Legally bound

"Counsel, you seem a bit offshore. This is the third time I've had to call your attention back. I'm forced to adjourn this case until a later date."

The judge's words thundered in Alex's head as the gavel struck the bench, the sharp crack echoing through the silent courtroom. His eyes followed the judge until he disappeared through the door. Then, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from him, Alex sank into his seat. His vision blurred as tears welled up and slid down his cheeks. He knew the judge would've dismissed the case and ruled in his opponent's favor if not for who he was.

From across the room, his father, Mr. Cromwell, managing partner of one of New York's most powerful law firms, strode toward him. He stopped beside Alex, leaned in, and whispered firmly, "Get your game together, son." This was one of the biggest cases they'd had and with the sudden spiral in the firm he couldn't afford to mess things up but he just couldn't help it.

Without another glance, he turned and walked out, his personal assistant trailing behind.

When the last footsteps faded, Alex was left alone with the echo of his own thoughts. His world felt like it was collapsing in on itself. The words that had haunted him for weeks erupted in his mind once again:

"The choice is yours, Alex. Find my daughter and bring her to me and I'll sign the deal. If not, the offer's off the table."

Ever since that conversation with Ray Smith, the owner of New York's largest IT firm, Alex hadn't been able to think straight. This was the fourth case he had lost focus on, the fourth time his career had suffered because of a deal that had nothing to do with the law... and everything to do with his heart.

He finally stood, straightened his tie, and took slow steps toward the exit. Outside, the cool afternoon breeze brushed against his face as he unlocked his sleek 2025 Lexus LX. He slid into the leather seat and started the engine, the soft hum offering a strange kind of comfort. Without thinking twice, he drove to his favorite bar on the east side of town.

When he stepped out, his black Brunello Cucinelli suit caught the faint sunlight, and his John Fluevog shoes clicked confidently against the pavement. Heads turned. He could hear the low murmurs as he entered, subtle 'oohs' rippling through the bar. Everyone knew who he was: The Alex Cromwell, one of New York's finest attorneys.

He hated the attention. Normally, he would have slipped into his private lounge at the back,his quiet refuge, but it only opened at night. Since he couldn't bear to be anywhere else, he decided to endure the stares. He kept his head low and walked to a seat tucked away in the farthest corner, ordering his usual drink.

As he waited, his phone buzzed. The name that flashed on the screen made him smile. Emily.

Emily had been his girlfriend for the past two years; a stunning model with a growing skincare brand. Alex had funded both, even buying her the latest Mercedes-Benz GLE. Excessive? Maybe. But he loved her...or so he thought. He'd even planned to propose before the year ended... until Ray Smith's offer turned his world upside down.

He answered the call.

"Hey, babe. Where are you? Can you talk?" her voice chimed through the phone.

"Yeah, I can," he said.

"Well," she continued hesitantly, "I wanted to ask for a favor."

"Go ahead," Alex said, leaning back in his chair.

"My skincare products are here, but I need two thousand bucks to complete the payment. I didn't want to ask you, but..."

"Say less, babe," he cut in gently. "I'll have Eileen send it to you within the hour."

Her squeal of excitement made him chuckle. "Thank you! I love you, babe. Bye!"

That small exchange brought him an ounce of peace. He wasn't sure if it was Emily's voice or the cold beer that followed, but something in him finally relaxed.

He dialed Eileen, his longtime assistant.

"Please send Emily two thousand dollars," he said.

There was a pause. "But Alex," she began cautiously, "you sent her a large amount just a few days ago. What happened to that"

"Eileen, just do what I asked," he said sharply, cutting her off. He understood Eileen, with the current turn of events he couldn't risk excessive spending but when it came to Emily, he was willing to take the risk.

He ended the call, exhaled, and took another long sip of his drink.

The alcohol warmed his chest as his mind drifted back to the night he met Emily. It had been at a club in the heart of New York. He'd just won a long-standing million-dollar case and was out celebrating with his childhood best friend, Wilson. In his excitement, he ordered tequila shots for everyone in the club.

An hour later, his phone rang. He stepped outside to take the call and that was when he saw her.

A woman in a red, body-hugging mini skirt and a black backless top walked toward him, her blonde hair catching the night breeze. Her steps were slow, confident, regal even.

She stopped in front of him and smiled. "The famous Alexander Cromwell," she said softly. "It's good to finally meet you."

Their eyes met, and in that instant, Alex understood what people meant by love at first sight. Words failed him.

She introduced herself simply as Emily.

Before he could continue his reminiscing, his phone rang again. The smile faded from his lips when he saw the caller ID his father.

"Alex, I need to see you in my office in the next thirty minutes," came the deep baritone voice, and the line went dead.

Alex took slow, steady steps into the large lobby of his father's firm; Cromwell & Partners. As he made his way to the elevator, a thousand thoughts flashed through his mind. He had a fair idea why his father had summoned him, but still, he wondered. Was it about his recent absentmindedness... or had Mr. Smith changed his mind?

His thoughts were cut short by the familiar voice of his PA, Eileen, calling out from behind him.

"Alex, you're late. Your dad sent for you almost an hour ago. He'll have my head if you don't show up in his office now," she scolded gently, straightening his tie and brushing an imaginary speck from his collar.

There were always rumors about the two of them, whispers that they were having an affair. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Eileen was like the big sister he never had, though he actually had two younger siblings, twins still in college, who adored and looked up to him. They'd worked together since he became an attorney nearly seven years ago, and she'd looked out for him ever since.

"I'm going in now," he said with a small nod.

"Knock,knock"

"Come in," came his father's deep, measured voice.

Alex tapped lightly on the glass-paneled door and stepped inside. The familiar scent of whiskey greeted him. Everything in the room was sleek, sharp, and expensive the kind of space that didn't need to announce power; it radiated it.

The walls were lined with framed newspaper covers and plaques, each perfectly aligned. CROMWELL WINS ANOTHER LANDMARK CASE. NEW YORK'S LEGAL ICON. THE MAN BEHIND THE CITY'S BIGGEST DEALS. The bold headlines caught the light as Alex walked past them, each one whispering reminders of a legacy that left no room for failure.

A sleek brown desk anchored the room minimalist yet commanding. Behind it sat Mr. Cromwell, dressed in a charcoal suit that looked as though it had been tailored to his authority. A half-full glass of amber whiskey rested beside his laptop, untouched. He sensed trouble, his father only drank whiskey when there was trouble or he was extremely happy

Before Alex could speak, a calm, graceful, and unexpected voice broke the silence.

"What took you so long, Alex?"

He turned sharply. His mother sat on the cream sophisticated sofa in the corner of the office, legs crossed, posture elegant yet firm. She wore a white long dress that screamed "Elegance." He had always admired his mother's style right from when he was a child.

"Mom?" he said, brows rising. She almost never came to the firm. The last time she had was two years ago on a surprise visit. This clearly wasn't one of those.

"I almost thought you weren't coming," she said with a faint smile. "You're never late. Sit down, son. Your father and I need to discuss something with you. I had to come in because things are getting out of hand."

He sat in the black leather chair opposite his father staring into the white ceiling. For a long moment, the room was still. Then, his father's voice broke through the silence.

"Starlife Incorporated called a few hours ago," Mr. Cromwell said, his tone steady but his eyes clouded with quiet defeat. "They've decided to terminate their contract with us by the end of the month."

Alex froze. His heartbeat quickened, and a heavy silence pressed down on him. Starlife was their biggest client, with countless subsidiaries also under contract. Their influence had drawn other major companies to the firm. Losing them could mean the end of everything.

After a long pause, he managed to speak. "But... Dad, I could go and see them. Maybe we could come to an agreement."

His father gave a weary sigh. "You think I haven't tried that?"

It was the third major client they were about to lose since the scandal broke.

"Okay," Alex said quietly, looking between his parents. "What do we do now, then?"

"You need to agree to Mr. Smith's offer," his mother said, breaking the silence.

"Mom. No, no, no. There are other ways to fix this," Alex said, his voice rising with frustration.

"Well, son," she replied calmly, "the CEO of Starlife and Mr. Smith are old friends. If we sign Mr. Smith as a client and accept his offer, one word from him to Starlife's CEO will be enough to save this firm."

Alex ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Mom, it's not that simple. Finding his daughter who's been gone for who knows how long and bringing her back to him? She's an adult. She made her choice. And how do you expect my girlfriend to take this?"

His mother's eyes narrowed slightly at the word girlfriend. Her disapproval was no secret. She'd always said Emily was only after his money, but Alex refused to believe that. Emily loved him. She had to.

He and his mother went back and forth, his voice rising and falling but his mother's voice steadily calm until his father finally spoke calm, heavy, final.

"Alex," he said, his voice quieter now, almost breaking, "our family is depending on you to do this. He didn't ask you to marry her, just to find her and bring her back. My legacy everything I've built over the past forty years depends on this one decision."

Alex stared at him, stunned. His father's hand trembled slightly as he lifted the glass of whiskey to his lips. His father was the strongest man he knew, dealt with every situation so gracefully. He had never seen him like this before.

His chest tightened. In that moment, Alex realized he was standing on the edge of two worlds his father's legacy on one side, and his own sanity on the other.

Alex walked straight to Eileen's office as his custom was whenever he was in a fix. Her office was right beside his, a space that always smelled faintly of vanilla and paper just like her. It was almost therapeutic. He needed that calm right now.

As he walked in, the first thing he noticed was a bouquet of fresh white roses on her desk, paired with an unopened box of chocolates wrapped neatly in gold foil.

"Someone's got a new suitor?" he teased lightly as he made his way to the chair in front of hers.

Eileen chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, maybe... maybe not," she said with a faint smile the kind that didn't quite reach her eyes. For all her beauty and brilliance, Eileen had never had the best of luck with relationships. She often joked that men found her too independent, too sharp, too much. But Alex knew it wasn't her; it was them.

She leaned forward, folding her hands on the desk. "Anyway, what was all that about? As soon as I saw your mum walk into the building, I knew there was trouble. Talk to me."

"It's Mr. Smith... again," Alex replied, his voice heavy with frustration. He sank into the seat, rubbing the bridge of his nose before recounting what had happened in his father's office. Eileen listened intently, her expression shifting between concern and calculation. She could easily pass as his best friend because, in truth, she was.

Silence stretched between them for a moment after he finished. The hum of the air conditioner filled the space until Eileen finally spoke. "Alex, your parents may never forgive you if you don't do this. Need I remind you that your legal future is at stake as well? Your father's nearing retirement, and we both know you'll be taking over as managing partner soon. But there'll be nothing left to take over if you let this fall apart."

She paused, watching his reaction. "And besides, like your parents said, Mr. Smith isn't exactly asking you to marry her..."

Alex cut in sharply. "But we both know that's where this is headed. He's always wanted me to marry her ever since primary school, when she told him she had a crush on me."

Eileen blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. "Wait, what?" she said, leaning forward. "Run that by me again."

Alex sighed and leaned back in his chair. "It's a long story."

He recounted how, back in fifth grade, Lily Smith had been his classmate. He didn't know at the time that his father was already giving legal counsel to Mr. Smith, who was just starting one of his tech subsidiaries. When their parents realized the connection, Alex and Lily quickly became inseparable until everything fell apart.

"She told the entire class including her dad that she had a crush on me," he said, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Everyone teased me for weeks. I was mortified. I stopped talking to her, and never did till she left the school when they moved. I heard her mum died as well when she was in college but well....

Eileen laughed so hard she almost dropped her pen. "You're kidding! After all these years, this is what it's about?" she said, still grinning. "No wonder he's obsessed with this whole thing."

"Yeah, well," Alex muttered.

"Alex and Lily, sitting on a tree, K-I-" she began to sing before he interrupted.

"Eileen, stop it!" he snapped, though a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "This isn't funny. What am I supposed to tell my girlfriend? That I'm leaving town to find another woman? That's insane. And even if I do find Lily, what makes you think she'd want to see me? From what I've heard from Mr. Smith, she's cut him off completely. She wants nothing to do with him." He sighed. "I feel terrible for the guy first his wife dies, now his daughter's gone. But this? This is too much."

Eileen tilted her head, studying him. "I hate to break it to you, but your girlfriend will be the first to leave your sorry ass if you lose everything."

He froze, her words stinging more than he wanted to admit. "Emily's not like that," he said defensively, but Eileen's raised brow said she wasn't convinced.

He ignored her and leaned forward. "Eileen, when I'm in a fix, my solutions come from either you, Dad or mom. This time, it's only you. What do I do?"

She stared at him for a few seconds; her eyes softer now, almost pitying. "Alex, I hate to say it, but there's only one option on the table. Take it, and maybe all this gets resolved. Leave it, and watch your family's legacy crumble to the ground and live with the guilt."

She hesitated, then added, "And just so you know, rumor has it that AB Partners has made an offer to Mr. Smith too. If he doesn't get a response from us soon, he'll gladly take theirs."

A deep frown carved into Alex's face. AB Partne, his sworn rivals. His father might have brushed them off as competition, but Alex despised them. The last case he lost had been against them, and the defeat had bruised his ego so badly he still hadn't recovered.

"AB Partners, you say?" he muttered. "Ha! Maybe I should just take Mr. Smith's offer after all."

Eileen smiled faintly. She knew exactly which buttons to press. "That's what I thought."

Just then, the door burst open, and one of the paralegals stumbled in, clutching a newspaper. Her face was pale. "Ms. Eileen... you both need to see this."

She held up the front page for them to see. The bold headline screamed across the top:

NEW YORK'S ELITE LAW FIRM - BUILT ON LIES?

Underneath was a photo of their firm's glass building gleaming in the morning sun, framed like a symbol of hypocrisy.

"Oh, shit," Alex muttered, his stomach twisting. "I thought the blogs had moved on from this."

For the past month, their firm had been fighting to recover from a scandal that had nearly destroyed their reputation. One of their senior lawyers had fabricated evidence in a high-profile case and lied under oath. When the truth came out, it was a media storm. The attorney for the plaintiff exposed everything, and headlines had been merciless ever since.

Alex still blamed himself. He had been scheduled to work on that case but had taken a last-minute vacation. The guilt ate at him daily. But no one had suffered more than his father. Known for his integrity "honest to a fault," the press used to say. Mr. Cromwell had been branded a hypocrite overnight. He didn't leave his room for three days. Three of their major clients had pulled out. And now, if Starlife terminated its contract too, the firm would drown in debt.

Mr. Smith had seen the opening and swooped in with his offer. But now, Alex couldn't help wondering if Mr. Smith himself had something to do with Starlife's sudden change of heart.

"Is this today's paper?" Eileen asked the paralegal. The young woman nodded silently. Eileen sighed, motioning for her to drop it on the desk and leave.

When the door closed, the room went quiet again.

"This is getting worse than I thought," Alex said finally, running a hand through his hair and pacing the floor.

He walked out of Eileen's office after letting out a loud sigh, his reflection flashing briefly in the glass wall as he disappeared down the hall.