An Unexpected Reunion
I had been living my life to the fullest. I firmly believed I would never see a Stafford in my life again.
One day, Dakota, my assistant, knocked on my door. "Mr. Perkins, a client named Juliet Stafford is here to see you. She wants to hire you as a consultant for a business fraud case involving their company."
My heart couldn't help but ache at the mention of her name.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I casually replied, "Show her in."
At that, a tall and lean woman in an expensive suit entered my office.
The years had sharpened her features. Her face now carried an air of elegance and confidence.
She stopped short in her tracks when she recognized me. Shock and disbelief were written all over her face.
Clearly, she could not believe that the rising star she had tried so hard to contact was the same person she had abandoned twenty years ago.
After a long pause, she finally managed to ask, obvious doubt in her voice, "Are you Mr. Sage Perkins?"
I nodded. "Take a seat, Ms. Stafford. I think you've mistaken. I'm a prosecutor. I don't serve private interests."
As though she didn't hear me, she threw me a judging look. "Are you really a prosecutor? How confident are you about winning the case?"
She did not even bother hiding her doubt in my professionalism.
Having had enough of her arrogance, Dakota defended me. "Ms. Stafford, Mr. Perkins is one of the top prosecutors in the field. If you could stop wasting his time—"
Keeping my gaze on Juliet, I curled my lips into a faint smile. "It seems that Ms. Stafford has no confidence in my competence. In that case, I believe our meeting is over. Dakota, please see her out."
A shadow immediately darkened Juliet's face.
Gritting her teeth, she refrained from adding anything. She stormed out and slammed the door behind her.
Dakota muttered in indignation, "Mr. Perkins, that woman is rude! Does she think she's above everything?"
I simply shrugged. "Forget about her. She's just desperate."
For me, our meeting was nothing more than a minor incident.
After work, Juliet stopped me outside the building.
She glared at me with a gloomy look.
I scowled. "What do you want?"
Setting her eyes on me, she finally threatened through gritted teeth after a moment of silence. "Let this be a warning to you, Miles. I don't care about your status, but I won't let you turn it against Chuck and harm him."
I barely stifled a laugh, which was out of anger.
Twenty years ago, she deprived me of the chance to return to my biological family. And now, she still dared to call me Miles.
She was the one who sought my help from the beginning, yet she was audacious enough to warn me against harming Charles.
I wondered what made her believe I would waste time on him.
Her demands were unreasonable. Ridiculous, even.
"Ms. Stafford," I said coldly, "my name is Sage Perkins. Please address me correctly. Also, I've never seen you or your brother in my life. As a prosecutor, my duty is to fight for justice, not frame innocent people. So why, pray tell, would I hurt a stranger?"
My words took her aback. Shock was evident on her face. "Don't you remember me?"
She clearly refused to believe me and blurted out in a sharp voice, "Twenty years ago, at the orphanage. I stopped—"
She couldn't bring herself to finish, as if feeling ashamed of what she had done.
Seeing the embarrassment on her face only made me despise her more.
I could never have forgotten what she did.
I remembered the looks of disgust on her face. I remembered the curses and insults she hurled at me.
I remembered how she pushed me away from my real family, depriving me of the last hope for them.
But I wouldn't give myself away.
I pretended to go through my memories, and finally, a look of recognition appeared on my face.
"Ah…" I drawled. "It's you."
Then I smiled at her as innocently as I could. "I'm sorry. Twenty years was a long time ago. Pardon me for not recognizing you right away. After all, I'm a busy man. Such a trivial matter is hardly worth remembering."
