Leo Maxwell had founded Maxwell & Associates, and it was quickly becoming the talk of the town—a real rising star in the legal world.
His firm's values clicked perfectly with mine.
He'd tried to recruit me before, but I felt a sense of loyalty to Frank. He was my mentor, after all.
Tommy scoffed:
"You can't just record court proceedings without permission. What kind of evidence could Leo possibly have?"
Leo let out a low chuckle.
"Funny you should mention that—I was actually at that hearing too."
Dave cut in:
"So what? Tommy and I were both there. Our word carries just as much weight as yours."
Leo shook his head calmly.
"Why so defensive, Dave? Got something to hide?"
He continued:
"Sue's performance in that courtroom blew me away. I wanted our new hires to see what real litigation looks like.
"So I requested the court expedite the audio recording and upload it to their online database.
"Should be live by now. Go ahead—take a listen."
Suddenly, the office filled with the sound of frantic typing as everyone scrambled to pull up the recording.
While they were distracted, Leo leaned in and whispered:
"Sue, you're a legal warrior princess. You just kicked Amber's ass right out the door.
"That slap outside the courthouse? Iconic."
I knew he was fishing for a thank you. He must've witnessed the blow-up and set all this in motion.
"Thanks," I said quietly, my mood still subdued.
He seized the moment:
"If you're not happy here, why not make the jump? Come join us."
I hesitated.
"I'll think about it."
He opened his mouth to say more, but the office erupted.
"Did you hear Amber? 'Tommy, help meee!' Who even says that in court?!"
"Is this for real? Can the court actually write that?"
The mood had shifted completely.
"Thank God Sue was there. Our firm's reputation would've been flushed."
"Sue's rebuttal was incredible—her logic, her poise… Seriously impressive."
"Sue isn't holding anyone back. If anything, Amber should be thanking her."
The murmurs grew louder, and Frank's expression darkened.
Their accusations against me had completely fallen apart. The court record didn't lie.
Dave suddenly shouted:
"Enough! Don't you people have work to do?"
I spoke up, louder this time:
"We're just having a little chat about the hearing. Consider it a learning opportunity!"
I stressed learning opportunity. They all shifted uncomfortably.
Someone muttered:
"All that talk about being a genius, and then she pulls a meltdown in court."
"Who would want to work with her?"
"How does she even show her face around here after that?"
"Enough!" Frank's voice boomed across the room.
Everyone fell silent.
"A rookie made a mistake. End of story. Drop it."
He turned and walked away.
Watching him go, I felt something break inside me. Something final.
For Amber, he was willing to overlook the client's best interests, the principles of justice, even his own ethics.
He didn't care about the truth—he just needed someone to blame.
He wanted me to take the fall.
Was he the one who pushed me over the edge last time?
Probably.
I clenched my fists, fighting back tears.