Unwilling to remain at the Miller Group any longer, Jillian immediately handed in her resignation.
Afterward, she stopped to buy painkillers to dull the intense ache in her leg, and then she began visiting several law firms, one after another.
At each place, the response was the same. The moment they learned her case involved taking something back from Miller Group, their attitude changed, and she was turned away without hesitation. Even Apex Law Firm, the final office on her list, rejected her for that very reason.
With nothing left to try, she started packing her belongings, ready to leave in defeat, when someone suddenly called out behind her, "Miss, could you wait for a moment, please?"
Turning around, she recognized the receptionist who had assisted her earlier.
A hint of confusion crossed Jillian's face as she responded, "Did I take something that belongs to your firm by mistake?" Her hand instinctively moved toward her purse to check.
Quickly shaking her head, the receptionist dismissed the concern. "No, that's not it. One of our partners reviewed your file and became interested. He would like to speak with you again."
Hope flickered back to life within her, and Jillian followed the receptionist into a modern conference room. Once inside, she sat down and steadied herself, but the partner had not arrived yet.
After a short wait, the door opened, and a tall man entered, then took the seat across from her.
The moment his features came into view, the courteous smile on Jillian's face stiffened. Of all situations, running into an ex-boyfriend while looking for a lawyer felt almost absurd.
Seated across from her was Leland Wilson, the first man she had dated when she was eighteen.
Back then, she had been the one who chose to end things.
He struggled to accept the breakup, and the way they parted had been far from pleasant.
Even so, Jillian had long since viewed that relationship with clear-headed detachment, so seeing him again did not unsettle her as much as it could have.
After gathering her thoughts, she pushed forward and began laying out her situation without hesitation.
Throughout her explanation, Leland said nothing and simply kept his attention on the documents, flipping through them one page at a time.
When her voice finally fell silent, the room was left in a tense quiet.
Only then did Leland raise his eyes, and his question caught her off guard. "Your husband treats you like that, and you're still not planning to leave him?"
A slight crease formed between Jillian's brows as she answered, "I'm going to divorce him. But right now, getting my patent back matters more."
Fixing her with a sharp look, Leland spoke with blunt honesty. "So you left me, only to end up with someone like him? Your judgment is worse than I thought."
The instant Jillian realized who he was, she had known that sarcasm was coming her way. Instead of reacting, she stayed composed and answered evenly, "Men like you are no different from each other. I walked away from you once, and I can walk away from him, too. I made a mistake before, and now I'll make a different choice."
A shadow crossed Leland's face as her words sank in. Was she really putting him on the same level as the man she was trying to leave?
"Don't lump me together with him. I never betrayed you when we were together." With a tightening jaw, he spoke with restrained irritation.
Then, as something from the past resurfaced, his tone sharpened further. "When I tried to get you back, I told you Dennis and Melany were involved. You were the only one who refused to see it. You rushed in anyway without thinking."
A faint, bitter smile curved across Jillian's lips.
Looking back, she could only see how naive she had been. She convinced herself that Dennis and Melany were nothing more than harmless childhood companions. She tolerated his cold treatment again and again, hoping he would finally acknowledge her. She even held onto the belief that he would one day remember who had saved his life. In truth, expecting anything from him had only made her look foolish.
Dwelling on those memories held no appeal for her anymore. With a steady breath, Jillian straightened her back and adopted a composed, professional demeanor. "Now that you know everything about my situation, can we focus on the case?"
After studying her for a moment, Leland chose not to press further and shifted into a more formal tone. He began outlining the legal aspects of her situation and offered his advice.
As the discussion came to an end, Jillian made her way toward the door. Just before she could leave, Leland called out from behind her, "Aren't you the well-known Dr. Casey Hadley? Why not use that identity to take back your patent?"
