When Betrayal Backfires

esh, neatly bound file onto my desk. It wasn' t red, but a standa

. "One certified, squeaky-clean set of financial

ccount statements, the transfer logs. They were perfect. Too perfect. There were no signs of ta

uld the rebirth, the confession, the betrayal... could it all have been a str

afternoon chasing ghosts, Gabrielle. We need to be prepping our

le. He thought he'd called my bluff. He thou

as a deeper, more sophisticated deception. They hadn't just swapped a file. They had anticipated I might check, and they had a clean fak

. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my

my voice weary. "I'm completely burned out. My

es meeting his. "You shou

It's your case. You've been liv

hang in the air, a pointed reminder. "I gave up my own partnership bid two years ago so you could get the

nce was still out there somewhere, and that Russo was guilty as sin. Ta

an excuse. "It's your name on the filing

to his defense. "But Gabrielle, you're the best! What if someth

seized on her slip-up, a

d possibly go wrong, Molly? It's a slam-dunk case wi

ere cornered. They had built this trap for me, and

o certain, then I'll proceed." I paused, letting the relief wash o

t some real courtroom experience. You will be my second chair at the counsel table. And you," I said