1 1. Are You Threatening me?

"Mr. Luo, we can talk this out! I have gotten the impression from the client that changing me as their chief lawyer will complicate the case more. It seems that there is more to removing me than me being unprofessional. Am I right, Mr. Luo Yuxuan?" She mentioned it, smirks growing wide on her lips as her legs crossed over each other. Her eyes were firm on the man, who was also seated opposite her and had a wineglass of whiskey in his left hand. That man was none other than her ex, with whom she had ended things a few weeks ago. The memory of the incident stiffened her heart.

The woman seated had her legs crossed, and over there was the arrogant and oppressive young miss of the Zhou, Zhou Mingxia, the sole heir to the Zhou group, ZG. For some reason best known to her, she surprised her father on her high school graduation day with her wish to study law. Although her father disagreed several times with her wish and forced her to study business, she had her way and, in the end, became a lawyer.

an infamous Lawyer who always won cases!

"Why should I? You made it clear to me that I should cut all ties with you when we broke up. If the media finds us together, they would think that you are the one clingy to me, and that would ruin your most precious reputation, won't it, Miss Zhou?" Luo Yuxuan repeated the same sentence Mingxia had arrogantly mulled from her mouth on that day to her hearing. He did not for once leave any words of hers out and made sure that she heard every single letter of them. Hearing her own words, Mingxia felt a cold cloud of hatred, balled her fist, and snorted. This man was shameless! How could he use her words against him?

"I came for business and not for this. You cannot be THAT heartless to change my case just because we ironed things out. Mr. Luo Yuxuan, if the media finds out too, would they not find you prejudiced about your decision? That could make all your 'fake integrity' go down the drain!" Mingxia fought back. There was no way she would let this man bully her again. She had made a mistake years ago in liking Luo Yuxuan, and now that it became so clear to her his intentions, she became very wary of him. Presently, he does this to her. Cut her off from her source of livelihood. No way was she going to stay idle and let him win this time around.

Luo Yuxuan never deserved her anyway, and Mingxia had not comprehended it until she saw a photo of him and his secretary in bed from an anonymous sender. She could not cry, and neither did her anger vent completely. She still hated him very much. Heartbreak was a killer, but she had to be strong.

"Whoa! I see what my friends talked about. Up until now, I did not know what blinded me to dating you. I find you very irritating, Mingxia!"

"Thanks for the compliment, but save it for another woman with whom you are going to break her heart next time. I am not interested." Mingxia shot fire back at him, took out a brown file from his purse, and pushed it across from him. She leaned back on the chair and let his face frown for eternity. That was right! Mingxia had made very good use of the sex photo of him and Xu Mengyao and had turned it into a document. A large grin grew on her face while she saw him redden in irritation.

"I wonder what would happen if such a scandalous picture got leaked, by whom God knows? Me?" She had a whip around his neck, and if he tried to neglect it, then something bad might happen to his company, or should she say hers?

Mingxia's mind wandered off to three years ago, when she had met Luo Yuxuan. He was less of what he was now and more of a gentleman who could not harm a fly. She met him during an internship, and together they built an undefeatable law firm, Icy. Co., but presently, she regrets her decision to ever meet him in this lifetime! His existence made her throw up.

"I see! What a dirty scheme you have used! I should have known you were an unclean woman. What are your conditions, Miss Zhou? Do save me the headache and move straight to the point." Luo Yuxuan breathed a sigh of relief and pushed the brown envelope to the ground. He stepped on it angrily, grabbed his wine glass, and gulped down the leftover whiskey in the glass. His face had a slight frown; nevertheless, Luo Yuxuan fought hard not to display it.

He, too, could not give up!

Mingxia was only a mere young brat with a rich background! Nothing more than that. Her entire set of Law certificates was rumored to have been obtained for her by her wealthy father, Zhou Muchen. Moreover, ruling out that fact could not be possible since, at such a young age, she was already the best lawyer in Los Angeles, with ten hefty awards from international bodies and more from foreign bodies too.

Luo Yuxuan dared not admit that she was better than him in everything she laid her hands upon, including his field of law!

"My conditions are simple and less hectic. I want Mira's case back; I cannot think of a better person who will handle the case better than I did."

"That is hard for me to do, Mingxia. Xu Mengyao has already handled that case. Pick another case, or we would stop this discussion and never bring it up. You ruined your chances when you decided to break us apart." Luo Yuxuan smiled, stood up from his chair, and turned to walk out when he heard his name. He tilted his head to face her once more.

"So this is how you play?" Mingxia's blank eyes shifted up as she deeply looked into his eyes. She found nothing but a cold, deep abyss in his heart. He already hated her to the core, but what could she do? She took the right step, yet it felt so wrong. "I should have known you would make Xu Mengyao take up the case when we ended things. She is still surviving in this industry, which is a miracle in itself. Let me guess: you are not the only one she had to sleep with to gain your trust. There are other men, believe me, Luo Yuxuan."

"Can you stop? Your attitude is getting me irritated; now I see why many elites hate you. You are only an arrogant girl with a big mouth!"

Wrong, Luo Yuxuan; I speak and stand for the truth, which is why they hate me. You see, you failed to understand the reason why I chose this occupation. I should have known this was your tactic this whole while."

"Stop it, Mingxia! I have heard enough!"

"No, you have not heard anything yet! Moreover, I will not stop. You are…." Before she could finish her statement, a glass of hot whiskey ran through her silky, flawless hair down to her streamlined cheekbone. Mingxia gaped in surprise; her knuckles balled into a thick fist as her whole body dripped whiskey. "You dared to pour it on me?"

"I couldn't resist the temptation, Miss Zhou. I hope you have been put in your place," Luo Yuxuan casually threw away the bottle on the ground. He leered at her annoyed expression. It was extremely satisfying to know how nice it felt to be humiliated.

She had once humiliated him in the past. It was only a payback session, nothing more, and he was very content with her reaction. Mingxia, the arrogant woman who had made him worthless Her father had treated him as a piece of trash when Mingxia introduced him as her boyfriend. Not only that, he caused him endless troubles, because why? He was not in their class. Luo Yuxuan had never experienced such embarrassment in his life, and it was thanks to Zhou Mingxia. His cold voice echoed and brought up turmoil in her brain, and she erupted into maniacal laughter. Mingxia held her stomach hurtfully and freely let the laughter come out. After all, she wished for a backstabbing boyfriend in the end.

"I wish I could just kill you! But I shouldn't." Biting her lips hard, she howled at him. Her hands fisted so tightly that veins popped out. She scoffed and sneered unsympathetically. "Anyway, you made me a fool; I will make you a ridiculous fool also. Before this month runs out, I will make that company you created fall! Only a month!"

"Are you threatening me?"

Luo Yuxuan shifted his head, and his eyes landed on the petite, slender figure beside him. He feared her words but kept them to himself. Mingxia was not bluffing, especially when she was angry, yet he did not care! It was best that she took the company away. Anything gifted by the Zhou made him burn with ire.

Her threats were baseless, but not when her status backed up those threats. As usual, she would always depend on her father for everything, including her future. He gulped it in and brushed the thoughts off his mind.

"Depending on your rich father again? See, you have to depend on your rich background, no matter how much you try. You are a princess, not a wolf. Life has never been harsh on you; you do not belong in this cruel world of injustice. Just go back to your cozy shelter and let those who can fight, fight! You are not among them and will never be! Mingxia has cut this fake façade already. I know you; you cannot survive out there for too long."

"You think I am weak and feeble? You are right; I might be born with a silver spoon in my mouth, unlike you, who went through the tough aspects of life, and nevertheless, I can differentiate between right and Wrong. I know when people hurt! I don't have a perfect life like you think I do." She spat, balling her knuckles. Mingxia also had her fair share of suffering. During her schooling abroad, her father cut her off from any source of wealth, including housing fees. Mingxia fought too. Not every part of her life was as shiny as gold.

"Almost certainly… I do not care. You will never understand me. None of you will! Your parents think I am dating you for your wealth. He treats me like garbage!" Tears dripped from Luo Yuxuan's eyes. He sniffed the air and exhaled. Waving his hands, Luo Yuxuan said, "It is over with us, and from now on, you don't have to show up to work; I have relieved you of your duty!"