Chapter 129: New Beginnings and Dangerous Encounters.
Chapter 129: New Beginnings and Dangerous Encounters
(Olivia’s POV)
D
The morning sun streamed through the floor–to–ceiling windows of Moonstone Legal Partners as I stood in our newlypleted reception area. The fresh scent of new furniture and polished wood filled the air, recing the construction dust that <b>had </b>dominated for weeks.
Everything was finally ready. The ergonomic desks Adrian and I had carefully selected gleamed under the overhead lights. State–of–the–artputers hummed quietly on each workstation. Legal stationery was neatly organized in custom filing systems.
My phone rang, interrupting my satisfied survey of our aplishments. The caller ID showed a familiar name that made my heart lift with genuine warmth.
“Emma“” I answered immediately, unable to hide my excitement.
“Olivia,” Emma Thompson’s voice carried across the line, tinged with hope and nervous energy. “I hope I’m not calling at a bad time.”
“Not at all. It’s wonderful to hear from you.”
Emma took a deep breath before continuing. “I wanted to <b>ask </b>about your previous offer. You mentioned I
could join you in Harbor City if I ever wanted to <b>work </b>together again.”
My smile widened as I remembered our conversation months ago. “Of course that offer is still valid. More than valid – I’d be thrilled to have you here.”
“Really?” Emma’s voice brightened considerably. “Because I’ve been thinking about it constantly. My current situation isn’t <b>ideal</b>, and the opportunity to work with you again sounds like exactly what I need.”
“Emma, I would love nothing more than to have you as part of Moonstone Legal Partners,” I said warmly.
“When can you start?”
“I can book a flight immediately,” she replied, excitement bubbling through her words. “I could be there by this evening if you need me.
“That’s perfect. I’ll pick you up from the airport myself.”
After we finalized the details and I gave her our new office address, I hung up feeling genuinely happy. Having Emma join our team would bring a sense of familiarity and trust that I’d been missing.
The prospect of working with someone I knew and respected brought mefort about the future of our legal practice. Emma’s loyalty and dedication had always impressed me during our previous work together. My cousin Alexander had also been instrumental in building <b>our </b>team. Through his extensive coctions in the werewolf legalmunity, he’d recruited two excellent and well–knownwyers.
That evening, I met them at an upscale restaurant in Harbor City’s business district. Alexander had reserved a private dining room for our introduction dinner.
“Olivia, Alexander stood as I entered the elegantly appointed room. “Td like you to meet your new colleagues.”
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Chapter 129 New Beginni
He gestured toward a woman with neat short <b>hair </b>wearing a light khaki professional suit. Her posture rated confidence andpetence typical of sessful pack–affiliatedwyers
“This is Attorney Aria Chen, my high school ssmate from our pack territory, Alexander said with obvious
pride.
I paused slightly, recognizing her reputation in supernaturalw circles. “Hello, Attorney Chen, Your work in pack litigation is legendary.”
Aria smiled professionally, extending her hand for a firm handshake. “Hello, Attorney Winters. We’ll be colleagues from now on. I’m looking forward to working together.”
Alexander then turned to the second person at our table. “This is Attorney Mike Wu. I specially recruited him from another firm for you – he’s a major yer in supernaturalmercialw”
Mike appeared to be about forty years old, well–dressed and wearing sses. His slightly thin frame gave off an aura of calm intelligence and introversion that suggested deep analytical thinking.
“Hello, Attorney Wu,” I said respectfully. Tve heard excellent things about your work. Please guide me in the
future.”
“Hello, Attorney Winters, Mike replied with a modest smile. “Let’s achieve great things together.”
Besides Alexander, everyone at the dinner table were legal professionals. We had much to discuss about packw and territorial regtions. The conversation flowed naturally from recent court decisions to changes in supernatural legition.
Aria <b>shared </b>insights from her recent cases involving inter–pack disputes. Mike discussed theplexities of werewolf businessw in human courts. I contributed my experiences with pack member representation.
The atmosphere was lively and engaging. I felt genuinely excited about the expertise these two would bring to Moonstone Legal Partners.
“With this team,” Alexander said as our dinner concluded, “your firm will be one of the most formidable in the Northern Territory.”
After dinner, 1 bid farewell to Alexander and my two new colleagues outside the restaurant. The evening air was crisp and refreshing after the warm dining room.
“Thank you for everything, Alex,” I said, giving my cousin a grateful hug. “I couldn’t have built this team without your help.
“Family supports family,” he replied with a warm smile. “I’m proud of what you’re building here.”
I walked to the parking lot where my cier Blue Bentley Continental GT waited under the streetlights. The distinctive blue luxury vehicle gleamed like a jewel among the other cars.
With a gentle press of the elerator, I pulled away from the parking lot and onto the wide Harbor City streets. The elegant car cut through the evening traffic with smooth precisi
Emma had justnded at Harbor City Regional Airport, and I was now driving to pick her up. The thought of seeing my former assistant again filled me with anticipation.
Feeling a bit warm in the car, I lowered the window halfway to let the outside air circte. The cool evening breeze felt refreshing against my skin.
Chapter 129 New Beginni
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As the cier Blue Bentley wove through traffic, I left the bustling city center behind and entered the suburban section leading to the airport. The streets became wider and less congested.
I <b>found </b>myself thinking about recent events with the neww firm. The sessful recruitment dinner, Emma’s imminent arrival, thepleted renovations everything was falling into ce perfectly.
A sense of joy and anticipation bubbled up within me. For the first time in months, I felt genuinely optimistic
about my future.
Suddenly, “Bang!”
A ck sedan rear–ended my Bentley with tremendous force. The impact sent my luxury vehicle spinning out of control toward the roadside guardrail,
The silver–reinforced barriers designed to contain werewolf idents absorbed much of the impact. But the collision still left me shaken and disoriented.
My werewolf healing kicked in immediately, clearing the fog from my head. I blinked rapidly, trying to assess the damage and my condition.
Before I could reach for my phone to call Connor or pack security, the sound of shattering ss filled the air A man had smashed my driver’s side window with something heavy.
Rough hands grabbed my arms and dragged me from the car. I struggled against his grip, my training automatically engaging.
“Who are you?” I demanded sharply, my voice carrying the authority I’d learned in courtrooms. “Do you know who I am<b>?</b>”
The manpletely ignored my questions, his face hidden in shadow. His grip tightened painfully as he tried
to subdue me.
My werewolf reflexes and the self–defense skills Connor had insisted I learn caught the attacker off guard. I twisted in his <b>grasp</b>, using his momentum against him.
A sharp elbow to <b>his </b>ribs made him grunt and loosen his hold. I immediately tried to break free, but another man emerged from the pursuing <b>ck </b>vehicle.
“You ipetent fool,” the second man snarled angrily at his partner “Can’t you handle one simplewyer?”
This man <b>was </b>clearly the leader. His voice carried menacing authority that made my wolf bristl rm.
I saw my opportunity while they were distracted. Reaching carefully into my damaged car, I <b>managed </b>to grab my phone to contact Connor through our mate bond or call pack security.
Just as my
closed around the device, the leader moved with supernatural speed. He snatched the phone away before I could dial.
The sound of crushing stic and metal filled the air as he ground my phone under his boot. The screen shatteredpletely, destroying my only means ofmunication.
“You’reing with us, Miss Winters,” he stated coldly, his eyes glowing with predatory satisfaction. “Someone wants to have a very important conversation with you.”