Chapter 2

“Stella, this case isn’t tough. I’m confident you’ll secure our eleventh consecutive win for the firm!”

I snapped back to reality, seeing my boss, Mr. Harrison, beaming at me, and the familiar comfort of my office.

“Don’t be so sure,” Ashley, a colleague who’d always disliked me, piped up, seizing the opportunity to mock me. “I heard the firm next door has a legal genius intern. She won countless awards in college. This time, she’s up against our chief litigator, Stella. Are you nervous?”

I swayed as I stood, staring in disbelief at the scene before me. I was actually back on the day of my first clash with Chloe—the very day her legend as a legal prodigy began!

Frantically, I shuffled through the evidence on my desk. It was meticulously organized, every photo accounted for. Just like in my previous life, Chloe walked into my office, a Boba tea in her hand.

“Stella, this is an extra one my mentor, Leo, got when he bought his. I brought it for you! It’s my first time in court, so please, go easy on me.”

In my past life, I’d drunk that tea and found myself rushing to the restroom multiple times. Had Chloe used that opportunity to peek at my case files? This time, I merely took the cup, my voice flat.

“The law is merciless!”

Without giving her a chance to respond, I clutched my evidence and drove straight to the courthouse. Half an hour later, Chloe and I stood on opposite sides of the courtroom.

“When the victim died, the defendant claimed to be at The Nightfall Club, with a witness to corroborate his alibi. However, my investigation of the Maple Street surveillance footage yesterday shows the defendant’s car leaving the scene three minutes after the victim’s death. Defense counsel, please respond.”

I presented the photos and evidence. But when I looked at Chloe, she didn’t flinch.

“Your Honor, I also have the Maple Street surveillance footage here. However, the license plate on the vehicle is not that of my client. Is it possible that the plaintiff’s attorney has tampered with the surveillance evidence?”

A collective gasp swept through the audience, and whispers erupted as people pointed fingers at me. Ashley shot me a middle finger. Over the next few minutes, I continued to present evidence, but Chloe countered each piece instantly, catching me completely off guard.

I felt myself swaying, the room spinning. This was exactly how it had happened in my past life. It was this very lawsuit that marked the beginning of Chloe’s widespread fame as a legal prodigy. She was hailed as the goddess of justice, a true savior of the legal world. Her evidence was always impeccable, and her efficiency unmatched. What took me half a month to investigate and organize, she completed in three days, drastically cutting down client fees.

“That chief litigator is a fraud! She claims to help the poor, but she’s just taking money from both sides—she can’t even win a case!”

“She’s an animal, fabricating evidence and framing people! Doesn’t she fear the victims rising from their graves to drag her to hell?!”

To prove my innocence, I worked tirelessly, day and night, risking life and limb to uncover the truth and evidence. But every time I entered the courtroom, Chloe either produced the evidence before me or proved that mine was fabricated.

The victims’ families, believing I had taken money from the killers to intentionally frame the innocent with false evidence, banded together, kidnapped me, and drowned me in the sea. My parents, desperate to find a lawyer for my case, found all doors closed. Even my fiancé, Leo, cut ties with me.

Chloe appeared in court on my behalf, telling everyone that she had found evidence proving I had committed suicide out of shame. My parents didn't believe it. They vowed to sue Chloe and see her punished, but then they were brutally murdered by the victims’ families.

Now, reborn, I would make sure Chloe exposed herself and was utterly disgraced!