Law America, the Devil's Agent

The lounge at Curtis Law Firm.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the blinds, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Mary, the receptionist, and several other receptionists from the law firm were sitting around the sofa in the lounge, with their phones on stands on the table, playing a short video on a loop.

Several heads huddled together, occasionally letting out a hushed gasp.

"Oh my god! Did he really say that?"

"Lean back, lean back, to the part where he says, 'I request that you deliver that verdict'—"

"Is this his first time? There are so many people in court, isn't he nervous—"

Just as the group of girls were discussing amongst themselves, a voice came from the side:

"What are you all talking about? Why are you all so happy?"

Several girls looked up.

Kona was standing not far away, holding a sandwich and a coffee in her hand.

She was wearing a dark brown suit, and her hair was casually tied back.

Her face lacked its usual meticulously applied makeup, and there were even two faint shadows of fatigue under her eyes.

The girl, who loves parties and dances, looked a little tired.

"Attorney Kona! You're back!"

Mary put down her phone: "I haven't seen you at the law firm for several days."

"Isn't there a case?"

Kona placed the paper bag on the table, practically collapsing into the sofa. She casually unwrapped a sandwich, took a bite, and mumbled indistinctly:

"A commercial lawsuit, we've been working on it day and night."

  

I've barely been back to the law firm this week. What are you guys looking at? You seem to be having such a lively discussion.

The girls exchanged glances.

Mary handed over the phone, the screen pausing on a single image—

The man's profile.

The courtroom was bathed in cool light; the plaintiff's seat was made of oak; the plaintiff wore a charcoal gray suit and a dark blue tie.

That profile view shows her chin slightly raised, lips slightly parted, arguing vehemently in court, persuading everyone.

Kona stopped chewing.

"...Link?"

"That's him!"

The girl next to her leaned over and said, "Attorney Kona, you haven't been around lately, so you probably didn't know, right?"

In that courtroom shooting, Attorney Link did something truly remarkable!

Kona put down the sandwich, took the phone, and played the short video from beginning to end.

The courtroom camera shakiened, and amidst the cacophony of background noise—screams, shouts—a gunshot rang out.

As the camera panned across the plaintiff's seat, Kona saw Link standing motionless in place.

She watched the entire video in one go, and then flipped through all the newspapers and news links that Mary handed her.

The more she looked, the wider her mouth opened, until she almost completely forgot to close it.

"He took on a case involving a trafficked girl. The defendant was a gang leader. After winning the case, the defendant tried to steal a gun in court and committed murder. He was shot dead on the spot by the detective."

Kona looked up, her voice filled with disbelief and bewilderment.

Because the person handling this case was his father, but his father had told her about it.

Considering the complexity of the case and the political risks involved, he did not agree.

Kona looked at the frozen image on her phone screen of Link standing in front of the plaintiff's seat.

She leaned back on the sofa, and after a long while, she finally uttered a sentence: "Really... you did a really big job."

The discussion in the lounge grew increasingly lively.

The girls took turns recounting the entire version they had pieced together from short videos, news articles, and insider gossip at the law firm:

How did Link meet with the abducted girl, how did he break down the opposing lawyer's arguments in court, and how did he remain calm the moment the gunshot rang out?

Every detail is savored repeatedly, and each retelling sparks a new wave of amazement.

"This is his first court appearance."

Mary remarked, "He handled his first court appearance so beautifully."

Honestly, I think he'll definitely be extraordinary in the future.

"Let's wait until he's officially hired. But he performed so well this time, he should be fine getting a permanent position, right?"

"Who knows? I heard he was having an affair with Robin..."

The voice gradually faded.

On the other side of the lounge, several male lawyers were sitting around a round table next to the coffee machine.

They had finished their lunch, but no one got up to leave.

They overheard the girls' discussion.

Warren leaned back in his chair, with Benny sitting across from him, and Harris and two other junior lawyers from the same cohort beside him.

Unlike the lively atmosphere over there, the air here felt heavy and oppressive, as if something was pressing down on it.

After a long pause, Warren finally let out a soft chuckle.

The laughter was soft and short, as if it had been choked by something and forced out.

"It seems that our nice guy from the law firm is really different this time."

He placed his coffee cup on the table and glanced around the round table: "It makes us look like losers."

No one objected.

Harris lowered his head and fiddled with the handle of his coffee cup with his fingers.

Another junior lawyer next to him coughed and looked out the window.

But this witty remark that broke the deadlock and the powerless self-deprecation ultimately dispelled the gloomy atmosphere.

They held their coffees, exchanged a few jokes, and lightly brushed off the topic, as if the awkwardness from before had never happened.

Benny sat in the corner, not saying a word from beginning to end.

But his fingers, gripping the coffee cup, had turned slightly white.

He listened to Warren's teasing, the others' agreement, and the girls next door's praise and amazement at Link; he should have been happy.

Because Link was once his colleague, a fellow sufferer who worked overtime with him to revise his thesis, and someone who ate cold pizza with him in the cubicle late at night under fluorescent lights.

But beneath this happiness lies something more secretive and harder to admit.

He thought he and Link were the same kind of people.

Introverted, taciturn, and not good at socializing, he was so exploited by Robin that he didn't even dare to complain loudly.

Having been in the same group for so long feels like being stuck in the same quagmire.

Now Link has suddenly found himself in court, in the newspapers, and on repeated short videos.

He remained squatting in the same spot, continuing to proofread those preservation applications that could never be fully proofread.

Benny lowered his eyelids and stared at the ring of brown coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup.

He hated the bittersweet feeling that was welling up inside him at that moment:

He's just like me.

"Speaking of Benny!"

Warren's voice suddenly cut in:

"How's it going with Team Leader Robin? I heard he and Link had a pretty unpleasant falling out."

Benny snapped out of his daze and, realizing all eyes were on him, quickly said:

"They've completely fallen out."

The team leader has been throwing tantrums these past few days, smashing things in the office several times.

He cursed Link, saying he—"

"To say he completely disgraced the law firm?"

Warren smirked. "That's more like Robin's style. The twisted logic of an incompetent idiot?"

Benny lowered his head, his fingers tracing the rim of the glass.

"The tasks assigned to me are becoming increasingly heavy. All of Link's documents from before are now on my shoulders."

He said that since Link was gone, he would have to take over the work. He also said that he would ask the law firm to cancel Link's intern status.

He said he was already preparing the materials, so Link could forget about it—”

Before he could finish speaking, an impatient voice came from the direction of the work area.

"Benny?!"

Everyone turned their heads at the same time.

Robin stood at the door of the lounge, his fat face showing undisguised anger.

"Yes, Team Leader Robin, I'm having lunch."

Benny stood up almost reflexively.

Robin glanced at the lawyers in the lounge before calming down a little.

He didn't lose his temper; he just snorted heavily through his nose.

"Hurry up and finish eating so we can go out together."

We still have cases to handle.

I don't want to let some arrogant monkey and an ungrateful nobody delay truly important work. Do you understand?

Benny nodded quickly, stuffed the last bite of his light meal into his mouth, and chewed while tidying up the scattered documents on the table.

He hurriedly greeted Warren and the others, picked up his briefcase, and strode toward Robinck.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the front hall.

A blonde receptionist who had just started working there practically ran into the break room.

She nearly bumped into Benny, who was walking out, and slammed to her feet, almost dropping the documents.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, sir."

She steadied herself on the documents, speaking breathlessly.

Everyone in the lounge was drawn to her.

Robin glanced at her impatiently, and was about to continue walking out when Benny spoke first:

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

The young receptionist swallowed hard; her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly:

"Yes...it's Attorney Link who's back."

Inside the law firm, the girls gathered around the sofa all looked up at the same time.

The lawyers around the round table also stood up.

Robin stopped and slowly turned around.

"What, is that a surprise?"

His voice carried a deliberate contempt:

"So what if it made the newspaper, went to court once, and won a lawsuit?"

What's the big deal? As the receptionist at the law firm, what haven't you seen?

Your professional skills are not up to par!

"No... I'm sorry, sir, but Attorney Link isn't..."

"He's just an intern!"

"But sir! Listen to me!"

The young receptionist took a deep breath: "It was Mr. Klaus from AnDun Company who personally drove him here."

Also, I must inform partner McLean. He said that Mr. Klaus's arrival should be communicated to him immediately.

As soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly left.

But the entire law firm felt as if all the air had been sucked out.

Robinck's mouth was open, but the contempt and disdain he hadn't yet uttered were stuck in his throat.

His lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.

His expression changed from anger to bewilderment, and from bewilderment to a look of astonishment that he tried to conceal but could not hide at all.

The young receptionist's footsteps faded into the distance.

No one moved, no one spoke.

Everyone was waiting, waiting for Link to arrive.