Chapter 100
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Urban pulled his hand back, glanced at Pandora as she walked over, and shoved his hands into his pockets, raising an eyebrow. “What’s there to congratulate? This lawsuit was pointless from the start.”
For a split second, Pandora’s face twisted, but she quickly smoothed it out.
She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and lowered her gaze. “Brother, don’t blame Dad. He only did this because he was worried I’d get taken advantage of, being a girl and all.”
Urban looked at her with a lazy smile. “Yeah, the old man’s definitely lost his marbles.”
Pandora had thought that acting soft would get Urban to say something nice, but she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her hand clenched tightly at her side, and a flash of unwillingness crossed her face.
He caught every one of those little gestures, a hint of mockery tugging at his lips as he turned to Maxine. “This case is going to get a lot of attention. Come with me out the back. There’ll probably be reporters swarming the main entrance.”
Maxine shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just call a ride myself.”
The Soto family was a tangled mess, and Urban was no exception. If it hadn’t been for her friend’s request, Maxine wouldn’t have touched this case. Now that the verdict was out, she had no intention of getting further involved with Urban.
Sensing her deliberate distance, Urban didn’t push. He simply nodded and left with his secretary.
Maxine slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out. Sure enough, there was a crowd of reporters gathered at the courthouse entrance, and as soon as she stepped outside, all eyes turned her way.
But since Maxine was dressed so formally today, they just assumed she was a regular court employee and didn’t pay her much attention. She walked over to the curb, pulled out her phone, and opened a ride–hailing app to head home.
“Maxine!” Someone grabbed her from behind. A woman’s voice rang out, full of excitement, “Do you remember me? I’m your mom!”
Maxine turned around to see a middle–aged woman, beaming as she held onto her. Next to her was a little boy in worn–out clothes, happily licking a lollipop.
The woman had put on some weight, and her skin was rough and dull from years of hard work, but Maxine could still make
t traces of how she used to look.
Maxine’s face stayed blank as she said flatly, “Mona Parks.”
Mona nodded eagerly. “Yes, it’s me. After I left home, I missed you so much. I spent ages trying to find you, and finally heard you were working a case for Urban. I came by today hoping to see you, and I can’t believe I actually found you!”
Seeing how excited she was, Maxine couldn’t help but remember that blurry memory of her mother’s back as she walked away, leaving her behind.
When Maxine was eighteen, the police showed up at her dad’s workplace and took him away, saying he was involved in a fraud case.
Her father had always been an honest man, but just a few phone calls were enough for people to call him a scammer. While he was in custody, unable to take the shame, he ended his own life.
No one wanted to help the family of a so–called criminal. Maxine scraped together whatever money she could to buy an urn and a burial plot, but before she could even lay her father to rest, Mona ran off with someone else.
She left Maxine all alone, with only her father’s ashes for company.
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Chapter 100
From then on, Maxine was branded “the scammer’s kid.” Everyone looked at her differently, mocking her as the daughter of a liar, an orphan with no parents.
Maxine gritted her teeth and survived those two months of darkness, finally getting the score she needed on her SAT.
She gave up her dream of becoming a doctor and put all her hopes into the law program at Ashwood University, one of the best in the country, swearing that as long as she lived, she’d clear her father’s name and get justice for him.
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