Chapter Text
That lawyer really had to guts to sit there, all professional and comfortable, cool and collected, completely in his element after he had just entirely fucking shattered your arguments . He really had the guts to do all of that while looking like that, brown hair that did not go well with his suit and eyes a shade of blue that totally did not match with his tie clip (they did and he looked so incredibly good too).
But that wasn’t the most important thing. The most important thing here was that this was the third time this man had, as you already said, entirely fucking shattered your arguments in the courtroom.
It took you everything not to start crying, even though it was all you desired at that moment. You were just a few inches away from stomping and whining like a little child who didn’t get the sweets they wanted. How pathetic of you, honestly, that losing a case elicited such a reaction within you.
Then again, you felt it was justified, because what kind of cruel deity had put you against Artem Wing not once, not twice, but thrice? You were only a rookie lawyer as well, just learning the ropes.
“We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of creating and selling malware.”
Your shoulders slumped as soon as you heard the verdict. Of course your client would be pronounced guilty, her fate was sealed the moment her opponent’s lawyer was Artem ‘top attorney with a 99% win rate’ Wing.
What would happen to your own win rate? It was probably so incredibly low right now that no potential client would ever want to have you as their lawyer anymore and you’d have to quit and find a new job but you never would find another job because you were a student in debt so you end up running away so no one would see the disappointment that you were—
You were walking out of the courtroom after sharing a few words with your client and promising to look into an appeal or request another trial, your mind in shambles.
—Perhaps it was time to chill out and think about it logically. However, the humiliation and defeat was bitter on your tongue and you could see nothing positive about the situation yet.
Oh God, what would your colleagues at Baldr Legal Office say?
From your right, you heard someone loudly clear their throat, interrupting your thoughts. You looked up and met cold blue eyes. Speak of the devil.
“Miss Rosa,” Mr. Wing said and you inadvertently cringed. What could he possibly have to say to you after the trial now? And did he really have to approach while you were still simmering in your defeat, could he not read the room?
“Mr. Wing,” you replied and politely nodded your head to acknowledge him. You weren’t going to humiliate yourself any further by showing you couldn’t be professional. That being said, you really couldn’t bring yourself to congratulate him on his win.
He hesitated for a bit, fidgeting with the cuff of his suit, or at least, that’s what it seemed like. The Artem Wing you knew would never hesitate. “You…. improved a lot. Since the last case, that is. You should be proud.”
You blinked.
Did he just compliment you?
“What?” The disbelief rang clear in your voice while you accidentally blurted your thoughts out. His eyes widened ever so slightly just as you realized your mistake. “I—I mean, thank you. I think.” Had he been sarcastic when he made that compliment? Was it a backhanded compliment?
Mr. Wing did not say anything back and simply stared at you. It felt as if he was judging you, but perhaps that wasn’t the right word for it. It was as if he was trying to figure you out. His eyes suddenly seemed to become a lot less cold. You swore you could’ve seen a hint of fondness but you quickly shook the ridiculous thought away.
“Have a good day, then,” Mr. Wing said slowly and walked off. You were still upset, but… No, nevermind. You were still upset, that was all that mattered. Wordlessly, you watched him go.
Well, that was weird.
Artem could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he walked to his car. Of course, she would not be happy after losing a case, but he hoped that he could lift her mood a little by giving her a compliment. Although partially he did it because the ridiculous book Celestine gave him recommended it as well.
She truly deserved it as well. She fought tooth and nail for her clients and what she believed in and he had seen— experienced —it from the very first time he’d been with her in the courtroom. The passion she had for her profession was eye-catching.
What a shame only that she worked for Baldr Legal Office. He actually wondered about that, if a girl like that would not be better suited, quite frankly, anywhere else, but he supposed she had her reasons. Hopefully, he’d have the chance to figure it out.
“He’s in love with you,” Anne said, and you would’ve laughed, had she not sounded dead serious. Anne Harper was a legal assistant and one of the better colleagues you had at Baldr Legal Office. She seemed to have a good staple of principles, unlike some of the other attorneys and legal assistants.
“What? You can’t just say things like that!” You exclaimed incredulously. Right now, she was perched on the edge of your desk. You two had been discussing the case and that’s when you decided to tell you about the run-in you had with Artem Wing, hoping that she could help you make sense of the situation. Although she was only making it worse right now.
Anne chuckled. “Okay, well maybe he’s not head over heels for you, but he’s interested in you and clearly likes you. I’m the one who has to keep an eye on Themis Law Firm and their developments, trust me on this.”
You never thought you’d hear such nonsense in your life and you were so perplexed you even decided to entertain this foolishness. “What makes you possibly say that? Do you have evidence?” The lawyer side of you would always ask for evidence.
“Wing doesn’t even compliment his own subordinates or his own superiors at any point. The fact that he approached and complimented you, a rookie lawyer from a rival law firm, is not nothing. I’m saying it now, he’s into you,” Anne explained. While the first part of him never complimenting anyone rang true in your perception of him, the second part was just utterly untrue. It just was!
“He’s seen me like three times and barely even talked to me,” you deadpanned.
“Evidently that’s enough for him to notice you,” Anne retorted.
“No, no. You know what? He was making fun of me, I don’t believe anything else,” you concluded with determination. There was no other explanation for his actions. And now that you finally had your answer, you could finally rest and stop thinking about it. Because you weren’t going to waste any more time on Mr. Wing and discerning his actions, even if it was very petty of a Senior Attorney to make fun of a rookie.
“You really think he makes jokes?”
And so you were back at square one again. What a pain.
You promised yourself you wouldn’t lay in bed and analyze the situation that had occurred after trial, but ten minutes of vividly recalling his image when he ‘complimented’ you and trying to figure out what his thought process was before approaching you, it was clear you lied to yourself.
Why did you always feel the need to investigate matters down to the bare truth? If curiosity killed the cat, you would’ve been in your grave a long time ago. If, of course, it wasn’t for the fact that satisfaction brought it back.
Sighing, you rolled onto your back and stared at the ceiling. Compliments were supposed to make the recipient feel good, but this time it seemed to do the exact opposite of that. You thought of Anne’s words about Mr. Wing being ‘into you’ and couldn’t help the bitter laugh that escaped you.
You wished Mr. Wing showed some interest in you when you applied for a position at Themis Law Firm. Their rejection had been a dark cloud following you for weeks. You hadn’t even received a reply back! How bad your resumé and overall achievements had to be to be rejected without even receiving a reply back, you didn’t want to know.
Thinking about Celestine Taylor and Mr. Wing reading it and immediately tossing it into the trash shook you to your core. You weren’t even properly in the profession yet and you were already a failure.
You only applied at Baldr Legal Office because you really didn’t know what else to do. Truthfully, you hadn’t expected to be hired, especially not since Themis’ had rejected you and technically speaking, Baldr was supposed to be the number one law firm in Stellis. Your friends had convinced you to do it anyway under the lieu of ‘what’s the worst that could happen’, but now that you were there, you weren’t sure if it was really the right place for you.
Actually, you were one hundred percent sure it wasn’t the place for you. But where else would you go? You needed to make a name for yourself first, then you could leave. Of course, making a name for yourself wasn’t easy if you were constantly pitted against Artem Wing.
You couldn’t say you hated him. Of course, it wasn’t like you were a big fan of his during your studies at Stellis Universities, but everyone there had some sort of admiration for the former student, including yourself. The rejection stung enough without having to face him on the other side of the court and mercilessly losing to him.
You pondered some more on these thoughts and memories until a restless sleep claimed you.