After swapping contacts with Zachary, Maxine nced at her watch.

“It’s gettingte. Shall we call it a day?” Maxine asked, looking at Urban.

Urban signaled Zachary to leave. “Don’t rush, Ms. Hudson. You dodged dinnerst time. Do me the honor today–and let’s discuss the case details.”

Maxine didn’t reveal she already knew the case detailsb, /bsettling back. “Go ahead. The recorder’s on.”

Urban paused, then smirked. “If I’m not mistaken, Miss Wheeler already briefed you, didn’t she?”

Maxine’s hand tightened slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes.

“Rx, Ms. Hudson. I mean no harm.” Urban sipped his coffee. “Cleo and Pandora are close, and you two are friends. Put the pieces together.”

Maxine felt a sudden tightness in her chest–since Urban had phrased everything so impably, she couldn’t find any evidence to prove he had secretly investigated her.

After a long pause, Maxine regained herposure and said tly, “Seems like you know a lot, Mr. Soto. But since you’re aware of all this, are you reallyfortable entrusting me with the case?”

“Why not?” Urban raised an eyebrow. “Do you think Pandora would help you with Gabriel’s mess? They’re business partners.”

Just like Cleo warned–he’s no pushover. Moreover, he didn’t seem to care about others‘ opinions; otherwise, he’d hide his scheming better.’ Maxine mused.

“You’re good at joking, Mr. Soto,” Maxine stiffened. “Since you’ve hired me, I hope you’ll trust me more, or this retainer will be hard to sustain.”

“Sure thing.” Urban’s smile sharpened. “I suspect Miss Wheeler only told you half the story. There’s much more only I can share.”

As the conversation returned to the case, Maxine’s expression rxed. “Please go on.”

“Pandora may have grown up outside the family,” Urban said, “but my father provided generous financial support to her. After college, she even founded her own architecture firm, which is thriving now. Thiswsuit? Pure ego.”

“But-” A mysterious smile crossed Urban’s eyes. “I have no intention of giving her that satisfaction.”

Maxine paused, then asked bluntly, “So you want me to crush herpletely?”

Urban’s smile deepened. “Exactly.”

The room fell into dead silence.

“You are family,” Maxine pressed. “Your father won’t stand for this.”

Urban lounged back, regarding herzily. “My father only cares about profit. The only reason he favors Pandora is her money. If Pandora fails, she’s disposable–naturally.”

A chill crawled up Maxine’s spine.“Are you sure about this, Mr. Soto?” Maxine asked, staring at him calmly. “Aren’t you worried about public denunciation?”

17:13 Wed, 18 Jun