4 “I Must Decline, Mr. Stone.”

“I am telling you she is coming in today,” a man in a black striped suit whispers urgently as he briskly passes the reception desk at Johnson and Associates Law Firm.

“There is no way. She hasn’t been in for over three years. Why today?” the woman seated at the reception desk whispers.

Another woman, with an air of curiosity, approaches the desk and leans in, her voice hushed. “I heard she had a major something happen, which is why she is returning.”

“Well, I heard that major something is that she lost a lot of money in some sort of deal,” the man murmurs back, sharing the gossip.

At that precise moment, the sleek chrome doors of the elevator swish open, revealing Sophia Johnson stepping out with an air of confidence. Her face remains impassive and composed as she looks discerning at the employees gathered around the reception desk.

“Yes, I’m back,” she remarks, her words seeping with authority. The employees quickly disperse, sensing the power that emanates from her presence. Sophia strides purposefully towards the desk, her footsteps echoing through the room.

Sophia gives the receptionist a warm smile, her expression suggesting that the past three years had faded away like a distant memory. “I’m heading to my office,” she states, confident and resolute.

In her office, Sophia takes a moment to inhale deeply, allowing the familiarity of her surroundings to wash over her. Everything appears exactly as she left it. Settling into her plush leather chair, she powers up her computer, ready to restart her life.

door, his voice filled with genuine joy but

take a seat on the exquisite West Elm sofa, a cherished heirloom from her grandfather, Sophia

chuckles, positioning herself beside Trevor. She is genuinely pleased to see him still working at her law firm. Sophia always appreciated Trevor’s source of humor

“We’ve been presented with

thrive on problems that only I can solve,” Sophia interjects, a

a company’s shares that someone transferred under suspicious circumstances, and the board of directors is facing an impending change of ownership. The company’s chairman, who needs to testify against the share transfer, has fallen seriously ill,” Trevor explains, passing the

her face betraying no sign of the complexity before her. She takes

I believe it’s cancer. Our investigation shows that he’s nearly lost his

share transfer contract? If we can obtain it, we can compare the handwriting. Discrepancies would provide the evidence we

law firm’s partners. The phone rings once before a familiar voice emanates from the speaker. “Sophia? Are you back? I must admit, I

and already diving into the depths of it,” Sophia responds. “Have you reviewed the briefing on the illegal share transfer that Trevor just

at a loss on how to proceed. If anyone can get a handle on

take a look at it. We can examine

a brilliant idea, Sophia,” John

party has taken the contract. We have no means to retrieve it. The fact of the matter is that if this persists, the company will fall victim to a

hardens, her resolve solidifying. “That is indeed a problem. We cannot allow a larger corporation to

need to act swiftly; time is running

swiftly turn their heads to behold a tall and strikingly handsome man emanating an air

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