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.

announces as he opens the door, his voice filled with genuine joy but also with a hint of anxiety. “Welcome back. Your

seat on the exquisite West Elm sofa, a

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

there’s actually something,” Trevor begins, his tone becoming more serious. “We’ve been presented with a challenging case that has stumped

on problems that only I can solve,” Sophia interjects, a mischievous twinkle dancing

and the board of directors is facing an impending change of ownership. The company’s chairman, who needs to testify against the share transfer,

documents, her face betraying no sign of the complexity before her. She takes a deep breath, her mind

serious. I believe it’s cancer. Our investigation shows that he’s nearly lost his ability to speak,” Trevor

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

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

Sophia responds. “Have you reviewed the briefing on the illegal

at a loss on how to proceed. If

transfer contract? I’d like to take a look at it. We can examine

idea,

no means to retrieve it. The fact of the matter is that

is indeed a problem. We cannot allow a

“Sophia. We need to act swiftly;

heads to behold a tall

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