Unlawfully His✔️

2. Blue-eyed devil.

7 years later.

I sighed.

Today marked another defeat for me in court. It was my second loss in just as many cases, and the weight of failure was beginning to crush me.

I couldn't shake the sense of impending dismissal looming over me. To make matters worse, the laughter of my colleagues only served to magnify my struggle to conceal my emotions.

"Quinn, the boss would like to see you," June, one of my paralegal associates, said with a weary expression, her tone tinged with sympathy as she delivered the message.

"How does she look?" I questioned anxiously, hoping for some indication of her mood.

"I'd rather not say," June whispered back, and her reluctance to divulge any details only confirmed my fears. The fact that she was withholding information meant that our boss was likely in a foul mood.

In just over two years and three months at Horizon Law Group, my journey had been a learning curve. Two years were spent shadowing senior attorneys, absorbing the intricacies of case handling as an intern. Now, in my new role as an attorney on the frontline, I had recently faced two defeats in court within three short months. 

The turnover rate at our firm was rapid, with lawyers exiting swiftly due to our boss's uncompromising standards. Given my recent setbacks, I harbored no doubt that my employment was now hanging by a thread, subject to the unforgiving scrutiny of my strict boss.

Tears threatened to prick my eyes as I nodded in response to June's whisper. Gathering my courage, I rose from my desk, attempting to maintain a facade of composure as I made my way to the boss's office.

The room buzzed with activity, but the moment I left my workstation, an eerie silence fell over the space.

All eyes were on me as I traversed the room, feeling the weight of their silent scrutiny bearing down on me. I had witnessed others become the center of attention in this office, both for commendable achievements and unfortunate mishaps. I had always wondered which category I would fall into.

"Well, she's surely going to get fired," I heard someone whisper, their words cutting through the silence like a knife.

The comment only added to the overwhelming sense of dread that engulfed me as I approached the boss's office, bracing myself for what lay ahead.

As I made my way to my boss's office, the spotlight of attention from my colleagues felt suffocating, urging me to quicken my pace. Yet, at the same time I wished the journey to her office would take forever.

While my boss, Mrs. Allen, held a prominent position as a partner at Horizon Law Firm, overseeing the lower associates, her office was situated next to ours.

As one of the highest-ranking attorneys at the firm, she was responsible for managing the affairs of the lower associates. Horizon Law Firm occupied multiple floors, each overseen by a different partner, explaining why Mrs. Allen's office was conveniently nearby.

Thoughts raced through my mind, contemplating desperate measures to plead for another chance. Maybe if I went down on my knees and begged, she would grant me leniency.

After all, it wasn't entirely my fault that both of my cases had failed. The clients I was assigned were reckless and unwilling to heed legal advice, ultimately leading to their own downfall.

I had worked tirelessly throughout college to earn my degree in law, only to find myself on the brink of being fired from the profession I had aspired to. The weight of disappointment weighed heavily on me, and I couldn't shake the feeling of utter failure.