taking a cab, are you looking down on my Porsche Macan? Yeah, it can’t compare to a Cullinan, can it?"
Talia scowled at him, her tone displeased, "What nonsense are you spouting? You seem to have a big problem with me? Every other word is about a ’sugar daddy,’ what do you mean by that?"
Victor smirked, "Oh please, Lawyer Rhodes, don’t misunderstand. I mean nothing by it. I’m just complimenting how lucky you are to cozy up to the owner of a Cullinan. I’m envious, really."
Talia retorted, "Have I done anything to offend you? Why the sarcasm? Did I use your money to buy the Cullinan?"
Victor snorted, "I don’t have that kind of money."
Talia countered without hesitation, "I’ve never seen anyone so gossipy. Instead of being envious here, why not work hard yourself? What’s with the sour grapes?"
This ’sour grapes’ remark hit Victor’s sore spot. The man got worked up, his face darkening, and rudely said, "Yeah, yeah, I’m envious. I hate that I’m not a woman, can’t attract men just like you can by spreading your legs."
Talia was livid, her face turning blue with anger, "You’re a lawyer too. You know slander and defamation are illegal. Keep your mouth clean, or don’t blame me for reporting you and landing you in jail!"
Victor probably realized he’d gone too far, rolled his eyes, and said nothing more, picking up his briefcase and leaving.
Talia calmed herself and called a cab.
The Astral Club was not far from the firm, about a ten-minute drive.
When Talia pushed open the door to the private room, she found Victor with two clients, drinking.
Both clients were company CEOs, middle-aged men in their forties, each holding an escort girl with heavy makeup in their arms.
As soon as Talia entered, everyone’s eyes in the room turned to her.