bChapter /bb22 /b

Maxine was pushed into the office by Patrick, and with the door closed, her face turned stiff and cold.

Much calmer now, she said mechanically, “I’m sorry, Mr. Delgado. I shouldn’t have caused a scene.”

Back when she first started in the industry, Patrick was like a mentor to her, teaching her a lot of things. Thus, Maxine had always been grateful for his help.

Patrick sighed. “Maxine, you’re just too stubborn. You’re not cut out for being awyer. I saw your resignation letter; I didn’t reply because it pained me to let you go. With your talents, if you were just a bit more flexible, you’d be thriving in this field!”

Maxine exhaled silently, trembling. “Mr. Delgado, you know me well. You should know that I can’t do it. You want me to turn a blind eye to vanna’s case and swallow this half–cooked meal?

“To watch criminals run free while victims are left to suffer? No way.”

Hearing Maxine’s trembling voice, Patrick showed some sympathy on his face.

He’d been in the business for over thirty years and had seen manywyers like Maxine.

But in the end, they all disappeared without a trace.

Some switched careers or couldn’t continue aswyers after pissing someone off.

Others vanishedpletely; no one knew if they were alive or dead.

Patrick looked at her intently and said seriously, “Maxine, are you really going to stick with this until the end?b” /b

Maxine nodded without hesitation. “Yes, even if I can’t be awyer anymore because of this and have to pay a heavy price for it—I’ll still do it!”

After a moment of silence, Patrick pulled out an envelope from his drawer and handed it to Maxine.

Maxine hesitated before taking it. She opened it, and her expression changed slightly. “This is—b” /b

Inside were two surveince photos.

“These are from the night of Ivanna’s sexual assault case when she went to Gabriel’s Espinoza Vi.” Patrick paused briefly before lowering his voice

further.

“I secretly saved these photos when Kathleen was about to destroy evidence upon closing the case. They’re… bthe /bonly evidence left.”

Maxine’s hands trembled as tears filled her eyes instantly.

She hesitated, ncing at Patrick, but ultimately swallowed her words.

Maxine had wanted to ask if Patrick also hoped ito /isee vanna’s case overturned, her innocence vindicated, and bthe /btruth

She wanted to ask if Patrick would join her in seeking justice.

But she held back.

She understood that this was the only help Patrick could offer her.

She shouldn’t drag innocent people into the fire any further.

Maxine carefully ced the photos in her handbag, said a formal goodbye to Patrick, and added, “Mr. Delgadob, /bbunless /bbsomething /bbunexpected /bbhappens/bb, /bI won’t being back.

b09:09 /b

Wed, 18 Jun

b“/bWe never had this conversation, and you never gave me anything

Her bface /bshowed quiet determination.

She returned the file bag to Patrick, saying, “Take care”

With that, Maxine turned and left swiftly.

Watching her back, Patrick remained silent for a long time before sighing silently and tossing the fie bag into the shredder

As Maxine exited the office, she saw Kathleen peeking into the office from not far away.

She paused mid–step, her icy gaze meeting Kathleen’s, which immediately made her feel uneasy. Kathleen pursed her lips, turned away, and went ab her own business.

Maxine narrowed her eyes slightly, deep in thought. ‘Something’s off about Kathleen.

‘The fact that she lost the case and destroyed evidence is one thing, but from the way Patrick lowered his voice while showing me the seRVERS just now, he must be afraid of someone.

“And now Kathleen is acting so sneakily. So, Patrick is afraid of… Her?‘