Chapter 4

Nora White POV

The next day, I went to the firm as usual.

When I walked into the office area, the atmosphere was wrong.

A group of people surrounded my workstation, talking over each other.

When they saw me approaching, the crowd fell silent for a second, then someone whistled.

"Miss White, another deposit today? A check for five million dollars."

My steps halted.

I pushed through the crowd.

An envelope sat on my desk. It had already been opened. Inside was a check from the Hunter family's exclusive account.

Amount: five million dollars.

It was from Sophia Chambers.

Before I could reach for it, the check was snatched away by a male colleague nearby. He held it up to look at it, then passed it to the next person.

"Who gave you permission to touch my things?"

My voice was very low.

No one paid attention to me.

The check passed between several people's hands, and every time I reached for it, I couldn't get it.

Those people were a full head taller than me, and their passing motion even carried a kind of playful coordination.

A female colleague tilted her head to look at me, her tone rising.

"Miss White, shouldn't you update the price list in your document? The market's going up."

Another person chimed in.

"No wonder she wants to break up with Mr. Hunter. Turns out she found a higher bidder."

"You're all overthinking it. She's just holding out for the best price."

"Enough!"

I practically shouted these two words.

I never lost my composure in front of others.

But now, my whole body was shaking. My throat felt like something was stuck in it, my voice hoarse and tight.

The surroundings fell quiet for a second.

Then came laughter that couldn't be suppressed.

"All right, everyone back to work."

At some point, the administrative supervisor had walked over, frowning as she dispersed the onlookers.

I stood in front of my workstation, fists clenched, nails digging into my palms.

I had to get that check back and return it to Sophia.

That afternoon, I finally cornered the colleague who had taken the check in the hallway. Just as I was about to get it back, a familiar voice came from behind me.

"Looking for this?"

I turned around and met Liam's dark gaze.

The check was pinched between his fingers, already creased.

"So you said you wanted to break up with me because of this money?"

His voice was very soft, close to my ear, like a blade cutting across skin.

I shook my head.

"No, this money I never even-"

A slap landed on my face.

Several colleagues passing by all stopped in their tracks.

Liam's eyes were cold to the extreme, but a smile hung at the corner of his mouth.

"Nora, I didn't think your appetite was this big. A small-town lawyer with a humble background, this face of yours is really worth a fortune."

I covered my cheek, half my face burning.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say that the money was from your mother...

"I heard Miss White's family still has quite a bit of debt?"

Vivian had somehow walked to Liam's side, her tone as gentle as if chatting about everyday matters.

"Your father is a high school teacher in a small town with limited income, and he had to put you through law school. It really wasn't easy."

Every word was fact. Every word was a knife.

Liam looked down at the check in his hand, then raised his hand and threw it at my face.

The thin piece of paper stuck to my cheek for a second before sliding to the ground.

"I will recommend that the management committee conduct a financial audit of all cases you've handled."

His voice had no fluctuation.

"People who practice law can't have dirty hands."

Vivian added at the right moment.

"This is for your own good. The innocent will be proven innocent."

The two of them turned and left side by side.

A few passing colleagues slowed their pace, their eyes sweeping back and forth between me and the check on the ground.

I bent down to pick up the check. My hands were shaking, but my movements were slow and steady.

That afternoon, an announcement was posted on the firm's internal system.

My case representation authority was suspended, and an internal audit of all case accounts I had handled would begin immediately.

I stood in front of the bulletin board, hands clenched into fists.

Without case representation authority, I couldn't appear in court, couldn't sign documents, couldn't access any case files.

For a lawyer, this was no different from being crippled.

And even worse, without representation authority, there was no performance commission.

My current monthly income went toward student loan repayments, rent, and living expenses I sent to my father.

If this money stopped, I couldn't even survive in this city.

Someone passed behind me, their voice neither loud nor soft.

"An audit? I think it's just for show. Everyone already saw what needed to be found."

"Right? She made so much money and still pretended to be poor. She also applied for quite a few of the firm's pro bono case subsidies, didn't she?"

"Tsk, what kind of person."

I didn't turn around.

I stared at that announcement, reading it word by word, then turned and walked back to my workstation.

I opened my computer and began writing an email.

The recipient was the firm's management committee.

I would compile every transfer record I'd returned, every gift list I'd sent back, every complete financial record of cases I'd handled, and list them out one by one.

Not to show anyone.

But because I, Nora White, had nothing to feel guilty about to anyone.