"The FMC is still crying? The MMC has already noticed that her location isn't at home. He's stopped an important meeting and is coming to get her himself!"

"The MMC is already downstairs! He'll be here any second!"

"Is this story finally going to reach its climax? I've got my popcorn ready!"

My heart sank, and a chill shot from my feet to the top of my head.

Darn it, how did he get here so fast?

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.

Reaching under my desk, I pulled a blank retainer agreement and gently slid it in front of Eliana. Then I leaned in close to her ear, whispering my instructions one word at a time.

"Listen carefully. I'm going to step out. After I leave, lock this door from the inside. No matter who knocks or whatever they say, don't open the door for anyone but me. Do you understand?"

Eliana looked up sharply, her eyes misty as they fixed on me. Fear, helplessness, despair, and a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of hope twisted together in her gaze.

She didn't say anything. She just stared at me, then nodded heavily with every ounce of strength she had.

I stood up, opened the door, and stepped out.

After closing the door behind me, I deliberately lingered outside for two seconds. In the quiet hallway, I heard the crisp click of the door locking.

Almost at the same moment, a sudden commotion erupted from the reception area. The barely suppressed gasps of the receptionist were mixed with the sharp, heavy, and cold sounds of leather shoes striking the marble floor. The footsteps grew closer, closing in step by step.

The comments scrolled past my eyes again.

"He's here! That monster is finally here!"

"The overbearing MMC has officially entered the chat!"

I stood outside the consultation room, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst through my chest.

The commotion at the front desk grew louder. I didn't need to look to know that Eliana's husband, Darren Carney, had arrived at the firm.

Without looking back, I walked straight toward the reception area. After just a few steps, Steven Lewis, the director of the firm, called me urgently, his voice panicked.

"Evelyn, come to the main conference room right away. There's a very important guest who specifically asked to see you."

A scoff escaped me. An important guest? More like a lethal one.

I straightened my suit jacket, buried all the emotions in my eyes, then pushed open the conference room door with a blank expression.

Darren was seated at the head of the table. He wore a perfectly tailored, high-end custom suit. His demeanor was refined and aloof, his features sharp and striking. A gentle, perfectly measured smile played on his lips, making him look every bit the rising star of the business world, as well as a loving, devoted husband.

Seeing me walk in, he immediately got to his feet and extended his hand to me with polished elegance.

"Ms. Norris, I've heard so much about you. I apologize for the unannounced visit."

I gave him a brief handshake. All I felt on my fingertips was a piercing chill. There wasn't a hint of warmth to be found.

The chat went wild again.

"Wow! As expected of an award-winning-level MMC. With how refined and elegant he looks, who would guess he'd torture the FMC and the child to death?"

As if completely unaware of my distance and wariness, Darren let out a soft sigh. He picked up a neatly bound document and slid it toward me gently.

"This is Ellie's medical record. The diagnosis was personally issued by Dr. Bailey at St. Luke's Mental Health Center. Ellie's postpartum depression hasn't improved, and it's accompanied by severe persecutory delusions. She's convinced that I'm trying to hurt her and is always trying to run away from home.

"Did she tell you a bunch of weird nonsense today? I'm sorry for the trouble she's caused you."

I glanced down at the so-called diagnosis. It was printed on high-quality paper, with all the official stamps, and all the clauses were written professionally, without a single apparent flaw.

But I'd just seen Eliana with my own two eyes. Her thinking was clear, and her speech was coherent. Aside from extreme fear and helplessness, there weren't the slightest signs of mental instability.

The diagnosis was nothing more than a cheap tool Darren used to control Eliana and to silence all questioning voices.

Seeing that I still hadn't responded, his fingers moved slightly as he pushed a blank check to the center of the table. The amount line was empty; only his bold signature sat in the lower right corner.

"Ms. Norris, I know you have your own principles in this industry. You're not short on clients or money."

His tone remained gentle, but his gaze slowly hardened with unconcealed pressure.

"But she's my wife. I can't let her use her illness to disturb others. Consider this a consultation fee and a small token of my appreciation. I'd appreciate it if you stopped indulging her in this pointless game of divorce."

The comments from the chat continued scrolling.

"As expected of the richest man around—just throwing around blank checks like that. Why doesn't that kind of wealth ever find me?"

"This throwaway character really does accept it, which is why when she finds out the FMC dies later, she ends up killing herself from guilt!"

I lifted my eyes to meet Darren, my gaze calm and resolute, without the slightest hint of backing down.

"Mr. Carney, first of all, Ms. Eliana Fraser is mentally sound. She's fully capable of expressing her own wishes and is legally competent to do so. She's not the incompetent person you're describing."

I paused, lightly tapping my fingers against the table as my tone sharpened.

"Secondly, she has formally retained me for her divorce case. As of now, I'm her attorney. I'm responsible only to my client. I can't accept your check, nor do I recognize this medical diagnosis."

The smile on Darren's face didn't change in the slightest, but the temperature around him seemed to plummet sharply, and the air in the entire conference room seemed to freeze.

He spoke slowly, each word laced with undisguised threat.

"Ms. Norris, do you realize who you're refusing?"

I didn't respond. I just turned around and walked straight out of the conference room. I hurried back to the consultation room and knocked three times in the previously agreed-upon rhythm.

There was a brief silence inside. Then came the soft click of the door being unlocked.

Eliana poked her head out, her face still deathly pale. Only when she saw it was me did she let out a long breath of relief, quickly pulling me inside and locking the door again.

"How did it go? He… He came looking for me, didn't he?" she asked, her voice trembling.

In fact, her whole body was shaking as she clutched Zoey tightly.

I nodded. I quickly summarized what had happened, not hiding anything.

After listening, she forced a bleak smile onto her lips, her eyes filled with despair.

"I knew he'd do this. He's always been like this. Whenever I don't obey him, he calls me crazy and makes sure no one believes me."

She sniffled, wiping away her tears, but her gaze turned exceptionally determined.

"Ms. Norris, I don't want anything. The house, the money, all his assets—I can give it all up. I just want a divorce and custody of Zoey. I can sign the agreement right now."

The comments floated by.

"Classic angsty line. Screenshotting this!"

"The FMC is honestly so naive. But it's exactly that innocence that makes the MMC so insane and obsessed over her."

Respecting her decision, I immediately opened my laptop and drafted a very simple divorce agreement as fast as possible. There was no property division or dispute of financial compensation. It only stated that both parties voluntarily agreed to divorce, and the wife would get full custody of the child while also voluntarily relinquishing all marital assets.

After printing it out, I explained each clause to her, making sure she fully understood every word.

But she barely looked at it. She just grabbed the pen and signed her name on the line, as if she feared she'd lose her chance if she took too long.

The ink hadn't even dried yet when a deafening crash reverberated through the room.

Darren had kicked the thick, solid-wood door open from the outside.

The gentle, affectionate mask he had worn earlier was now completely torn away, replaced by a bone-chilling hostility. His eyes were dark and terrifying.

Behind Darren stood two tall bodyguards dressed in black, who looked imposing and aggressive.

The chat instantly exploded.

"Wow! This MMC is way too unhinged!"

"The second he thinks she wants to divorce, he loses it. But he still thinks it's just because he wants to keep tormenting her… This 'loves her but doesn't realize it' trope is just too delicious!"

Darren's gaze swept slowly over Eliana's pale face, then to the divorce agreement in her hands, where the ink had yet to dry. Finally, his eyes locked onto me.

His thin lips parted, and the smile at the corner of his mouth was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.

"Ellie, I'm here to take you home."

The crash from the door being kicked in shattered the silence of the entire floor.

Colleagues from neighboring offices peeked out, but the moment they saw what was happening, their faces turned pale, and they quickly shrank back, not daring to make a sound.

Steven and several other senior partners rushed over. The moment they saw Darren, cold sweat broke out across their foreheads. They hurried forward to smooth things over, worried the situation might escalate even further.

Eliana was so startled that she couldn't stop trembling. She instinctively tightened her hold on Zoey as she shrank behind me, overwhelmed by extreme fear.

Darren reined in some of his hostility and looked at Steven, his tone returning to a veneer of calm.

"Mr. Lewis, my apologies for the disturbance. I'm just here to take my sick wife home. I didn't expect Ms. Norris to misunderstand me so deeply and refuse to let her go."

Steven quickly pulled me aside.

"Evelyn!" he hissed, his voice low in panic. "Do you even know who he is? He's the head of Carney Group and one of the most powerful figures here in Opalford! This is not a case we can touch, and we definitely can't afford to offend him!"

"Hand Ms. Fraser over right now, apologize to him, and we can pretend none of this ever happened. Otherwise, the entire firm will suffer!"

A few colleagues nearby tugged at my sleeve, whispering urgently.

"Ms. Norris, don't push this. Family matters of the wealthy elite aren't something we can handle."

"Yeah, he's just too powerful. We can't win against him. Don't drag yourself down with it."

I looked around. Some faces were full of concern, some were filled with fear, and some were completely indifferent, staying out of it.

Everyone was urging me to back down.

Behind me, Eliana was trembling harder and harder.

If I backed down, too, she would truly have nothing left. She'd have no way out.

She would die.

And her death would merely serve to fulfill this damned man's twisted sense of unwavering love.

I gently pulled my arm free from Steven's grip and walked back, step by step, placing myself firmly in front of Eliana and Zoey, shielding them completely.

"There's no family matter here," my voice rang clear through the entire hallway. "There's only my client, Ms. Eliana Fraser."

"She just voluntarily signed the divorce agreement in front of me and clearly expressed her intent to divorce. That is her legal right, protected by law."

I pointed at the broken door, my tone turning sharper.

"Mr. Carney, you've damaged firm property, forcibly broken into the consultation room, and attempted to take my client against her will. This is no longer just a family matter. This is trespassing and attempted false imprisonment. You're breaking the law!"

The comments instantly split into two sides, arguing fiercely.

"I suddenly find the attorney rather badass! Aren't sisters teaming up against the psycho MMC much more exciting?"

"Why is this attorney so annoying? I just want my tragic story! Can't she disappear already?"

I ignored the chaotic, glaring text and quietly slipped my hand into my pocket, discreetly turning my phone's recording function on at the highest setting.

At the same time, I firmly shielded Eliana with my body, not giving Darren's men any opportunity to act.

Darren looked at me and let out a low chuckle.

"You really have a way with words, Ms. Norris. But tell me… Do you think what you said actually matters?"