LOVE ACROSS THE AISLE

ts-people who had been wronged by the system, people who had no one else to turn to. She was driven by a fierce sense of justice, a belief that no matt

strangely absent. Emma had spent countless hours preparing for this trial, her every move calculated, her every argument rehearsed. Y

s a middle-aged businessman, facing charges of embezzling millions of dollars from his company's investors. The evidence against him was overwhelming, but Emma had always believe

e had prepared. But even her sharpest thoughts were interrupted by

at a pleasure t

dressed, and with that irritating smirk plastered across his face, Daniel Reed was everything Emma disliked in a lawyer. He was smart,

rial would be nothing short of a battle. Daniel wasn't just any prosecutor-he was a master manipulator, a man who knew exactly how to twist the law in his favor. His reputat

she had any intenti

nease she felt inside. "I didn't realize you were part of this circ

self-assured. "You know me, Carter.

interactions, that strange pull that she couldn't explain. It wasn't just professional rivalry-there was something more to it, something deeper. She'd n

firm. "I don't play games. I'm here to defend my client, and

do. But the truth is, you've got your work cut out for you in this case. The evidence is solid, the wit

nt weeks preparing for this trial, and he was acting as if it were already a done deal. She would s

ning strength. "I've seen cases like this before, and I know how to work

iel asked, his eyes na

how much you twist the facts or manipulate the witnesses. The truth al

smirk, but Emma could see the glint of something else in his eyes-a hin

," he said, turnin

of Daniel, the way he moved with such confidence, the way he seemed to be always one step ahead. It was frustra

with the kind of precision that made him nearly impossible to beat. But Emma was equally relentless, countering every point he made with her own so

his presence seemed to occupy so much of her mind. She hated how he could make her quest

e hated how much

silence around her deafening. She should have felt confident-after all, she had done everything she could to prove her client's innocence. But as the minutes ticked by, that unea

up to see Daniel standing in the doorway. He

he said quietly, stepping into the r

She stood up, her breath ca

s gaze never leaving hers. "I'

had known it was a possibility, but hearing it spoken aloud made it feel l

ice devoid of triumph. "But I'll give you

g slightly. "Don't flatter me, Reed," she mutte

hing weight of defeat settling in her chest. She h

eyes flicking back to her. "You'll be back, Carter.

st this time-but she wouldn't lose again. She would fight him, just as she had al

or their next confronta