Chapter 1

After a grueling year and a half, I finally helped my client recover $600,000 in debt.

When the case wrapped up, he broke down in tears, squeezing my hand and calling me his savior.

The very next day, he vanished into thin air. Not a single cent of the agreed-upon $20,000 legal fee was paid.

When I finally cornered him, he looked me dead in the eye and claimed he had already paid me in full.

"I paid you before the case even ended!" he insisted.

"Don't believe me? Check your transaction history. Remember that time you took a cab and I reimbursed your fare?"

It hit me like a slap in the face.

His idea of a $20,000 legal fee was the fifty-dollar Uber ride he once covered.

By ten o'clock that night, the legal fee still hadn't hit my account. I sent Tyler Miller a polite reminder on Snapchat.

No reply by noon the next day.

I had no choice but to follow up.

"Mr. Miller, the settlement funds have cleared. Please don't forget to transfer the legal fee."

"..."

"Please let me know once you see this."

Another full day passed in total silence.

Even then, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I figured he was just busy.

Over the eighteen months of working on his lawsuit, we had grown closer than just attorney and client—I considered him a friend.

Besides, six hundred thousand dollars was already sitting in his bank account. What was twenty grand compared to that?

Two more days flew by. I tried reaching Tyler every way I could.

I sent over a hundred messages and called dozens of times.

Complete radio silence.

And when I tried dialing him again that afternoon, the call went straight to voicemail. He had blocked my number.

A cold knot formed in my stomach.

Was this scumbag really trying to skip out on paying me?

The problem was, Tyler lived in a small rural town two and a half hours away from the city. A five-hour round trip wasn't something I could easily do in the middle of a workweek.

Frustrated, I borrowed an out-of-state burner phone from my colleague, Sarah, and dialed his number.

The first call was instantly declined.

That actually gave me hope—it meant his phone was on.

On the second try, it rang for fifteen seconds before clicking open.

"Yeah? Who's this?"

Hearing that familiar voice, I swallowed down my rising fury.

"Hello, Mr. Miller. It's Chloe Evans. Regarding the outstanding legal fee—"

Click. Beep, beep, beep...

He hung up on me mid-sentence.

I stood frozen for a few seconds. When I dialed back, that number was blocked, too.

Furious, I used several different office lines to bombard him with calls. Eventually, he grew sick of it. When he finally answered, he unleashed a venomous tirade:

"Listen to me, Chloe Evans! Do you have a life, or are you just a pathetic stalker? Calling and texting non-stop—aren't you embarrassed? Because I'm sick to death of you!"

"It's just twenty lousy grand! Do you really have to harass me like this?"

He was the deadbeat refusing to pay, and he dared lecture me?!

"Transfer the money and you'll never hear from me again," I snapped. "You're playing dead to dodge a debt, and you're blaming me?"

"Ha!" Tyler scoffed. "To tell you the truth, I was planning to pay you. Maybe a few days late, but I was going to. But I despise your attitude!”

“ Who do you think you are, treating me like a criminal? Given your disgusting behavior, I'm not giving you a dime!"

"You're a young girl. You need to learn some basic respect. And frankly, your legal skills are mediocre at best. I bet nobody even hires you."

"Consider this pro bono practice out of the kindness of my heart. Forget about the money."

"And if you keep harassing me, I will file a formal complaint with the bar and your firm!"

Before I could get another word in, he slammed the phone down.

I stood there, shaking with pure rage.

In my eight years as an attorney, I never claimed to be a big-shot superstar, but I threw my heart and soul into every single case.

Win or lose, every single client I'd ever represented praised my dedication!

Not to mention, I just won him six hundred grand against all odds. And he had the audacity to call my work 'mediocre'?

I had seen shameless people before, but Tyler was on a whole other level.

Sarah noticed my pale face and walked over. "Chloe? What happened?"

I took a deep breath and told her everything.

"He stiffed you on the fee?" She gasped in disbelief. "How is that even possible? Don't we collect a retainer upfront?"

I slumped into my chair, letting out a bitter sigh.

It was all because of my stupid soft heart.