“Go. Seriously. Good luck on your first day.”
She smiled, climbed into her car, and disappeared into traffic.
Ethan jumped back into his own car—never noticing that in the rush, his USB drive had slipped out of the inner pocket of his briefcase… and landed on the passenger seat of her car.
It was 7:42 when Ethan sprinted through the doors of the Cook County Civil Courthouse.
His shirt was soaked with sweat, and his flimsy briefcase looked ready to fall apart.
A security guard pointed him toward Courtroom 2B.
The hallway felt endless.
Every step was a heartbeat. Every door a threat.
He entered—and the first person he noticed was Attorney Grant Salinger.
Expensive suit. Poison smile. The look of a man who already considered himself the winner.
Beside him sat Paula Grant, the company’s payroll supervisor—dressed modestly, eyes cold as ice.
And then Ethan saw her.
Seated up front in a black robe, expression solemn, posture commanding—
the judge.
The same woman from the flat tire.
Ethan’s blood turned to ice.
For a second he thought exhaustion was playing a cruel joke.
But no.
No doubt.
The woman whose car he’d helped minutes earlier…
was now sitting on the bench.
The person who would decide whether he lost everything…
or still had a chance.
She recognized him too.
Just a blink—barely a flicker of tension across her professional face—but Ethan saw it.
Their eyes met for a second too long.
Then she returned to neutrality.
“Let’s proceed,” she said firmly. “Case number 2487-25. Grant versus Carter. Wrongful termination claim, damages, and allegation of financial misconduct.”
Ethan swallowed hard and sat beside his court-appointed lawyer, an older man named Mr. Raymond Brooks, who looked more tired than invested.
“You’re late,” Brooks muttered. “Again.”
“I know… but—”
Ethan opened his briefcase for the USB.
And felt… nothing.
He checked again.
Then again.
Then he started digging with growing panic.
Papers. Receipts. Copies. Photos.
Everything was there—
except the USB.
His heartbeat roared in his ears.
No.
No, no, no.
That drive was his only proof.
The video clearly showing Paula Grant and Attorney Salinger falsifying documents and altering records to frame him for embezzlement he never committed.
That video was his salvation.
And it was gone.
Cold sweat slid down his spine.
“Sir…” Ethan whispered, voice cracking. “I can’t find the evidence.”
Brooks looked irritated.
“What?”
“The USB… it’s not here.”