Chapter 337

Chapter 337 Prospective Clientele

Ella

A slight heaviness was felt when I lifted the omate box, hinting at something more substantial than justfabric within.

With bated breath, I carefully tugged the ribbon apart and lifted the lid to unveil its contents. Inside layan intricately crafted dress in a silver hue that perfectly complemented my skin tone. It shimmered as Iheld it in the light, its sheer beauty leaving me momentarily breathless.

My fingers brushed the soft fabric with a reverence, the sensation eliciting a soft gasp from my lips. Butas lovely as the dress was, it was the necklace nestled beside it that truly caught my eye.

The delicate, shimmering stones caught the dim office light in a dance of colors that made it seem as ifa fragment of the cosmos had been captured and presented to me.

After a moment’s hesitation, I took another glance at the note; that Logan would be picking me up soonfor the luncheon, which meant that I had to start getting ready now.

I carefully exchanged my work clothes for the dress and clasped the necklace around my neck. Turningto face the mirror, I hardly recognized the woman staring back.

The dress enhanced every curve, and the necklace added a touch of opulence that made me feel…pretty. It had felt like so long since I had felt this way. We had been working so tirelessly on our threecases that my image was often at the very back of my mind.

Lost in my own reflection, a sudden knock at my office door startled me.

“Oh no,” I whispered, suddenly feeling out of place in my own workspace. The realization that I wasdressed up so extravagantly in a professional setting sent my heart into overdrive. Taking a deepbreath, I called out with a shaky voice, “Come in.”

The door opened to reveal Sarah, my somewhat prickly coworker. Her dark eyes widened in surprise,and she took a moment to scan me from head to toe. I could feel my cheeks heat up under her gaze.The mix of judgment and intrigue was hard to discern.

She tilted her head, indicating the box on my desk with a sly smirk. “What’s this? Is that a gift from yourboyfriend?”

I swallowed hard, cursing myself for not hiding the box. “What do you need, Sarah?”

Shrugging off my avoidance, Sarah approached, dropping a stack of paperwork onto my desk. “Theseneed your attention.”

I blinked in surprise. Ever since that challenging case I had won, Sarah had become a tad lessabrasive, almost civil, in fact. But this was too direct, even for her. “Isn’t this something you should behandling?”

She merely smirked, arching one eyebrow. “Thought you might want to handle it considering yournewfound… fame.”

“Is that it?” I asked, attempting to regain some semblance of control over the situation. She studied mefor a moment, the edge to her gaze softening just a fraction. “Yeah, that’s it. And, for the record, youlook… nice.”

Before I could formulate a response, she was already out the door, leaving me in a whirlwind ofemotions. The warmth of a compliment from Sarah, however backhanded, was a new experience.Maybe she did have a heart somewhere beneath that tough exterior

Or perhaps, like everyone else, she was merely adjusting to the shift in dynamics after my recentsuccess When I was alone again, I turned back toward the mirror to take one last look at myappearance.

Sunlight reflected off the ornate necklace Logan had sent, casting prismatic splashes around the roomas I moved around. It was surreal, wearing such an exquisite piece given to me by a man.

Growing up in the lap of luxury, of course my father had occasionally treated me to gifts like this, but itsomehow felt different now that I was a woman. And Logan was different, too: where my dad oftenwhen for the understated sort of wealth, Logan was no stranger to blatant displays of opulence.

I twisted around, inspecting myself in the full- length mirror, the dress draped gracefully around myfigure. Every detail, from the shimmering fabric to the elegant cut, was testament to the opulence I’dbeen introduced to since my connection with Logan deepened.

Just then, the light chime of my phone brought me out of my contemplation. A message from Logansimply read, “I’m outside.”

Taking a deep breath, I opened my front door. As expected, Logan stood there, looking striking in hisfinely tailored suit. He glanced up, and his eyes locked onto mine. The intensity in them made mybreath catch.

“You look lovely, Ella,” he murmured, his voice resonating with genuine appreciation.

A blush warmed my cheeks. “Thank you. But, Logan, why the dress and the necklace? They must havecost a fortune.”

He took a step closer, lifting a hand to gently touch the necklace. “For me, it’s nothing. You deserve tofeel and look beautiful at these events. And besides… appearances and all that.” The sincerity in hiseyes told me he meant every word.

I let out a soft sigh. “I just don’t want you spending money on me unnecessarily.”

He grinned, mischief lighting up his features. “Consider it an investment.”

Before I could probe further, Logan led me to his car, opening the door for me like a true gentleman.The drive was a short one, ending at a scenic venue overlooking the sea.

The air was infused with the salty tang of the ocean, and soft music played in the background. Instantly,I recognized the event’s nature-a wedding shower, and from the glimpses of Harry and Marina at thecenter of it all, it was clear for whom the celebration was.

My fingers brushed against Logan’s as we walked side by side, a silent acknowledgment of ourunspoken connection.

As we moved through the gathering, whispers floated around us, punctuated by the occasional gasp ofrecognition. It seemed my involvement in that notorious case hadn’t gone unnoticed by the high societyfrequenting events like these.

A lady, impeccably dressed, approached me with an air of authority. “You’re Ella, correct?”

I nodded. “Yes, and you are?”

She extended a hand, bedecked in diamonds. “Madelaine. I saw the news coverage of your recentcase. Remarkable work, truly.”

Taken aback, I managed a polite smile. “Thank you. It was a challenging situation, but we managed.”

Madelaine leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “I’ve been consideringhaving someone with your expertise handle a… delicate matter for me. The current lawyer I have isgood, but not great.”

There was that word: ‘delicate’. Something about it told me that it wasn’t actually delicate in theslightest.

I hesitated for a moment. That last mafia case had been perilous in ways I hadn’t anticipated. “Iappreciate the offer, Madelaine, but I’m quite swamped at the moment. Perhaps in the future?”

She arched a finely plucked brow, her gaze scrutinizing. “Very well, but do consider my offer.Opportunities like these don’t come often.”

Returning to Logan’s side, I felt a growing unease settle itself in my stomach. More mafia clientsweren’t on my wishlist, especially after the last close call. Logan was one thing: we had anarrangement. But representing these sorts of people in court, helping them get away with their crimes?It would ruin everything I stood for.

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you replace any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report