Chapter 3Fired Under False Charges, All VIP Clients Left Him

Looking at the glowing text bubbles, the last shadow of gloom in my heart completely vanished.

Vanguard was garbage, but my friends were worth their weight in gold.

That evening, I polished my resume and sent out a few applications. The very next morning, I woke up to an email invitation for a senior partner interview at Pinnacle Law. Time: 11:00 AM.

I quickly threw on a sharp, charcoal-gray tailored suit and headed over.

An HR rep guided me down a long, sleek corridor and stopped in front of a frosted glass door marked "VIP Conference Room."

I straightened my collar and pushed the door open.

Sitting at the massive oak table were two faces I knew intimately well.

Sitting in the primary interviewer's chair was my former boss, Jackson.

Lounging next to him, with his feet propped up on the table, was my lovely junior, Kyle.

They were both staring at me with the predatory, mocking grins of cats who had just cornered a mouse.

Everything clicked into place.

I had been wondering why Pinnacle Law reached out so fast when I had not even applied to them.

This was not an interview. This was a carefully orchestrated trap.

Jackson leaned forward, lacing his fingers together.

"Wendy, you are unemployed. As your former mentor and your dear junior, we were just so worried about you."

"I pulled a massive favor with Pinnacle's managing partner to get you in this room today. Just wanted to see if you actually bring any real value to the table."

Kyle let out a cocky laugh. "Yeah, Wendy. You were such a hotshot back in law school. We all just wanted to see if you had any actual bite left without the Vanguard brand backing you up."

I calmly pulled out the leather chair opposite them and sat down gracefully. "Alright then. Let's begin the interview."

My face showed zero traces of the anger or humiliation they were desperately hoping for.

Jackson was thrown off balance. He stared at me for a long moment before finally asking, "Word on the street is your clients are loyal to you, not the firm. If Pinnacle hires you, how do we know you will not use some dirty, underhanded tactics to steal our clients when you leave?"

I smiled, my words sharp as glass.

"If you are terrified of losing clients, the root issue is your firm's sheer incompetence, not the employees. Jackson, you literally just told me yesterday that Vanguard's success was entirely due to the Vanguard brand, not me. Why are you suddenly so terrified?"

"You—"

Jackson choked on his words, his face flushing dark red. He glared at me, completely speechless.

Kyle patted Jackson on the shoulder. "Let me handle this."

"You?" I let out a sharp, dismissive laugh.

"You do not have the basic qualifications to ask me a single legal question. You barely passed your core classes, and you never once beat me in a collegiate mock trial."

"As for the cases you have personally litigated since passing the bar? A solid zero percent win rate. That alone should have you permanently nailed to the wall of shame."

"Oh, wait, my bad. You have beaten me in one category. You are an absolute master at kissing up to rich cougars to pay your bills, right?"

Kyle bolted upright like a cat whose tail had been stomped on. His face turned a dangerous shade of purple.

"You are spitting pure slander!"

I was done playing their game. I grabbed my purse. "Do not worry, boys. I am going to do phenomenally well without Vanguard."

I turned to leave, but Jackson suddenly tossed a thick legal document across the table. It slid to a stop right in front of me.

"You really are a streetwalker with a sharp tongue! You think you are so brilliant? So capable?! Let me tell you a harsh truth. Without Vanguard, you are nothing but a stray dog!"

I picked up the document. It was my original employment contract. But attached to the back were two freshly printed pages.

A non-compete agreement.

"Read it and weep, Wendy. It is right there in black and white. For three years post-termination, you are legally barred from seeking employment at any rival law firm in this city."

"I have already called every major managing partner in Chicago. Anyone who hires you is declaring open war on Vanguard!"

I had underestimated just how venomous Jackson could be. He did not just want to fire me, he wanted to permanently obliterate my entire career.

He soaked in the silence, his voice trembling with sadistic pleasure.

"You think you are so tough? You think signing one ten-million-dollar deal makes you royalty? I am going to make sure that without my permission, you do not even have the right to beg for scraps in this industry!"

I looked at their smug, punchable faces and let out a soft laugh. "I cannot wait to see you try."

He wanted to blacklist me? He clearly had not asked the other three billionaires in the "Summit Squad" if they approved of his little plan.

Just as the words left my mouth, Jackson's cell phone started ringing frantically on the table. He picked it up, and the color instantly drained from his face.

He gasped, his eyes going wide with pure terror. "What?! Victoria from Vogue Enterprises is canceling her retainer?"