Page 58 of The Forbidden Billionaire Attorney

Leo’s smirk spreads like a stain across his too-shiny shoes, each word he utters laced with venom. “You thought you could play us all, huh? But I’ve got the proof right here.” He waves a sheaf of freshly printed papers that look as damning as a scarlet letter.

I can almost hear my career shredding into confetti-sized pieces.

Jordan, our IT wizard turned Judas, nods along, silent yet utterly complicit in this digital witch hunt. My brain short-circuits for a moment—how did it come tothis?

“I would never sabotage the firm,” I say, throwing the words at Leo like darts, hoping one might puncture that inflated ego of his. My fingers are trembling, and I clench them into fists at my sides to keep them steady.

The room feels smaller, hotter, as if we’re all crammed inside a ticking time bomb instead of an office. Kate’s over there, shuffling her feet, avoiding my gaze like it’s the Medusa stare. She’s swimming in guilt; I can practically smell it on her.

“Sure, Isabella,” Leo drawls, twisting the knife with a glee that should be illegal. “You thought you could manipulate Adrian, but you’re not getting away with this.”

I want to wipe that smug look off his face. With a stapler. How dare he insinuate that my relationship with Adrian was anything less than—well, complicated. But manipulation? Please, I leave that kind of petty playacting to the likes of him.

“Manipulate?” I scoff, trying to sound unbothered, though the accusation stings like a slap. “My biggest manipulation today was convincing the espresso machine to give me coffee instead of tar.”

But as much as I try to deflect, there’s a cold seed of fear taking root in my belly. If these snakes in suits have cooked up fake evidence, what’s to stop them from convincing everyone else?

And through all this, I think, somewhere out there, Adrian is probably blissfully unaware that his world—and mine—is about to come crashing down.

Leo shakes his head. “Thomas always talked highly of you, hoping you’d join us at the firm once you passed the bar exam, but I was never fond of the idea myself. You always came across as too eager. Now I know why. When Adrian insisted on hiring you, I tried to convince him otherwise. But just like Thomas, he fell for your tactics too.”

I’m on the verge of a not-so-dignified meltdown when the clatter from outside the door slices through the office. Leo rolls his eyes and strides toward the noise, probably expecting to tell off some janitor.

The hinges might as well be playing dramatic music as Adrian bursts in, fury etched in every line of his body. He’s like some avenging angel—if angels were pissed-off lawyers in thousand-dollar suits.

“Get away from her!” The words are a bullet from Adrian’s mouth, and I swear the room temperature drops ten degrees.

Leo turns around but doesn’t even manage a full smirk before Adrian grabs him. It’s like watching a lion pounce, all power and barely contained violence. He slams Leo against the wall with a thud that vibrates in my chest.

“Setting up the mother of my child? Seriously?” Adrian’s voice is a growl, laced with a threat that sends shivers down my spine.

His hand moves like lightning—a sharp, precise arc—and connects with Leo’s face. For a moment, I think I hear the crack echo off the walls. Leo’s head snaps to the side, and when he looks back, his jaw works like he’s chewing on gravel.

“I know everything, Leo,” Adrian snarls, and it’s almost poetic, the way his anger wraps around the words. “About your alliance with Lancaster & Rowe. How you’re planning to pin this all on Isabella. You’ve got some nerve.”

Leo, looking less “smirking businessman” and more “dazed street fighter,” spits out his venomous retort. “This firm was supposed to be mine! You hated your father and treated him like garbage. He should have left you with nothing.”

Adrian’s eyes are storm clouds, brewing a hurricane I wouldn’t wish on anyone. “I treated him in ways I regret,” he admits, voice quieter but no less intense. “But maybe he knew the truthabout you.”

I stand there, feeling like I’ve just binged a whole season of courtroom drama in one go. Only this show has higher stakes—my career, my reputation, my ... well, everything. And I can’t help but silently thank every star in the sky that Adrian Cole is on my side.

Adrian’s posture straightens, a statue of retribution coming to life. “You’re fired, Leo. You too, Kate.” The words are ice, and they freeze the room.

Kate’s eyes go so wide I can almost see her brain spinning behind them. “It wasn’t just me!” She points at Jordan with an accusatory finger trembling like she’s trying to zap him with lightning. “Jordan—he helped. He’s the one who leaked the files and hacked Isabella’s personal computer. That’s how we knew everything, even the texts between Isabella and Amelie.”

Everyone’s gaze swivels to Jordan, whose face drains of color faster than a flushed toilet. Poor guy looks like he’s about to pass out or throw up, maybe both.

“Then you’re all fired,” Adrian declares, his voice the kind of calm that scares me more than his shouting ever could. “But don’t think you’ll get far. I’ve already called the police. As soon as I saw Leo’s car parked outside, I knew something was off.”

As if on cue, sirens wail in the distance—like the soundtrack to their impending doom. They crescendo until the cops bust through the door, all business and no play.

I’m still processing when my legs decide it’s time for a reunion with Adrian. I lunge for him, burying my face in his chest, where his heart thumps a steady, reassuring rhythm against my cheek. His arms circle me, a fortress of muscle and bespoke suit fabric.

“Gotcha,” he murmurs, his breath warm on my hair.

Leo, Kate, and Jordan have their hands cuffed behind their backs now, a parade of fallen schemers shuffling toward the exit. But here inAdrian’s embrace, the chaos dulls to a murmur, like someone’s turned down the volume on the world.

We stand there, a pair of survivors in the eye of the storm, holding onto each other like we’re the only solid things left.

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