Thank you for all the love! Enjoy! :)

- Santana's POV –

"This is ridiculous." I mutter angrily under my breath just enough for Quinn to hear beside me, all while my eyes are trained on the Devil Incarnate who's smirking back at me from across the table in the conference room.

It's the day of my deposition. The past two weeks have been stressful, to say the least. I honestly never thought I'd ever be the one on the receiving end of a deposition and to make matters worse, I'm going to be deposed by my nemesis. Castle was true to her words when she said she'll come back to do the deposition ready and armed with the freak knows what in her arsenal. Make no mistake though, she's not the only one who's ready to go to war with this.

"What is?" Castle replies with a fake innocent tone.

"This." I scoff back, motioning to her and us. "This is nothing but petty revenge on me for what happened back in Harvard. You don't have a case at all and I didn't do batshit."

"Real charming. Is that your polite way of welcoming me into your city?"

"Oh, please. You were never welcome here, you son of a bit-" I jibe back but Quinn cuts me off.

"What she means to say is that we thought you've already gone to goddamn Timbuktu and scouring the ends of your own Dante's Inferno before moving here out of all places."

"Keeping it classy, Fabray." Castle laughs as she leans back in her chair. "I worked in Europe for an international law firm there for a while, trying to get some much needed space from all the nosiness back here. Instead of going back to New Haven to work for my family's firm though, I got a Junior Partner offer from Smith and Mayer instead. Who am I to deny that, right?" She adds with a smirk in place. "I took the bar here and long story short, this is my first case. Amazing how small our world is, huh?"

"Do I look like I care, Castle?" I seethe, raising an eyebrow at her. "Would you like me to send a manuscript for that to Lifetime? I'll even have it named "The Rise of the Antichrist: Rebirth".

"You've gotten funny, Lopez. That would be interesting to read on the transcription once we're done here." Castle grins devilishly, gesturing to the court reporter typing away from the side. "Where's Brittany, by the way? Would be nice to see the prettiest face in this firm."

"My wife's right across the corner of shut-the-fuck-up and 30th avenue of talk-to-her-and-I'll-cut-you-up-myself."

Quinn sighs deeply, throwing me a look to calm down and let it go for now before placing all her attention on Castle. "How about we get this going instead of throwing barbs at one another?"

"Seeing that we're done with the pleasantries, sure." Castle shrugs and looks at me. "Can you state your name for the record?"

"Santana Lopez."

"And what is your position in Lopez Hayward?"

"Senior Associate." I say calmly.

"And who do you exactly report to?"

"My boss, Maribel Lopez."

"Mrs. Lopez who's your mother and also your boss and incidentally Brittany and Quinn's boss as well. Lopez Hayward is one of the best law firms in New York and getting hired here isn't exactly an easy feat for a fresh law grad. I don't think I need to ask how you three got a job here in the first place." Castle chuckles sarcastically.

"Testifying." Quinn chimes in, annoyed.

Castle chortles to herself, writing something on the paper in front of her before looking up again. "So, Lopez, how do you feel about Fabray here taking over Lopez Hayward somewhere down the road?"

Quinn and I immediately share a questioning look. "What?" Quinn speaks up.

Castle shrugs, relaxing against her seat. "Well, Maribel and Quinn both specialize in business and corporations. Quinn is always at your mother's beck and call while you're off doing God knows what. She's also around here more often in the firm since you come and go as you please during office hours. I've got a bunch of info here. Need I say more?"

I stare hard at Castle, gathering all my strength not to punch the hell out of her. Quinn is just about to speak when I cut her off. "I'll honestly be very happy for Quinn if that happens. She deserves it more than any person here. She works harder than anyone in this firm, Brittany and I included. I'd rather that she takes on the mantle, actually."

"And for your information, Santana can come and go as she pleases here because she damn well earned it. She used to come to work before the sun even rose and left the firm well into the early hours of the morning. Check your sources, hell, ask anyone here and they'd tell you that Santana worked hard to be in the position she's in. We work unbelievably well together and I assure you, we'll both be running this place some time in the future. Oh, and what she does outside the firm every single time is her job, something she's excellent at, and certainly none of your business." Quinn chimes in, sneaking a triumphant look at me. "So, if your next question doesn't have anything to do with the case, this deposition is over." She asks, anger lacing in her tone.

"Oh, come on. I'm just building up the suspense. Loosen up a little, would you?" She retorts with a mocking grin. "Anyway, back to the case, it says here that you were Harris Electronics' counsel approximately two to three years ago. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Did you have a good working relationship with the company and their CEO?"

I sigh. "Yes."

Castle pulls a face. "I'm confused. If you had a good working relationship with them then why would Harris Electronics fire you?"

I glance worriedly at Quinn, both of us knowing full well that answering such question would get us into trouble. Thankfully, she steps in for me. "Don't answer that."

Castle instantly grins. "What? Are you hiding something? You do know you're under the threat of perjury here, right?"

"We're not hiding anything." Quinn retorts in a tranquil manner that seemingly bothers Castle. "What you're asking is a private matter between Harris Electronics and Lopez Hayward. Besides, my client has no obligation to answer any of your questions."

"Sure." Castle says, looking at me. "Since you two would predictably fend off all my questions, how about you hear what my client wants instead?"

"We're not going to settle, Laura." Quinn quips.

"Doesn't matter. I want you to hear it anyway." Castle trails off. "My client set the bar at 10 million dollars but as their lawyer I advised them to amp it up since Lopez here just got married to a billionaire. So, how about we go for 150 million? I know that's pocket change for you guys but 150 million is good enough."

"You're kidding, right?" I say, chuckling mockingly. She planned this from the start, didn't she?

"Oh, I'm not finished." She smiles sweetly. "And Lopez gets disbarred."

I shake my head in disbelief while Quinn takes over. "You're insane if you think we're going to agree to that bogus settlement."

"You know, Fabray, I don't really care about the money. We could turn it into a dollar but one thing's never going to change: My client wants Lopez to be disbarred."

"Harris Electronics or you?" I speak up.

"Does it really matter?" Castle chuckles bitterly.

Quinn sighs heavily and closes the binder in front of her. "This deposition is over. Take it to Court, we don't care. We're going to fight you every step of the way to prove that you have nothing on us. You can show yourself out."

"Aren't you afraid, Lopez?" Castle interjects, choosing to ignore Quinn's words.

I stare inquisitively at her, knowing fully that she's trying to bait me into her trap. "Do I look all shook up to you in the least?" I challenge.

Castle chuckles sarcastically. "I know you aren't. Yet. You probably don't even care about all this-"

"Well, there's one thing we can agree on."

"But you should be. I mean, I would be if I were going up against me." She utters. "And if I were you, I should be worried about what could happen to the people I care about."

"Is that a threat?" Quinn exclaims bitterly.

"If you perceive it that way." Castle shrugs. "I told you, I'm not going to stop until Lopez here begs for mercy. I know neither of you won't bulge an inch even if I threw wolves at the both of you. But the thing is, the people around you or what could happen might convince you to do so."

I train my eyes on Castle, trying to make sense of her words until I finally catch on with the hidden and evil meaning behind her statement. "Don't you dar-"

"Let's see…" She trails off. "We could go with Mrs. Lopez, that's a no-brainer. The beautiful British doctor you dated too, oh man, she's freaking gorgeous." She shrugs nonchalantly. "There's Jones the famous singer, Chang squared the Asian duo, Hummel the weirdly pale fashion wannabe, Berry the Broadway diva-"

"You fuc-" Quinn tries to speak but to no avail.

"Oh, there's you too Fabray, the Machiavellian lawyer, then Lopez the Bitch, and of course, how can we forget sweet and lovable Brittany. You guys are married now too so that should be fun. Wait, did I miss anyone?" Castle flashes a smirk. "Come on, Lucy Caboosey, you should be proud of yourself. I'm just imitating your fantastically manipulative ways."

"That's it! Get the fuck out of here!" I exclaim so loud that the court reporter flinched a little.

"Sure. Just one more question though." Castle holds up a finger, grabbing a document from her purse then turning back her attention to us with a fake, innocent expression. "How cold is it in England at this time of the year?"

Quinn and I share a confused look. "What?" I say.

"Well, as stated here, you stayed in London at a rather expensive hotel for a complete month while Harris Electronics was fighting for its life."

"That's irrelevant. Everyone knows that I was away for business at that time and since Harris Electronics hired Lopez Hayward and not just me per se, having the case farmed off to anyone in the firm is legal."

"Solid defense." Castle nods. "What's funny about this though is the coincidence that Brittany was also living in England around that time and I'm sure that if I ask enough people here, none of them can give me an answer as to what 'business' you were actually handling in England. Let's not forget the fact that before you went on an unusually long vacation there, Harris Electronics' case was hanging on the balance even then. Anyone with a brain can put two and two together that leaving without due diligence of informing Harris Electronics about your long absence was highly negligent and unbecoming of a lawyer."

"What are you trying to get at? We told you we have nothing to hide-" I counter.

"Wonderful, Lopez!" Castle cuts me off, grinning. "Then you'll have no problem with this." She adds, sliding us a piece of paper which I hesitantly grab. I hastily go over the details then hand it over to Quinn.

"A search warrant?" Quinn starts, forehead creasing.

"For all the documents in relation to Lopez's cases during that year Harris Electronics went under. I know there's something you're both hiding even if you tell me otherwise. What better way to know than search through your cases and find your files that would substantiate your claims?" Castle utters confidently. "I want everything from that year. Case files, HR stuff, personal memos if there are, and even client lists. Every. Single. Document."

"No." Quinn interjects with a stern tone. "You have no probable cause whatsoever and this warrant could-"

"Let her have it." I cut her off, earning a quizzical look from Quinn. "You want it, then you can have it. You won't find anything anyway so we have nothing to hide. I'm not afraid of you or your idle threats, Castle." I say albeit a bit nervously. I personally don't know what's in my files but I'm sure that there's nothing that could implicate me into a crime.

"Like they said, if there's smoke, there's fire. Better start praying that I won't find anything to start a larger-than-life arson in your life, Lopez." She retorts with a wicked grin.

"You think she bought our diversion tactic?" I speak up as soon as Castle leaves the conference room and disappears from our line of sight.

"Yeah. If we gave it all away in an instant, she'd think it's way too easy and something's up. If we resisted, she'd think we'll pull out documents that would implicate you. It's better that we let her think that she's ahead of the game by predicting we'd pull something like that. Laura's going to be busy for a while with hundreds of your files and that should buy us time. It's best that she's not aware that we're playing her while we scour the firm or whatever it is that could get you off the hook."

I nod, sighing in the process. "What does she want with our files, Q? There's nothing in them but cases. We don't even print work emails or personal memos."

"I know. Castle's trying to find a loophole, something that would pin all of us."

"But what if she finds something? Knowing how fucked up she is, maybe she'd plant the evidence herself."

"She won't." Quinn retorts. "I already had a few interns do an inventory for all your files the first time she went here, just in case she tries to come back with a search warrant." Quinn continues nonchalantly. "I'm actually counting on her to plant a document so we could catch her red-handed of committing a crime. We'll sue her back for Fraud and Planting Evidence, among others. Those two alone would render her case against you as weak and unconscionable plus she'll be facing a probable disbarment and prosecution for that. Win-win."

I smile to myself as we prepare to leave the conference room upon hearing her words. There's a reason why she was at the top of our class then and why Castle would suggest that she'll take over Lopez Hayward someday or out of all the people here aside from my Mother, Quinn scares me the most and certainly has my utmost respect when it comes to work. Suffice to say, Quinn Fabray is in a league of her own. And you know, I've always thought that I only won that Mock Trial against her in Harvard because one of the jury members had a crush on me. She doesn't need to know that though. Good 'ol Fabby. "I knew I chose you as my lawyer for a reason. You're quite expensive but it seems worth it."

"This is all free, honey. Though I'd appreciate free lunch from that new Italian place a couple of blocks way. And wait, 'seems'? Huh. Hold on to your money because if you say something like that again, I will purposely botch this just so I can see you shell out 150 million." Quinn quips, making both of us chuckle.

"I can get you get free dinners and a wine stash refill so Berry wouldn't harass me-" I say but get cut off when my work phone rings. I glance at the unfamiliar number before picking it up.

"Lopez."

"Santana! Where are you? What is going on with my company?!" The hysterical voice exclaims in a panic. My forehead creases, something that Quinn catches when she mouths to ask who it is.

"Shannon? I'm here at the firm. What are you talking about? What happened?"

"You tell me! I was having a peaceful lunch with a few of my associates when my assistant told me not more than five minutes ago that my company's stocks are being bought off one by one for the past day and a half!"

"What?!" I exclaim a little too loud. My mind goes into overdrive as I try to put the pieces together in my head. How in the world is that possible when- Shit. The merger. This was Cooter Menkins' plan from the goddamn start. "I think I know what's going on, Shannon. Alright. I'm going to fix this. I want you to calm down and let me take care of it. I'll get back to you in half an hour." I add, ending the call just as I bolt out of the conference room.

I ignore Quinn calling for me as I hastily make my way out of our floor to once again give Sebastian a piece of my mind. How could I have not seen this myself?! Is it because I've been so busy with the wedding planning? My other cases? Or Castle's resurrection in my life?

I'm just about to press the elevator button when Sebastian comes out of the other elevator behind me. He doesn't see me just yet but that's about to freaking change real quick.

"Smythe!" I exclaim loud enough for him to hear as I approach his spot in front of the reception area of our floor. He stops in his tracks and turns around looking confused until his eyes fall on me.

"Ah, Lopez." He smirks. "I'm a little busy right now because you know, I can't go in and out of the firm like you whenever I want to. So, maybe terrorize me later on my free time instead." He adds, proceeding to turn his back on me.

"You son of a bitch!" I cry out, making those around us sneak a surprised glance. Sebastian turns to look at me again, this time with slight anger on his face.

"What do you want, Lopez?"

"I want you to fucking explain to me why Cooter Menkins is doing a hostile takeover of Beiste Sports and how the fuck it happened under our noses!" I whisper furiously.

"Hostile takeover? What the hell are you talking about?" He answers in genuine confusion.

I sigh deeply because honestly, it's not yet lunchtime but I've already reached my murderous potential limit for the day. "Beiste called me a few minutes ago. There's been a fixed flow of stock buying in her company for the past 36 hours. We both know there's only one person who's capable let alone, hungry for that kind of monopolization over a highly successful sports company."

"W-What? I didn't know-"

"Cut the crap, Sebastian!" I answer infuriatedly. "You have been trying to dominate this case from the very start! I can't count how many times you've went behind my back to take over this case and now you're telling me you didn't have the slightest idea this could happen?! I told you to wait for me before going through the merger but you didn't! How do I even know you're not involved in this?!"

"I'm innocent, alright? I didn't know this was going to happen! Negotiations went fine and I'm sure we can still fix this-"

"No! You've already done enough!" I scoff. "I am going to fix this alone and I don't fucking want you to be within a mile radius of this case again. I'm so done dealing with you and all your sleazy shenanigans, Sebastian. Keep your distance from now on and when I'm finished fixing this case, you owe me and your Prince Gay Charming ass bigtime." I finish before walking away, not letting him say anything else as I leave him speechless.

I try to remain calm as I walk back to my office while thinking of a way to solve this huge problem. I enter my office to see Quinn sitting on one of the lounge chairs, presumably waiting for me as she goes over something on her laptop.

"Brittany called. She just wanted to check up on you while she's waiting for the other ex-assistant before that Ryder kid and I told her you were in the middle of murdering Sebastian. Then Beiste's secretary relayed that Beiste is coming here in two hours to discuss what happened, she filled me in too, by the way. Other than that, the File Room guys wanted to remind you again that Beiste Sports' books came back a week ago so if you need it, everything's with them right now before the IT people do their mysterious magic inventory thing then combine it with the past cases the firm handled for Beiste. A little updating on Shannon's profile in the firm is in order, they said and quite excitedly at that like it's for Tinder." She utters continuously in a nonchalant manner without looking up.

I sigh as I proceed to take my seat. "This is all too much with everything that's happening. We need secretaries. Or just an intern to boss around to do the easy stuff."

"No can do. We won't get that promotion until we close out this Beiste case. And by the sound of it, we might have to hold our breath first."

"You're right." I mutter. "This is unbelievable, you know. The one time I was distracted with other cases and didn't work with anyone other than you or Britt, I get smacked in the face like this. I can't believe I didn't see it coming. I would normally see shit like this from a mile away if I wasn't so distracted with everything else. This is all my fault."

"It's not your fault, S. Sebastian was trying to pull one on you the minute he met you. He just didn't calculate well enough not to get involved in the present dilemma."

I shake my head in disbelief, leaning back on my seat. "It's a hostile takeover, Q. This was Menkins' plan all along. He took advantage of Beiste's confidence in him. Fuck. She doesn't even know yet that her boyfriend did the ultimate betrayal."

"People are so horrible sometimes. I don't understand why they had to cover it up as a merger though."

I contemplate it for a second as I go over the possible answers in my head, thinking back on that meeting with Hunter Clarington. "Because they wanted our books. It was all a ruse." I say, finally realizing it.

"What do you mean?" Quinn replies, looking up this time.

"During that meeting with Hunter, I was adamant on not going through with the merger even if he was ready to hand over his books to us. I was more than ready to pull the plug when Hunter threatened to end the deal but Sebastian bulged."

"So, when Sebastian made you reconsider the deal, Hunter pretended to be the adamant one not to go through with it this time and asked for our books first before he gave you theirs to feign disinterest." Quinn nods slightly, catching on. "Hunter pretended that he had nothing to hide and didn't want to hand over their books so it wouldn't be too obvious when he asked for ours. Damn. That's a vintage strategy."

"And something we always do. That's literally our maneuver, Q." I say when a random thought crosses my mind.

"So, when they saw just how lucrative and broad Beiste's company is, Cooter wants to take over the company so he can truly run it along with his recruitment agency. He'll be monopolizing the whole sports industry before the week ends." Quinn retorts.

"There's something sketchy about this. They could have done this so-called 'merger' way before and any counsel in the firm is available for a client like Beiste but they went for me at the same time that Sebastian was hired in the firm and my wedding was coming up then as well."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying, S?"

I nod absent-mindedly. "They planned this and deliberately executed it when I was caught up with all of my cases so I wouldn't uncover their bad faith. Look, they're doing the hostile takeover while we're in the middle of this problem with Castle hoping we wouldn't catch up."

"Fuck. You're right." Quinn hisses. "Do you think Sebastian and Laura are behind this?"

I mull over everything that's happened for the past few weeks. There's a possibility of it but the genuine look on Castle's face when we told her Sebastian works here and the latter's surprise of the merger's downfall awhile ago indicated that maybe they didn't have any idea either. It's too good to be a coincidence but it's too out there to assume the same.

"I'm not sure, Q. What I do know though is not only are we under attack but we're also being studied."

She tries to process my statement before speaking. "Hunter played Sebastian by unwittingly making him play the 'good cop' during that meeting while he did a 'bad cop' slash 'Machiavellian' move on you. He pulled that classic maneuver hoping that it would work on you while Sebastian did the rest of the leg work on that merger while you were away." She pauses and sighs. "Shit. Hunter studied us just like boxers do before a fight and waited for the right moment to strike. He's pulling our own move on us."

I grit my teeth. There's a connection between those three aside from belonging in probably the same and worst class in Yale. "Yes. But there's one maneuver he doesn't know since we've never had the chance to do it yet."

"Wha-" Quinn looks quizzically at me before slowly breaking into a smirk. "You know I've always wanted to do that because of how badass it is."

"I know. I'll let you do the honor." I chuckle. "Right now, Hunter thinks he's got us right around the neck and we make him think just that. Beiste is coming over here in a while so it's timely since I'm calling for a meeting with Cooter Menkins tomorrow morning."

"Great. I'm all yours. What do you need?"

"Determine what's the most valuable asset in her company and-"

"Done. It's New York." Quinn answers almost instantly, facing her laptop towards me. "I've been preparing for this day my entire career so all I need is for you to say 'Yes. Quinn, I love you so darn much' and I'm gonna press this sumbitch of a key so fast Hunter might just have a heart attack in his office the very same minute."

I laugh heartily, swiveling my chair to face my computer. "Have you ever thought of applying as my legal secretary?"

Quinn playfully rolls her eyes. "You can't afford me and like you said earlier, I'll be running this place after Maribel retires so I'd advise you to be nice to your future boss instead of trying to corrupt me."

- Brittany's POV –

My mind has been all over the place these past few days.

In between worrying about my cases and Santana, I'm also anxious about keeping my promise of staying away from the Malpractice suit and Laura's sudden reappearance. And apparently there's that thing about Sebastian yesterday too. Oh man. I feel like a browser with hundreds of working open tabs while an anxiety attack is looming in the distance. I'm not making sense anymore but bottom line is, I'm close to going insane.

I take a deep breath, looking around the conference room of our opponent's firm while waiting for Rod Remington who's representing Angela Carmichael, Ryder's former boss accused of sexual harassment. It's supposed to be a proceeding but after going over hundreds of documents, talking with another former assistant of the plaintiff, and tons of help from the paralegals, I finally found what I needed for a win. Hence, the settlement meeting.

"How can you stay calm in times like these?" Ryder speaks up beside me, nervousness completely washing over his face.

"Who says I'm not?" I retort with a small smile. "I am but I guess I'm a bit used to it already."

Ryder nods, trying to stay calm. "Do you always deal with pro bono cases like mine?"

"Not really. I'm used to dealing with financial crimes and corporate litigations. I also did a few criminal cases during my first month years ago."

"Which do you prefer though?"

I think about it for a moment. "I'm not sure. What I do know is there's something about cases like yours and helping people who need it the most that's just so fulfilling."

"That's quite noble of you knowing your background and all, Brittany." He utters, earning a curious look from me. "My roommate works for your family's company here in New York and he told me about the connection, that's why."

I nod knowingly. "What are you going to do with the money if we win this settlement?"

"Finish college if I can afford it. I only have two semesters left in Marymount and I've been saving up for tuition for two years now. Finishing school would be a dream come true as is getting my life on track after everything that's happened to me this past year."

I smile softly at him. "I'll try my best to get you that, Ryder."

"Regardless of what happens later, I can't thank you enough for all your help. Thank you, Miss Pierce." He gives out a small smile.

I'm about to speak when the door opens to unveil Rod and his client entering the room. He and I exchange professional pleasantries while our clients keep to ourselves with the palpable tension around us.

"I don't mean to be rude but I have somewhere work-related to be in an hour, so let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Angela utters in a bored tone.

I share a look with Ryder prior to speaking. "Alright then. My client wants a public apology, an admission of guilt, his back pay, half a million dollars, and Miss Carmichael's resignation from the network."

As expected, Rod chuckles amusedly while Angela Carmichael laughs. "This is what happens when trust fund babies go to law school. They develop a sense of humor!" He utters, joining in his client's laughter.

I keep calm and flash a small smile instead as I hand them several documents. "Printed emails sent by Miss Carmichael to the network's head detailing or rather, threatening to resign if the network tries to rehire Ryder or give him his much earned salary and backpay, documents detailing that this has happened before as stated in a few files indicating an ex-assistant's sudden and unexplained termination, said ex-assistant's affidavit which as I said, bears the same resemblance to the present case at hand, and recent emails particularly and explicitly discussing how the network should by no means throw Miss Carmichael under the bus or risk exposure." I utter in a calm tone.

Their change of expression is almost comical. Rod immediately gives his client a look of disbelief with a hint of surprise as he goes over the files I handed him while Miss Carmichael looks down in shame and guilt.

"Miss Carmichael, sexual harassment is a civil infraction but with all the labor laws you've broken, not only would you be paying quite a sum of money but you'll also go to prison where as you know, those unwanted sexual advances you're so keen on throwing around come generously." I continue.

"Look honey, I've been doing this for a long time and supposed to say these documents that seem to be a figment of your imagination are true, there's no way you can send my client to prison for such a small crime! No one has the time to do that in the US Attorney's office or the District Attorney himself!" Rod counters angrily.

"They do, actually." I smile. "As you see, I'm good friends with the US Attorney himself and upon hearing my client's misfortune, he'll gladly pursue the case since he's a disgruntled fan of your newscasting. Oh, and I also went to Harvard with the outgoing ADA, so I think the question is, who would you prefer to take you to prison, Miss Carmichael?" I add, smirking.

"This is a sham!" Miss Carmichael interjects.

"No. I'm not trying to trick you. You can call them up right now, if you want." I shrug and motion to leave. "I'm trying to help you here but you're giving me no choice. In the meantime, it seems that we have nothing to talk about anymore-"

"Fine! I'll give you what you want. Is this over?" She throws in desperately, sharing a look with Rod.

I think about anything else I might have missed but instead, a sudden thought pops in my head. "Let's raise the stakes. My client suffered greatly from this ordeal for the past year. I believe he would appreciate if you make it a 1.3 million dollars instead."

"What?! Are you serio-"

"That's enough, Angela!" Rod cuts her off with a stern tone. By the looks of it, it's evident that he knows he's lost already. He whispers a few words to her in which she tries to negate at first. Within a few seconds, they face us again sporting defeated looks.

"Where does she sign?" He speaks but this time, all the confidence from a while ago has vanished. I slide them the documents and glance at Ryder who looks utterly relieved and completely surprised by the sudden turn of events.

"They're right. I developed quite a sense of humor, didn't I?" I whisper back with a small smile while for the first time since I've met him, Ryder smiles in the most genuine way a human being can.

I like working pro bono.

I've been going over the thought for quite some time now. Everyone's busy nowadays and the only person who knows about it so far is Rachel. I've mentioned it to my wife before but as far as I know, it really was just a random thought of mine back then until yesterday after I had a talk with a possible witness for Ryder's case.

I was on my way back to the firm and decided to do an afternoon coffee run when I ran into an old friend from Harvard Law. Naturally, we caught up for a bit and I found out that he works for the District Attorney's office here in New York. Or worked as an ADA there, that is in a week's time since he's moving to Boston with his family. Long story short, they haven't found anyone to replace him yet. And after hearing my adventures with Ryder's case, I seemed to have made an impression on him so he told me that if I ever needed a change of pace from corporate law and am interested to work as an Assistant District Attorney, he'd definitely put in a good word for me.

I know it's probably too far-fetched for someone like me who doesn't have that much of an experience compared to the others but nevertheless, it's an opportunity. I wanted to tell Santana about it last night but with everything on our plate and her gawking stress levels, it's definitely not the right time. Even so, there's something about the thought of being an ADA that excites me. My specialization is financial crimes and just thinking of using that to help other people suffering from huge companies who are taking advantage of them or just any criminal offense in general is definitely one thing to mull over. But like I said, now is not the right time.

So, here I am having all these thoughts after closing Ryder's case. Instead of riding a cab back home after the settlement meeting, I decided to walk to this new Spanish restaurant that Hudson, our co-Senior Associate, recommended since it's near enough. I know Santana's still in the office and will be home in a while for dinner but because we're both too worn out today, take out would have to do tonight and for good measure, coffee from the shop next door to keep us awake for the next three hours.

I'm in line to order coffee as I send a quick message to my wife, having told the restaurant next door that I'll come back to pick up the take out, when a voice from my right catches my attention.

"Such a shame I haven't seen your beauty around as much."

I look up to face the person and unsurprisingly, it's Laura looking amused with herself. "Why do we always run into each other at coffee shops, Laura?"

"I'm not stalking you. Never have, never will." She counters, motioning to stand beside me. "Smith and Mayer is right around the corner and I'm just waiting for my coffee with them." She adds, pointing to a few people.

I sigh. "What do you want then?"

"Why do you always assume I have an ulterior motive?"

"Because you always do."

"Not when it comes to you." She grins devilishly while I assume a less than amused expression. "Okay, I guess you had a long day-"

"And you're making it longer, Laura. I just want to get coffee and my take out next door without you bugging me. You've already caused enough trouble. I'm hungry, tired, and sleepy because of you, so please leave me in peace." I ramble in annoyance. Instead of going with my wishes though, Laura chuckles in amusement.

"You hate me that much, huh?"

"Seeing that you ruined what's supposed to be my first month of blissful marriage and after all our turbulent history, yes. I'm not exactly fond of your existence right now."

Laura nods, finally keeping her space as she grabs the coffee being handed her way while motioning for them to go ahead. "Lopez told you to stay away so you won't get involved, didn't she?" She utters softly with a knowing look at me. "You don't know anything about the case and she intends for it to stay that way."

I glance at her, hiding the nervousness I'm feeling. "What are you ta-"

"It's what I would do." She cuts me off. "I know that she's guilty of Malpractice. I know that she wasn't in England for business that time she disappeared for a month and I'll get to the bottom of it since I have all the documents I need."

I gulp heavily. "You don't have to do this, Laura. Santana isn't-"

"Doesn't change the fact that she's hiding something along with Fabray and Mrs. Lopez. That's why I'm here, Brittany." Laura interjects. "Lopez and I are like two peas in a pod but unlike her, I won't hesitate to take advantage of using my nemesis' ultimate weakness against her. You."

"L-Laura-"

"I know you're probably clueless and will never bulge no matter what I do but I won't stop until I win. I'm just warning you that the next few weeks will be painful and you're going to see the worst of me. You're going to hate me even more." She gives out a barely visible smile as she hands me the document in her hand.

I stare at her quizzically until she motions for me to take it. "W-What is this?"

"That's the transcription from the deposition yesterday. It's just the first of many attacks and frankly, I was still being nice then." She utters. "I know Lopez won't ever show you that so consider it as a final treat because from this point on, you're now my enemy as well. I'm sorry, Brittany. Enjoy your tapas." She finishes, leaving me gaping and heart intensely beating as I watch her walk away.

Will update soon.