CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48: JUST A DEFENSE LAWYER

Mr. Sterling stood facing her, unsure of what to say. She lowered her head, making it hard to see her expression; perhaps she was shy.

When she looked at Mr. Sterling, her gentle smile was something she had absolutely never shown in front of him.

As she took the hair tie from his hand, her fingertips were slightly cool, and her expression was one of amazement.

Her eyes revealed undisguised doubt and the ultimate fatigue of compromise, along with each precise point that needed to be attacked in court tomorrow, every loophole that needed to be sealed.

His thoughts were chaotic and noisy, like countless fragments colliding in the depths of consciousness.

He closed his eyes, trying to empty his mind.

But once he closed his eyes, his senses became even more acute.

His ears caught any slight sound from inside the room.

At first, it was the rustle of fabric, perhaps she was lying down on the bed.

Then came a few soft, indistinct sighs.

After that, a long, oppressive silence ensued, the time seemed like thick glue, each second stretching inexorably.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

Maybe an hour, maybe even longer.

Justin Holden leaned stiffly on the sofa.

His consciousness floated on the edge of clarity and confusion.

Just as the taut string was about to snap under extreme fatigue, his consciousness slowly began to slip to the edge of a blurred abyss.

Click.

A very slight, almost swallowed by darkness, crisp sound.

It sounded like something hard lightly tapping on the wooden floor.

It came from the bedroom.

Justin Holden’s eyelashes flickered suddenly, almost at the same moment the sound was heard, he opened his eyes.

The darkness in the living room was so thick it couldn’t be dissipated, only the thin line of light under the door remained stubbornly bright.

The soft sound just now briefly pierced the dead silence, like a small stone tossed into a deep pool, the ripples were slight, but enough to awaken the beast pretending to sleep by the pond.

He held his breath, all his senses were suddenly tightened by invisible strings, focusing on the tightly shut door.

Inside the door, Jean Ellison seemed to turn over.

The mattress emitted a slight, elastic creaking sound.

The rustling of fabric sounded again, clearer than before, carrying a sense of restlessness.

Then, silence again.

But this silence was different from the previous emptiness; it carried a brewing, tense pressure.

Time stretched interminably in absolute silence.

Each second felt like a century.

Justin Holden could even hear the sound of his blood flowing through his veins, hear his heart beating heavily and slowly in his chest.

There seemed to be footsteps.

Jean Ellison’s voice unexpectedly penetrated the door panel, slicing through the darkness.

"Justin Holden."

Her voice was light, like a feather brushing over ice, with an uncanny, almost ethereal quality.

Not a question, nor mocking, more like a dream-like search.

Yet, those three light words were like a cold dagger, precisely piercing through the seemingly unbreakable mental defenses Justin Holden had built up all night.

His body stiffened in an instant, his blood seemed to freeze in that moment.

His hands resting on his knees, knuckles involuntarily curled up, nails dug deep into his palms.

In the darkness, he maintained a rigid posture without responding.

The air seemed to harden into solid ice.

The person inside the room didn’t seem to care about his silence.

After a few seconds, the voice sounded again, still so light, so elusive, yet carrying a penetrating power that reached the core.

"What’s your chance of winning tomorrow’s case?"

The final syllable fell with the weight of a thousand pounds, heavily smashing into the deathly still air of the living room.

Justin Holden felt his breath suddenly falter.

His heart seemed to be grabbed fiercely by an invisible hand, giving a sharp pull, then pounded madly against his ribs.

A cold current rushed swiftly from his feet to his head, making his scalp tingle.

She couldn’t sleep, came out from the bedroom just to inquire about his work.

He knew clearly in his heart that she was his client, no different from the others.

He had warned himself not to pay her any special attention just because of a pair of eyes.

Now it seemed, he didn’t want to just maintain the current relationship with her, he wanted to get closer, to have her smile at him as well.

"Ten out of ten."

He looked at her, his tone calm.

Jean Ellison hadn’t fully stepped inside, just leaned against the door frame.

She casually draped a cream-colored knitted cardigan over her shoulders, the same one she wore downstairs just now, it hung loosely on her shoulders, underneath was a soft cotton nightdress.

Her long hair fell over her shoulders, her face was marked by fatigue without makeup, and the dark circles under her eyes were even more apparent under the light.

She paused for a second, slowly lifted her eyes, and looked at Justin Holden sitting on the sofa.

There was only one wall lamp turned on in the living room, the light was dim and ambiguous.

Justin Holden’s tall figure almost blocked all the light in front of her, casting a heavy shadow.

He had just taken off his suit jacket and was only wearing a crisp white shirt, with two buttons undone at the collar, revealing a small patch of firm skin and a slightly heaving Adam’s apple.

The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, revealing his smoothly-lined forearms.

The usual calmness and serenity was gone from his face, replaced by an expression so complex that Jean Ellison had never seen.

A storm seemed to be brewing in his deep eyes, churning with an extremely intense emotion that she couldn’t understand and refused to understand.

The man’s gaze fell on her face with a kind of focus that made her heart race.

Jean Ellison instinctively felt a hint of danger.

She pulled the cardigan around her tighter, her fingertips clutching the collar, attempting to use this gesture to erect a barrier.

"Alright." She spoke, her voice carrying the low hoarseness and a hint of wariness from just waking up, "You should rest now."

She had some trouble sleeping, feeling anxious at the thought of seeing Jesse tomorrow.

She had so much to say to Jesse, yet there were many things she couldn’t say.

Justin Holden did not respond.

His gaze seemed glued to her face, tracing every detail of her brows, nose, lips...

As if he wanted to engrave this familiar yet unfamiliar face completely into his mind.

An unspoken tension filled the air, taut to the point of almost breaking.

Jean Ellison felt completely uncomfortable under his gaze, which was too naked, too invasive, completely crossing the boundaries that should exist between a lawyer and a client.

She instinctively wanted to retreat, back to the relatively safe space of her bedroom.

Suddenly, Justin Holden rose from the sofa without any warning.

Driven by an irresistible instinct, he took a sudden step forward, instantly closing the distance between them.

His tall figure almost enveloped Jean Ellison completely.

The crisp scent of his aftershave mixed with a uniquely masculine warmth wafted over, forcefully invading Jean Ellison’s personal space.

Jean Ellison could even clearly see the dark whirlpool churning in his eyes, containing emotions she could not fathom.

Suddenly, Justin Holden raised his hand, somewhat anxiously, reaching for her cheek.

His target was so clear, not the shoulder, not the arm, but her face.

His fingertips slightly curled, as if wanting to touch, wanting to caress, wanting to confirm whether the skin was truly warm and real.

"You..."

Jean Ellison’s heart abruptly tightened, not even having time to think about the root of his abnormal behavior; her body’s instinct had already made the most direct reaction.

There’s no way he could recognize her, not before, not now.

In the split second before his fingertips were about to touch her cheek, Jean Ellison sharply turned her head, the swift movement creating a slight breeze, strands of hair brushing past Justin Holden’s fingers.

Her body simultaneously retreated backward, her back hitting the cold, hard doorframe with a dull "thud."

The pain in her back made her exceptionally clear-headed.

"Justin Holden!"

For the first time, she called his name, no longer addressing him as "Lawyer Holden," but calling him directly by his name.

Her eyes were wide open, staring directly into his eyes that were filled with surprise and lingering emotions.

"Look carefully!"

Her voice was cold, each word striking him with crystal clarity.

"I am Jean Ellison, your client; you are just my defense attorney."

She deliberately emphasized the word "just."

"Stop with those inappropriate actions." She continued, her tone stern, "You said I couldn’t find a stepfather for Jesse, not even a potential one."