Chapter 3

Jane's POV

But I still pretended to be calm and replied: "Is that a threat, Mr. Huxley? Two undefeated lawyers facing off would make quite the headline."

"Not a threat." He stood, his six-foot-two frame commanding the space. "Simply a reminder that games have consequences."

I casually tidied up my clothes. "Well, I'm looking forward to our next round." At the door, I paused for a moment. "Thanks for last night. The breakfast invitation still stands for next time."

After saying that, I fled into the elevator, his cold laughter echoing behind me.

In the morning, I headed to Oakwood Café to meet my client, Ryan Martin. We were college classmates. His family empire crumbled amid internal power struggles. Now I was handling his divorce.

I spotted Hunter the moment I walked in. He sat there, dressed in a bespoke suit, radiating the kind of authority that came naturally to guys who'd never known failure. My steps faltered for a moment before my professional mask slipped into place.

"Fancy seeing you here," I said, though we both knew this was no coincidence.

"Just fulfilling your wish," he replied without looking up from his documents, his voice carrying that familiar edge of steel. "Have a seat."

I slid into the booth, studying him. Even after last night, he maintained that infuriatingly perfect composure. "I suppose I should thank you for that?"

His mouth twitched slightly as he finally met my gaze. "I've been reviewing the Martin case. Are you formally contesting the separation agreement?"

I straightened my spine, switching to full attorney mode. "As you're well aware, Counselor, it was merely a separation agreement. No final judgment was ever entered. Under our country's law, they're still legally married."

Hunter's response was a measured smile as he leaned back, crossing his legs with deliberate casualness. The morning light caught his perfectly pressed slacks, and I forced myself to focus on the case file instead.

Ryan rushed in then, apologizing profusely for being late. The color drained from his face when he saw Hunter. Before he could speak, the click of high heels announced Lyra's arrival. She wore a red dress and sat down directly next to Hunter, taking the seat as if it were her own territory.

"You shameless bastard," she spat at Ryan the moment she saw him. "Three years after our separation, and now you want half my assets?"

"If it weren't for my investment in your career years ago, you wouldn't have those assets," Ryan retorted, desperation in his voice—he urgently needed that portion of assets as startup capital.

I cut in before it could escalate. "If arguing solved legal disputes, we wouldn't need attorneys."

I turned to Hunter, keeping my tone measured. "Let's focus on the facts, Mr. Huxley. The separation agreement lacks legal finality. They remain married."

Hunter ignored me, fixing his gaze on Ryan. "Mr. Martin, let's discuss your extramarital affairs during the marriage. Multiple instances, I believe?"

My head snapped toward Ryan. This was news to me; he had never been honest with me about this, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Before he could answer, I interjected, "Does counsel have admissible evidence to support these allegations?"

"I saw him with that model checking into the Four Seasons myself!" Lyra burst out.

"Mrs. Martin," I smiled thinly, "hearsay isn't evidence, as your attorney should have explained."

Ryan sneered, "You want to talk about affairs? What about your boy toy? How many executives have you—"

Hunter also cut him off with precision. "Unless you have documentary evidence to support these claims, Mr. Martin..."

Lyra jumped in, "I signed a divorce agreement—"

I hid my triumphant smile, hardly believing she'd just admitted to having a companion during the marriage.

But the cunning Hunter terminated this conversation.

"Mr. Martin," Hunter pressed, his voice dropping an octave, "you've been separated for three years. Care to explain your absence of spousal support during this period?"

Before Ryan could respond, I countered sharply, "My client has been working to rebuild what was lost when Mrs. Martin appropriated their joint assets, leading directly to his business failure. If this goes to trial, the court will take a dim view of such actions."

"Is that a threat, Attorney James?" Hunter's eyebrow arched.

"It's either an equitable settlement now, or we can let a judge examine everything - including the male escort situation." I met his gaze steadily. "Your choice."

However, the meeting ended in stalemate. Driving back, I laid out the ground rules for Ryan: no women, no compromising situations, and a thorough digital cleanse of any potentially damaging evidence. And arrange for him to gather as much evidence as possible of Lyra and her young boyfriend, as well as the executive's affair.

I could see the shift in his demeanor. What had started as embarrassment over asset division had transformed into determination, thanks to our strategy.

That evening, post-shower, Ryan's panicked call changed everything.

"Hunter's suing me for attempted bribery," Ryan's voice cracked through the phone. "You've got to help me."

"Tell me you didn't actually—" I pinched the bridge of my nose, already knowing the answer.

"Hunter called saying he'd found the model. I panicked! We were classmates, so I thought... I went to his office and offered him a million-dollar check to go easy on me..."

"You idiot!" I nearly shouted. "He was bluffing! Without physical evidence, it's just hearsay. He probably planned to bring in some random woman claiming an affair."

I could hear Ryan's ragged breathing on the other end. "Jane, please. You have to fix this. Hunter completely disregarded our old friendship—"

"Fix attempted attorney bribery? Are you hearing yourself?" The headache building behind my eyes threatened to become a migraine.

"Look, I don't care if I lose the case, but think about yourself," Ryan's voice turned calculating. "This is your first case with Hunter involved, and then Hunter takes you down? The legal community will have a field day. Every colleague, every classmate..."

I hated that he was right. I hated even more that his obvious manipulation was working. After a long moment, I spoke with deliberate emphasis:

"Listen carefully because I'm only saying this once: Do not meet with opposing counsel alone again. And watch what you say to Lyra. One wrong word and—"

"Got it, absolutely. So what's the plan to—"

I hung up before he could finish, already running scenarios in my mind. This case had just gotten a lot more complicated.