Chapter 11: Unexpected Transfer

Chicago Branch Blacksheep Firm Headquarters was located downtown near the financial district. The firm occupied the 18th to 27th floors of a 38-storey commercial high-rise building. The party that took place the previous night was held on the 27th floor, specifically reserved for such occasions.

As for Damian, his office was basically an open bullpen area, with four desks set up at the four corners of the room, giving associates some level of privacy while leaving a massive space at the center where flower vases were kept.

Meanwhile, senior associates like Adrian had glass-walled offices. Though not completely private, they offered a better level of privacy than what regular associates received.

The partner corner office overlooked the city, and there was a sealed war room used only for major cases.

As head of the corporate litigation department, this floor was Senior Partner Eleanor Price’s domain, a place she ran like a dictator. This was why Damian never voiced his unfair treatment.

While he knew the lady was not directly involved, he was certain she had a clue and simply chose to ignore it. Willful ignorance was as good as participation.

Today was different though. The moment the elevator doors slid open, revealing Eleanor and Martin, head of the criminal defense division, the deep frowns on their faces made it clear the conversation wasn’t pleasant. When their eyes snapped in his direction, he knew he was the subject of discussion.

’Don’t tell me I’m getting fired after giving up a day of fun for work.’

He was genuinely stunned. Damian didn’t expect Victor would dare fire him after his laughable open attempt to woo his wife. Even if the man lacked self-control, he wasn’t stupid. Throwing Damian out after such a public incident would deal a major blow to his reputation and the company by extension.

That was why Damian was shocked to see them here.

Immediately, the two began approaching, and Damian instantly started hitting the close button frantically. It took what felt like forever for the doors to move, and when they finally did, the duo were already holding each side with stern gazes as they both blurted out,

“We need to talk!”

Then they turned and gave each other a menacing stare.

“I’m innocent!”

Those were the only words he could think of.

___ Senior Partner’s Office ____

“Wait, I’m not getting fired?” Damian blinked, surprise evident in his voice.

Eleanor stood behind her desk, staring at the city skyline, while Martin leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. The tension in the room was heavy, almost as if the two might break into a physical brawl.

“I don’t care what Victor says. He cannot transfer anyone he wants from my department to another. Tell him I have plans for this boy, and I’m not giving him up!”

Eleanor snapped. However, Martin shrugged off her words as if they meant nothing and countered,

“You have plans for a stunning young man who made the biggest debut in recent Blacksheep Firm history, winning a major case viewed by a nationwide audience, only to be reduced to an errand boy. Is that also part of your plans?”

Martin spoke in a level tone while adjusting his glasses.

His words stung like a bee, and a pang of guilt flashed in Eleanor’s eyes, but she quickly cast it aside and regained her composure.

“I only found out about this matter recently. I’m already straightening it out and preparing a formal apology for Mr. Hill.”

Heh.

The tense atmosphere was shattered by Damian’s chuckle. He raised his eyes to meet Eleanor’s, his disdain clearly visible.

“My career was stalled for over a year and you think an apology would be enough? What a joke.”

Damian rose to his feet, chuckling in a low yet eerily cold tone. He shifted his attention to Martin and asked,

“What is your offer?”

He asked simply.

“A high-profile case that will be rewarded with a promotion to Senior Associate if you succeed.”

“I’ll take it.”

“Excellent decision. Come with me then.”

During the entire process, Eleanor could only watch in surprise. The Damian she knew always kept his head down and his voice low. He never voiced his opinion before on anything, so she wasn’t expecting it to start today.

Martin shook his hand firmly before directing him out of the room. Before leaving, he shot Eleanor a rare mocking smile as if to declare he had won, then slammed the door behind him. Damian would have been shocked to see this, because Martin was known as the calm-headed, silent old monster who rarely spoke, but every word that came out of his mouth was gold.

Well, he didn’t have time to bother with Martin’s secret antics.

Candice stood in front of Adrian’s office, just about to enter when he came out. She froze and stared at him blatantly. The man standing before her was definitely not the man she left.

Upon seeing her, Damian’s expression didn’t change. He simply glanced past her like she was just another nobody.

“That woman… Are you two involved?”

Hazel’s voice rang from the earpiece wireless Bluetooth device attached to his left ear. However, she was actually the device itself, which was why she could see everything Damian could see.

“No.” Damian shrugged casually and muttered, “We broke up before your arrival.”

“Okay…”

Hazel didn’t pursue the matter further.

At that moment, Martin walked over, staring at Damian.

“Did you say something?”

“No. I’m just talking to my wife.”

He shook his head and then pointed at the earpiece Bluetooth device. Heads snapped in his direction upon hearing that, flashes of last night’s events reflecting in their eyes.

They had gone home questioning everything they saw. However, seeing Damian standing before them, still the same charming man he was last night, they finally realized it was true. Everything they saw last night was real.

As for Candice, she was in a bind. More than ever, she wanted to walk up to Damian and demand an explanation, but there were too many eyes on them. Even Adrian was watching her from behind the glass door.

She wasn’t sure how to approach the new Damian. He seemed completely different from the man she knew. The current him made her feel nervous.

“I see… Congratulations. Also, pack your essentials and come with me. I’ll take you to your new office.”

Martin patted his back with a smile.

With Martin hovering around Damian like a guardian angel, Candice didn’t get the chance to confront him. In the end, she was just a paralegal. How could she interrupt an equity-owning senior partner?

After packing, they took the elevator to the 20th floor, dedicated to the criminal defense division. If the 19th floor was a space that promoted interaction between staff, the 20th floor was the exact opposite. Even associates had their own private offices, interview rooms, secure file rooms, and even soundproof rooms like Martin’s office.

If the corporate litigation department represented light, the criminal defense division represented darkness.

“This will be your base of operation from now on. I hope you like the view.”

Martin said as Damian explored the 120-square-foot room with a large desk backed against the glass wall that offered a great view. There were two guest chairs, a bookshelf, a filing cabinet, and a small lounge chair in the corner.

It would have been much more spacious with less furniture, but Damian didn’t mind. This was a massive upgrade from sharing a space with three other people. During the periods when he always got useless cases while they were given decent ones, sitting among them felt extremely difficult. It was more suffocating working in an open space like that than working alone here.

“So what do you think?”

Martin’s question momentarily caught Damian’s attention, and he nodded repeatedly before admitting,

“I like it.”

Martin nodded in satisfaction.

“As for the high-profile case I promised, Clara will bring over the documents. She will aid you in this case, so feel free to use her effectively.”

“I understand.”

With that, Martin left the room, leaving Damian alone to unpack and settle into his new office.

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