Chapter 309


    Chapter 309 Shadows of The Past


    E


    The familiar scent of mahogany and fresh ink greeted me as I walked into the firm, but something felt


    different that day.


    It wasn’t a physical change in the surroundings, but a shift in the atmosphere-the type of shift that


    instantly lets you know you’ve be the topic of whispered conversations.


    Conversations halted mid-sentence, eyes diverted, and the atmosphere grew noticeably cooler. Jane


    from the legal research team was suddenly very interested in her coffee cup, while Peter from


    corporate had suddenly taken an intense interest in his shoeces.


    My inner wolf, always keen and alert, sensed the difort instantly. “It’s because of Logan”, she


    growled softly in the back of my mind. “It’s because of him and your association with him.”


    I gave a forced smile to Diane, the receptionist, trying to brush off the internal chatter of my wolf and


    the external coldness of my colleagues. “Morning, Diane,” I greeted cheerfully, though I could feel the


    strain..


    “E,” she replied, her tonecking its usual warmth. Her gaze flicked to herputer screen, avoiding


    direct eye contact.


    My heart sank. Diane had always been friendly, we had shared countless coffees and gossip during


    break time. This distant, almost clinical response wasn’t like her.


    “Ignore them. What do they know anyway?” my wolf snarled. “We don’t need their validation.”


    But it wasn’t about validation. “It’s about respect,” I answered in my mind, almost pleadingly to my wolf.


    “I’ve worked too hard to let this whole arrangement with Logan taint everything.”


    But as I moved deeper into the firm, it became painfully evident that the frosty reception wasn’t limited


    to just the foyer.


    “E,” Sarah remarked, her voice dripping with faux surprise as she approached, her stack of case


    papers in hand. “I must say, I didn’t expect to see you here today. I figured you’d be off somewhere…


    else. We all did, actually.” The insinuation was clear.


    “All of you?” I asked, filling my coffee cup at the counter. “I guess I’m popr, huh?” My words were


    genial, but I felt the exact opposite. And Sarah didn’t return my good humor. “If that’s what you want to


    call it,” she said.


    I took a deep breath, feeling my wolf bristle at thement. “Well, I’ve got cases to work on, Sarah.


    Just like any other day.” She smirked. “Right. Cases.” And with that. biting remark, she moved past me,


    but not without knocking into me. The pile of papers


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    that she held in her hand, still warm from the printer, went scattering everywhere. Instinctively, I bent


    down to help. “Here’s your chance,” my wolf whispered. “Show her you’re more than just rumors. Show


    her your heart. You’re a good person, E.”


    Gathering a handful of papers, I tried handing them back with a smile. “Quite the morning, huh?” Sarah


    hesitated, then snatched them away, her eyes cold. “I can manage,” she snapped. “But thanks.”


    Standing up, I tried to maintain myposure. “Of course, Sarah. Let me know if you need anything.”


    The rest of the walk to my office was a gauntlet of veiled remarks and pointed nces. Ben from family


    law joked loudly about how “connections” made things so much easier, while Melissa from criminalw


    raised an eyebrow and mused about “interesting bedfellows,”


    When I finally reached my office, I closed the door softly behind me, letting the weight of the morning


    sink in. The walls felt like they were closing in, the whispers growing louder even though they were now


    muffled by the solid wood of the door.


    “I told you they don’t matter,” my wolf grumbled, frustration evident. “She couldn’t even be bothered to


    show a little gratitude for helping her out.”


    “They do matter,” I shot back quietly, sitting heavily in my chair. “These are my colleagues, my peers.


    Their respect matters.”


    My wolf huffed. “So what if they want to gossip? It’s their loss.”


    “It’s not just about rumors, Ema,” I murmured, rubbing my temples. “It’s about perception. If they see


    me as just… Logan’s ything, then everything I’ve done, everything I’ve achieved- it’s all


    overshadowed.”


    My wolf growled, the sound deep and guttural. “Then prove them wrong. Let your work speak for itself.


    Show them that you’re not just a Mafia girlfriend; you’re a damn goodwyer.”


    I took a steadying breath, trying to center myself. “I know, I know. It’s just… it’s easier said than done.


    I’ve worked so hard to be here. To be seen aspetent, capable. Not just… someone’s girlfriend.”


    A softer, more reassuring voice from within responded. “Then let’s remind them of who E really is.


    Show them your strength, your grace. Your abilities. Not because of Logan, but in spite of him.”


    A small smile tugged at my lips. “Thanks. I needed that.”


    With renewed determination, I decided to put the morning behind me and get to work instead.


    Hardly half an hour passed before I already found myself swamped with paperwork. Files were


    scattered all across my desk, and myputer screen shed with new emails. Among them, one


    particr message caught my eye.


    It was from Logan. Clicking on it, I quickly scanned the attached document detailing our new case. I


    had expected something about extortion, smuggling, or maybe another high-profile heist. Instead, I


    found myself reading aboutnd disputes and allocation issues.


    It wasn’t the type of case I was ustomed to, and for a moment, I was puzzled as to why Logan was


    involving us in such a matter.


    It appeared that thend in question was straddling the boundaries of two distinct regions in the city.


    For years, it seemed, the piece ofnd had been in a sort of limbo, without a clear jurisdictional ruling


    on which region it truly belonged to.


    During this period of uncertainty, the owner of one region had seen an opportunity, and cheap


    apartments had sprung up across thend.


    Now, Logan, who had recently acquired the adjacent region, seemed to have pulled some strings. The


    land had been formally allocated to his region after his intervention.


    His ns? Tear down the apartments and establish a za. The document also hinted at conflicts


    regarding potential back-rent owed by the owner of the other region and the issue ofpensating the


    current tenants.


    I leaned back in my chair, a tad overwhelmed by theplexity of the case. But more than that, I found


    myself shocked. I’d always known Logan to be influential, but getting the local government to change


    land allocation? That was on a whole different level.


    A buzz from my inte interrupted my thoughts. “Logan is here to see you, E.”


    “Send him in.”


    The door swung open a few minutester and Logan stepped inside, looking asposed and


    polished as ever. But there was something in his eyes-a certain heaviness that I hadn’t noticed before.


    Without preamble, I dove straight in. “Thisnd dispute… it’s not our usual fare, Logan. And you


    managed to get the government to reallocatend to your region?” I paused, trying to find the right


    words. “Why this case?”


    He hesitated for a moment, those striking eyes of his meeting mine. “Remember when you asked about


    my mother once?”


    I nodded. The topic hade up briefly in one of our past conversations, and though he hadn’t shared


    much, I remembered the look of pain that had briefly clouded his features.


    “It’s about her,” Logan said softly.