Maximus had been out of prison for six months now, having served time for a crime he didn''t mean tomit. Once a big name in the industry, his sudden disappearance for three years had left many wondering. But now, with his license reinstated, he was back in the game.


    "Here, go find him. He''ll sort you out," Miranda said, handing Maximus a business card with an address and phone number.


    Maximus, sitting across from Miranda, was dressed sharply in a suit, his hair slicked back neatly. He wasn''t conventionally handsome, but there was something striking about him, a certain charisma that added to his appeal.


    He took the card from Miranda and read aloud, "Marion."


    A slight grin appeared on his face. "So, he''s the guy you saw before me?"


    Miranda took a sip of her coffee, not giving much away. "He knows how to handle things. All my assets are with him. Stick with Marion, and you''ll get paid."


    Maximus tucked the card into his pocket. "You really trust him, huh?"


    Miranda answered, "Well, that''s why I have you, isn''t it? In case he tries anything funny, you can bring him to justice."


    Maximus was left speechless. Well, she''d got it all figured out.


    He pulled out a stack of documents from a folder. "Here''s what I''ve found so far," he reported. "The Hawke boys have been causing trouble to protect Arabe, and there''s the incident with Cathy being pushed down the building. But the evidence is scarce. The Hawkes went to great lengths to cover Arabe''s tracks after that.''


    As Miranda skimmed through the papers, Maximus continued, "The ce where it happened is a blind spot for cameras. The only witness was Cathy herself. Everyone else was bought off, and since you happened to be nearby, they pinned it on you. It''s going to be tough to overturn this."


    Maximus frowned. "Maybe we can dig into Cathy''s past ssmates and figure out her motive."


    Miranda knew the information was limited, but Maximus had clearly put in a lot of work. Dorian and Alistair had done a thorough job of erasing any trace of wrongdoing.


    "So, the current situation is that either they slip up or Cathy wakes up," Miranda said calmly. Maximus nodded. "That''s about it for now."


    Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Got it."


    "Oh, by the way, Alistair reached out to me," Maximus said with a smile. "Guess what he wanted?" Miranda didn''t bother to guess, focusing instead on the students walking by outside the coffee shop,ughing and chatting.


    "He wanted to know if I had ties to Elian and if I was the same Maximus from back in the day," he confessed, knowing Miranda wasn''t interested in ying guessing games.


    "Before I went to prison, Alistair''s reached out to me, and wanted to be part of mywork," Maximus continued, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Never expected after these few years, he''s be a hotshotwyer. Your brother''s still in his prime, if he hadn''t crossed paths with you, he''d be on a fast track to sess.


    Miranda''s lips curled slightly, not confirming nor denying his statement.


    The Hawke boys were indeed talented, each excelling in their field. Dorian was a prodigy, attending a top business school at fifteen and quickly finishing his studies to take over the family business, one of a kind even among his peers domestically.


    Alistair, too, graduated from a prestigiousw school, making a name for himself with a high win rate, thanks to the family''s connections, with the sessful cases up to ny-six percent.


    Orion and Lysander were also making waves in their respective fields. But Miranda knew their fame wasn''t entirely organic. They had their own expertise, yes, but they were not actually that excellent as they imed to be.


    To elevate herself, Arabe had orchestrated a lot of publicity to bolster her own image, leveraging her brothers'' sesses to her advantage. Through this way, her image of being a pampered princess would win countless envious attention.


    "But, one of the biggest differences between him and me is that my crime was idental. He knows thew and breaks it anyway," Maximus said, his voice growing colder. "The legal world doesn''t need people like him."


    It was because his crime was idental that Maximus could still practicew. He had been set up, punished for trying to do the right thing.


    Miranda took another sip of her coffee, her voice steady. "Indeed, he''s a disgrace, and not just him. But just jail time? That''s letting them off easy."


    Maximus watched Miranda, uncertain of her ns. But it was clear they''d get punished quite lightly if just being sent to prison.


    He chuckled, teasingly asking, "So, am I officially on your team now? If someone asks, can I call myself Miss Lancaster''s personal legal advisor?"


    Miranda eyed him. "Aren''t you a little too old to be concerned about titles?"


    Maximus was momentarily speechless. He had been joking, trying to tease her, and found her question unfathomably odd.


    But there was something about Miranda''s acknowledgment that he found himself strangely eager for. Perhaps it was her maic personality that drew him in.


    Just like back in the day when she was in prison, she was so young and beautiful. To many of the


    inmates, she seemed like the easiest prey, someone who could be easily taken down.


    Yet, she managed to be a calming presence for even the most unruly prisoners. She was someone they had learned to fear.


    After all, her methods inside the prison were even harsher than they were on the outside.