The Billionaire's Forbidden Longing

Seeing how chummy they were, Allison figured they knew each other.

Thalia turned to Allison, "Ms. Bennett, I didn't expect you to have ties with the Carter family. Small world, huh?"

"Totally a small world!" Liliana beamed. "Allison, Thalia's teacher is the top lawyer for the Carter Group, Francis Vasquez. With her on your side, this case is as good as won!" Feeling more at ease hearing Liliana's words, Allison followed them into the conference room.

Ronan's eyes narrowed when he saw Thalia. "Didn't think she'd get you as her lawyer."

Thalia didn't back down. "What, are you scared?"

"Scared? Of a newbie like you? Get real."

They traded a few more jabs before everyone settled into their seats.

Madeline sat across from them, glaring at Allison and Mia like she wanted to punch them.

Mia, never having been in a situation like this, was a bit jittery, but Allison stayed cool as a cucumber.

Ronan kicked things off. "Allison, I've looked into your dispute with Sophia. Sure, Sophia started it, but the real reason for your fight was you seducing her fiancé. Do you admit to that?" Ronan was sharp, no doubt. He knew how to twist things.

If Allison admitted, he'd argue she was partly to blame, making Sophia's actions seem less severe and reducing her penalty.

Allison met Ronan's gaze calmly. "Mr. Eve, you need evidence for such claims. Got any proof I seduced Sophia's fiancé?"

Madeline jumped in, "What proof do you need? A girl like you, seeing a rich guy like Everett, wouldn't you do anything to get with him?"novelbin

Mia couldn't hold back. "Everett isn't even good enough for Allison. Only Sophia is infatuated with him. Everyone knows he's a player with a string of girls."

Madeline snapped, "Shut up, you little brat!"

Liliana's face darkened. "Who are you calling a brat, Mrs. Brown? My daughter isn't someone the Brown family can mess with!"

Liliana rarely showed up at social events, but Ronan knew her well. "Ms. Carter, Madeline's just ignorant. Let's not stoop to her level. This issue between the kids isn't that serious. How about we just drop it?" Seeing that Allison's guardian was not present, Ronan sought to first persuade Liliana to reach a settlement.

But Liliana wasn't having it. "Ronan, Allison is the primary party in this case. Mia is merely a witness. Don't lose sight of what's important!"

Ronan's smile faded, his expression turning stiff.

Seeing this, Allison exchanged a look with Thalia, who then spoke up, "The evidence is clear. Sophia intentionally harmed someone, threw acid, and kidnapped with intent to kill. Even if there's a settlement, she can't dodge legal punishment. Mr. Eve, instead of avoiding the issue, you should focus on reducing Sophia's sentence."

Ronan shot Thalia a cold look as she finished.

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A rookie female lawyer trying to challenge him? How naive.

Ronan spoke up, "This is just petty jealousy between girls. I don't think it constitutes a criminal case. So, on behalf of Sophia, I propose a suitable compensation for Allison for the previous incidents. As long as Allison is willing to settle, she can name her price!"

In Ronan's mind, Allison, a girl with no real backing, was just after money.

Sure, Allison was from the Bennett family, but in Skycrest, the Bennetts weren't a big deal. So, throwing money at the problem seemed like the best solution.

Allison shot back, "Is this how Mr. Eve earned his undefeated reputation? When your clients commit crimes, you just throw money at the problem?"

Ronan gave her a devilish smile. "From what I know, Allison, your current situation isn't great. Five years ago, she was fooling around, got pregnant out of wedlock, had an abortion, and even cut ties with the Bennett family! You're an eighteen- year-old high school senior, facing the pressure of college. Without family support, you might not even afford college!"

Ronan's words were harsh, but Allison didn't flinch. Instead, she smiled. "Do lawyers nowadays speak so irresponsibly? Do you have evidence that I fooled around and had an abortion? Which hospital, and who was the person I fooled around with? Have you seen them, Mr. Eve?"

Allison didn't want to discuss or clarify some things-not due to a lack of evidence, but because she didn't care.

Ronan thought bringing up her past would make Allison crumble and agree to the settlement. But unfortunately for him, these things meant nothing to her.

So Ronan pressed on, "Allison, I'm here to talk about a settlement calmly. You're a young girl with no background in Skycrest. It's not easy to make a name for yourself here! Don't push your luck. If you take a step back and let Sophia go, I guarantee she won't appear in front of you again. You can name your price!"

Allison stayed unmoved and glanced at Thalia, who immediately understood and spoke up, "Mr. Eve, Allison doesn't care about your client's money. We just want the criminal to be brought to justice, so no settlement!"

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This was probably the first time Ronan had been refused. No matter how he threatened or enticed, Allison wouldn't budge. Ronan angrily packed up his briefcase and left. Before leaving, Madeline shot Allison a vicious glare.

Finally, they left, and Mia breathed a sigh of relief. "Allison, don't worry. Thalia is amazing. She will definitely win this case!"

Thalia smiled at Mia. She wasn't much older than Mia, and she really liked Allison.

"Thalia, thank you!" Allison shook hands with Thalia.

Liliana chimed in, "Let's go. It's just noon. I'll treat everyone to lunch!"

They headed to a restaurant. Mia was overjoyed, pulling Allison to sit down and ordering a ton of desserts.

Allison kindly reminded, "Mia, eating so much will make you fat!"

But Mia shook her head. "Allison, you don't know how long I've been craving their desserts, a whole two weeks!" Allison felt a bit helpless.

After Liliana and Thalia sat down, they started chatting. "So, how did Allison get you as her lawyer?" Liliana asked. Thalia grinned and leaned closer. "It was all Mr. Carter," she whispered.

Liliana looked at Thalia in surprise, then at Allison, feeling that Allison might be a bit special in Alexander's eyes.