Her hesitation tells me everything I need to know.
“You do know,” I accuse. “Who is it? Another first-year they hired while I was gone. I don’t have the patience to deal with a first year.”
“Not exactly.” She takes another sip of her coffee. “I don’t know much, but what I’ve heard through the grapevine is that whoever it is isn’t in the law field and—” Her phone pings and she looks down at it. “Shit, I have a deposition I need to prep for.”
As she stands to leave, I lean back in my chair, feeling a headache starting to form. I pull open my desk drawer, searching for the emergency ibuprofen I keep stashed behind my stapler. The drawer is organized—too organized. Someone has reorganized it. The sticky notes I had color-coded one specific way are now color-coded another, and the pens are arrangedby type rather than thrown in haphazardly, as I previously preferred. Even the postcards I received from a client are all stacked in alphabetical order.
Another territorial violation.What the fuck?
There’s a hesitant knock at my door, and I glance up to see Cindy Jordan, one of our paralegals, hovering in the doorway with an armful of folders and a bright smile.
“Ms. Lee! You’re back!” Her enthusiasm borders on unprofessional,for me, but there’s something refreshing about her lack of subterfuge. “Everyone’s been saying you wouldn’t be back for weeks, but I told them you’retoodedicated to stay away that long. Obviously, I was right!”
“Thank you, Cindy.” I gesture for her to come in. “What do you have there?”
“Oh!” She looks down at the folders as if just remembering them. “These are the files you requested last week. The Hui-Wang background materials? I added some notes on the family business structures that might be relevant. Along with the assets not included in the prenup.”
I’m pleasantly surprised. I’d emailed the request from home, not expecting much. Most paralegals would have done the bare minimum, especially for someone on leave. Hell, most paralegals would have ignored my email altogether. Even Eliza, my own assistant, ignored my request, sending an email saying I was on leave and needed to learn what it means.
“That’s… thorough of you.” I accept the stack. “Thank you.”
Cindy beams, fidgeting with a pen she’s pulled from behind her ear. “Also, I heard you might need some help getting reacquainted with the office changes, so I made you this.” She hands me a neatly typed sheet of paper. “It’s a rundown of all the new hires, case reassignments, and office politics you missed.”
I scan the document, impressed. It’s comprehensive and color-coded. Which means this busy bee is the culprit who reorganized my desk drawer.
“Well, I’ll let you two talk.” Jasmyn moves to the door. “Lunch date?” she asks.
“Sure. I’ll see you around noon,” I respond, turning my attention back to Cindy.
“This is incredibly detailed.” I scan through her notes. “You even have William’s coffee order.”
“Oat milk latte with two pumps of vanilla and cinnamon on top,” Cindy recites from memory. “He makes the interns run out for it twice daily now.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And you included this because…?”
“Knowledge is power, Ms. Lee.” She gives me a smile. “Plus, I figured you’d want to know everything that’s changed. I do have to assist William in a few minutes, but I wanted to stop by and welcome you back.”
“Of course, and thank you so much for this, Cindy.” I smile, and she tells me ‘anytime’ as she walks out.
I glance at my watch, surprised to see it’s already 9:30 AM. Time to thoroughly review the Hui-Wang file before our meeting at noon. The last thing I want to do is come unprepared to a meeting I scheduled. I would be William Jr. if I did that.
CHAPTER 2
MINJI
Well,it’s safe to say I’m no William Jr.
My consultation with Evelyn went exceptionally well. Ten weeks away, and I hadn’t lost my touch. I’d walked her through the labyrinth of her husband’s tech investments like I was reading from a map I’d drawn myself. When she stood to leave, the tension in her shoulders had visibly melted. First consultation, mission accomplished.
By the time lunch rolled around, I’d slipped back into my professional rhythm, despite the medical boot weighing down my right foot like an ankle monitor. Never again after today, I’d rather limp in Louboutins.
As I approach the conference room, laughter spills out from the slightly ajar door. It’s a melody so out of tune with the usual somber tones of this place, that my curiosity is now piqued. Laughter in a conference room almost feels criminal, but it tells me Caleb is in a great mood. Hopefully, this great mood will result in me not having to share my office for the entire month of June.
I don’t even like having people over at my house for too long. An hour tops, and I’m sending everyone on their merry way. Demi always tells me I’m not like the Koreans in the K-dramasshe watches, who host endless dinners and welcome extended family into their homes for weeks at a time. I’m more of a ‘boundaries are love’ kind of Korean. I take a deep breath and push the door open, plastering on my most professional smile—the one that shows exactly six teeth on the top row and reaches nowhere near my eyes.
Caleb stands near the head of the conference table, his usual stern expression replaced by something almost jovial. Beside him is a tall man. Taller than most men in our firm, with broad shoulders filling out a well-tailored navy suit. His skin is a warm brown, a gold chain resting against his collarbone, and his smile reveals a deep dimple in his right cheek. Most infuriating of all is his hair, a mass of dark curls that appear professionally styled yet still somehow casual, as if he just rolled out of bed looking that good. His side profile is handsome in a fairytale kind of way, and I hate fairytales.
“Ah, Ms. Lee. Please come in.” Caleb smiles warmly, and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes are evident. The unknown man turns, fully facing me. His brown eyes lock onto mine, and he smiles. Shit, both cheeks have dimples.
