Nigel clinked glasses with them.
"A love forged through life and death doesn't need the same careful tiptoeing as the beginning. We saved each other's lives. She and I are inseparable in this lifetime."
I drew a sharp breath.
My heartbeat quickened, driven by fury.
I closed the door quietly.
It was time to go the legal route.
While I had my team prepare the litigation materials, Nigel's message came through on the third day:
Instead of wasting time fighting with me, you should hurry up and compensate Shirley for her losses.
Right after that, he sent over a court summons.
It was a lawsuit filed by Shirley Henson.
She was accusing my company of food safety violations.
Claiming we had caused her child's food poisoning.
I hadn't expected that after I'd made her cry last time, she still refused to give up.
But that kind of persistence had to have someone backing it.
I called Nigel.
"You helped her file this?"
Nigel chuckled softly.
He said nothing.
The answer was obvious.
"What if I refuse to pay?"
"Sweetheart, think carefully. The ones showing up in court this time will be the legal team under my company."
My breath caught.
"Why be so stubborn about this? Just admit fault and be done with it."
I gripped my phone tighter.
"This company is a brand my grandfather built. A century of reputation. You want me to admit fault and destroy the brand image the Simmonses spent generations building?"
Nigel sighed.
"Do you really have to make things difficult for her and her child?"
"You're the ones making things difficult for me!"
I clenched my jaw.
"Shirley fed her own child something he shouldn't have eaten!"
Nigel was silent for a moment.
When he spoke again, his voice had gone cold.
"Then you're on your own."
The line went dead with a flat dial tone.
I stood there, gripping my phone.
Sheila Finch from the legal department looked at me with concern.
"Ms. Simmons, the Gilberts have already sent us a formal letter from their attorneys. Their team has never lost a case, domestic or international. We..."
I clenched my fist.
"We fight. And I'll be right there with you."
Sheila's eyes lit up.
On the day of the hearing, when I took my place as both defendant and lead counsel, Nigel visibly froze.
He had no idea I held a law license.
My phone buzzed once.
A message from him.
I ignored it.
I faced the Gilberts' legal team head-on.
Throughout the entire proceedings, Nigel's expression was grim.
He realized his lawyers weren't invincible after all.
And that I had been hiding my legal expertise all along.
When the court dismissed Shirley's claims, she broke down crying right there in the courtroom.
I shot Nigel a cold, thin smile.
His expression was unreadable.
It wasn't until the court adjourned and he ran into me at the door that he spoke.
His smile was loaded with meaning.
"Ms. Simmons. Far more impressive than I imagined."
"What, planning to file an appeal on behalf of your little canary?"
"No."
He smiled. "My wife is this talented. Why would I keep going against her?"
I stared at him, not understanding what he was getting at.
He was already turning to leave.
"Then I wish Ms. Simmons continued success."
I frowned. "What is he up to?"
That night, I stayed at the office and didn't go home.
I went through the warehouse inventory, checked every safety and fire system.
Made sure there wasn't a single vulnerability to exploit.
Only then did I let myself breathe.
Sheila walked out with me at the end of the night.
"Thank God you were here, Ms. Simmons. Otherwise those legal vultures would've bled our profits dry!"
