At 9:00 the next morning, Lily dragged herself into the office, dark circles under her eyes and exhaustion written all over her face.
She'd barely slept.
Every time she checked her phone, more insults appeared online — people attacking her, mocking her, even digging up her old intern photos just to smear her.
"Boss… maybe we should call the police," she muttered weakly. "This counts as cyberbullying…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper. The bright, lively spark she usually had was completely gone.
Lucas leaned back in his chair, rhythmically tapping his knuckles against the desk. He seemed utterly unfazed by the chaos.
Seeing her expression, he spoke calmly:
"Why panic? Let the noise burn itself out."
"It's already a wildfire and you're saying it's fine?!" Lily slammed her phone down and collapsed into a chair, visibly frustrated.
10:00 AM — A Digital EarthquakeOn the official website of the New York State Court of Appeals, a small, easily overlooked update appeared.
[COURT NOTICE]
Regarding the Petition for Post-Conviction Review filed on behalf of Ethan Walker, this Court finds that the evidence relied upon in the original conviction is unreliable and insufficient to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A new appellate panel will be convened to conduct a full retrial.
Hearing date: 9:00 AM, three days from today.
It was brief. Neutral. Carefully worded.
The first to notice were a handful of smaller legal bloggers who had been monitoring the case.
At first, they thought it was a glitch.
They refreshed the page.
It was still there.
"…Holy shit?"
That single whisper bloomed into an online explosion.
The comment sections — which only seconds ago were pure mockery — instantly drowned under a tidal wave of:
"HOLY SHIT???"
"WHAT— HOW???"
"THE RETRIAL GOT APPROVED???"
"Is this real? Am I hallucinating?"
"No way. No way. This wasn't the script!"
"What happened to the 'instant rejection'? Didn't they call him a clown yesterday?"
"'Unclear facts, insufficient evidence'… The Court just slapped the old ruling in the face."
"He actually did it. A two-person firm on life support… and he blew apart an ironclad conviction?"
People who mocked Lucas the hardest yesterday suddenly felt their cheeks heat up.
"It feels like I got slapped, even though no one touched me…"
"Jesus Christ, my face is burning."
Public opinion flipped so fast it nearly snapped its own neck.
The Legal Community EruptsAttorney group chats, legal forums, private bar associations — chaos everywhere.
"They're out of their minds! Does anyone have the full petition Lucas Carter filed? I'll pay serious money!"
"A friend inside the Court told me his petition was airtight — brutal logic, obscure statutes used surgically, straight into the weak points of the original judgment!"
"He didn't criticize the ruling — he dissected it like a frog under a microscope! The reviewing judge pulled the entire case file overnight!"
"Who the hell is this guy? Some hidden prodigy? Some D.C. monster in disguise?"
"Nope. Checked his background. He's in his twenties. His firm really is almost bankrupt. Is this dude… a genius?"
8 PM — Dr. Doyle's Livestream Goes NuclearDr. Lawrence Doyle — the country's most respected criminal law scholar — was mid-lecture when his chat suddenly flooded with:
"PROFESSOR DOYLE! THE RETRIAL GOT APPROVED!"
"Professor, you got blindsided!"
"Please explain! What's happening?!"
He paused, confused, and had his assistant pull up the Court's announcement.
In front of tens of thousands of viewers, he read it.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
His expression shifted:
Confusion → disbelief → something like solemn respect.
After a long silence, he addressed the camera — his tone heavier than the night before:
"…I must admit, I underestimated Attorney Carter yesterday. I was wrong."
"There is only one reason the Court of Appeals would grant a full retrial:
Lucas must have used a rare but perfectly valid legal doctrine, or presented preliminary evidence so compelling that the Court had no choice but to intervene."
"This petition did not follow conventional defense pathways.
It struck the very foundation of the original judgment."
"This man… is no ordinary lawyer."
"He is a tactician. A strategist. A master."
"I take back everything I said. And now? I can't wait for the hearing.
This will be a battle worth witnessing."
The internet went insane.
Meanwhile — Veronica and Zack's ApartmentVeronica's smile died first.
"How… how is this happening?" she whispered, trembling.
Zack stared at the livestream, jaw clenched.
"Damn it…"
He slammed his fist into the couch.
"Didn't Kang tell us everything was foolproof? We paid him a hundred grand!"
He grabbed his phone and dialed furiously.
"Attorney Kang! Explain. Right now."
On the other end, Attorney Zachary Kang's voice was lazy, dismissive.
"What's the panic? It's just preliminary review. It means nothing."
"What do you think the Court is? Without bombshell new evidence, he can't overturn a conviction with words."
He scoffed.
"I'll be there in person on the hearing day. I want to see which hot-headed junior thinks he can challenge me in my own courtroom."
"That kid, Lucas? I'll break him."
Zack's expression eased.
"You hear that, babe? Kang says it's nothing. Lucas is done."
But Veronica couldn't shake the cold dread spreading through her chest.
Something was slipping out of their control.
Carter & Associates"AAAAAAAAHHHHH—!"
Lily screeched loud enough to rattle the ceiling.
Then she launched herself at Lucas like an excited koala, legs wrapping tightly around his waist, arms clinging to his shoulders as she laughed breathlessly.
"Boss!! We won! We actually won!! The Court approved it! You're incredible! You're a god!"
Her body pressed against him, soft curves molding to his back, her excitement making her entire frame tremble.
Lucas nearly lost his breath from the sudden squeeze.
He steadied her, placed a firm hand on her thigh and—
"Down."
"…Oh—!"
Realizing how compromising the position was, she sprang off him like she'd touched an electric wire.
Her face flushed scarlet as she clasped her hands behind her back.
"I—I didn't mean it, I just got excited…"
Lucas smoothed out his shirt, unfazed.
"As a lawyer," he said evenly, "no matter the victory or the defeat, you stay calm. Emotion is the enemy of professionalism."
"That's your first lesson."
Lily nodded vigorously, staring at him with something close to awe.
Lucas returned to his desk and gave a silent command to the system in his mind:
"Continue collecting evidence."
[Processing… Retrieving Evidence ~4, ~5, ~6…]
The next two days were tense but efficient.
Every day, Lucas extracted three new pieces of evidence.
Lily reviewed each document until she memorized every detail.
From chat logs
to collusion recordings
to blackmail audio
to forensic inconsistencies
to bribery surveillance footage—
The deeper she went, the more horrified she became.
And the more she understood Lucas's composure.
He wasn't being arrogant.
He was prepared.
Trial Eve — Midnight[Ding. Final evidence acquired.]
[System Objective: Overturn Ethan Walker's conviction. (Key Evidence 11/11)]
Lucas opened a folder titled FINAL CASE FILE.
After a long moment, he exhaled, smoke swirling around him.
His eyes turned cold, sharp enough to cut steel.
The law is a weapon against the wicked —
not a shield for the corrupt.