Skipped at the altar, Taken by his uncle Novel

Chapter 164 After spending the whole night trying to calm herself down, Whitney felt better. It wasn't until breakfast that Klein finally took the time to ask her what had happened yesterday. Whitney felt so defeated. She'd totally botched this case. Not being trusted by her client really got to her. Honestly, it all came down to Nancy not believing in her. If Nancy had just had a little faith that she could win, maybe everything would've ended differently. Klein noticed the disappointment in her eyes. "It's nothing, really.

My client decided to settle with the hospital, so the case is closed. They don't need my help anymore," Whitney said, trying to sound casual. When Whitney got to the firm, she still couldn't get herself together. Ivan called her over to his office. "Even if things didn't turn out the way you hoped, at least you picked up some experience with cases like this," Ivan summed up. Whitney said with a self-mocking smile, "Can you even call that experience? It was over before it even got started." "Boss, do I just have one of those faces people don't trust?" she asked. Whitney was only twenty-six.

But whenever she had to face a client or step into court, she'd always dress up in her sharpest business attire, trying to look older than she really was. She couldn't help worrying that her clients might see her as just some kid who didn't know what she was doing. But after she started handling more deals and negotiations, the whole "you look too young" thing started to fade. This whole legal aid experience hit Whitney hard. It made her realize she wasn't nearly where she wanted to be yet. The gap between her and Ivan was huge.

Even compared to the other senior lawyers, she still had a long way to go. "How about this? Are you free tonight? I'll take you to Arthur and you two can have a chat," Ivan suggested. "He's got a ton of experience with cases like this. Let him show you the ropes. Next time you run into something similar, you'll be ready for it," Ivan added. Whitney got where Ivan was coming from, but honestly, she just needed some space to clear her head and process everything on her own. "Thanks, Boss, maybe next time.

Tonight I just want to go home and review what went wrong to see where I can improve," Whitney said. Ivan knew Whitney could get very stubborn sometimes. "Alright, just don't get too hung up on it. We're not God. We can't predict everything. Sometimes our opponent is just craftier," Ivan said. "Yeah," Whitney replied. If her opponent could come up with something she hadn't thought of, then that was exactly where she needed to improve. By the time work was over, Klein still hadn't reached out to her. Whitney headed home like usual.

But the moment she opened the door, she totally didn't expect to find a stranger sitting at the dining table. "Haha, so you're Klein's wife, huh?" the middle-aged man said with a friendly grin. He stood up and extended his hand gracefully. "Nice to meet you. My name's Joseph Blake. I'm a lawyer too, just like you." Klein walked out of the kitchen. "Whit, this is Joseph, my senior from when I was studying abroad. He just got back to the country today, so he stopped by for dinner." Whitney paused for a moment, and then quickly regained her composure. "Mr. Blake, please have a seat.

I'll just run upstairs to drop off my things." Ever since they got married, neither of them had ever had anyone over at their place. The only other person who'd ever come by was Lena, when she stopped by to drop something off. Whitney thought Joseph must mean a lot to Klein. Klein whipped up a meal, and Joseph joked, "Mr. Harris, am I the first guest you've ever personally cooked for, besides your wife?" Klein shot him a look.

"Don't be stingy with your advice later, chat with my wife, help her out from a lawyer's point of view, alright?" Joseph was the legal advisor for Harris Group's overseas branch, a nationally renowned lawyer, and Klein's senior from college. He'd just come back to visit family, and Klein dragged him in to play therapist for his wife. Joseph blinked. "Alright, Mr. Harris, whatever you say!" 'Man, Klein really is a real piece of work, Joseph thought helplessly. Whitney hurried upstairs, quickly fixed her makeup, swapped into a new outfit, and came back down.

No way was she going to look sloppy in front of Klein's important guest. Klein couldn't help rolling his eyes at her. 'Why's she going all out just because Joseph's here?' Klein thought, a little jealous. 'She never gets this dressed up when it's just me,' he muttered to himself. He felt a little bitter about it. At the dinner table, Joseph cleared his throat. He knew he was here to play therapist, but honestly, anyone who didn't know better would think he was just here to get a front-row seat to the couple's lovey-dovey show. 'Seriously, can't they save all the googly eyes for after I leave?

Do they really have to be this mushy with me. sitting right here?' Joseph thought, feeling like the ultimate third wheel. Meanwhile, he'd be heading back to his hotel room and a cold, lonely bed tonight. Whitney, of course, had no idea about Joseph's complaint. "Mr. Blake, let me get you some soup," she offered politely. "Oh, thanks. Hey, you can call me Joseph," Joseph said with a warm grin. Klein shot him a cold glare, his eyes practically saying, 'Back off, that's my wife!

You got a death wish or something?' Joseph chuckled, "Whit, check out your husband's jealous face." Whitney thought, 'It's rare to see someone who can hold his own against Klein. He's a good lawyer after all.' Whitney smiled and played along. "Alright, Joseph." Joseph flashed a grin. "Call me whatever you like. Honestly, getting to try Mr. Harris's cooking tonight is a real treat." Klein let out a chuckle. "Give me a break, man. Don't tease me." Whitney tilted her head, curious. "Joseph, did you guys go to the same school or something?" Joseph chuckled. "Yeah, we did.

And get this, Klein was actually my junior back then." Whitney looked genuinely surprised. "Wait, Klein, you studied law in college too?" Joseph grinned. "I bet you didn't know this, Whit. Your husband actually double-majored in finance and law. If he didn't have a family empire to take over, our professors would've done everything to keep him in the legal world!" Klein kept eating, and with a casual, almost absent-minded air, he scooped some soup into Whitney's bowl. "Drink your soup while it's still warm. We'll chat after you're done." ...Seriously?' Whitney thought, a little embarrassed.

'So this is what it's like to be a big shot, always so chill and unfazed?' Whitney thought. He looked so relaxed, like nothing could ever rattle him. Whitney couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Back when Whitney was studying law, she had been so swamped that she barely had a second to herself. She grabbed every chance she could to intern at law firms, work as an assistant, and build up her resume. Meanwhile, Klein breezed through both finance and law like it was no big deal. From the way Joseph talked, he'd probably aced all his law courses and was at the top of his class.

What Whitney didn't realize was that Klein only got into law because of a teasing comment from a girl back in the day. Klein wasn't shy about bragging. He grinned, "Sure, your husband's got some skills. But when it comes to law, Joseph is the real deal. If you ever get stuck, he's your go-to guy." It dawned on Whitney that Klein had gone all out, inviting his senior over and making this dinner special, all just for her. She'd been feeling down ever since she messed up that case. But Klein was always there for her, quietly finding ways to take care of her, even when she barely noticed.

Joseph smiled warmly. "Take it easy, Whit. We're just talking shop here, not a formal consultation or anything." Whitney was really hung up on it. She knew things could've turned out better if only she'd done more, and that nagging sense of guilt and frustration just wouldn't go away. "Joseph, how do you deal with it when you lose a case?" Whitney asked, her voice a little hesitant. Joseph grinned. "Whit, is there any lawyer out there, even the best, who can guarantee a 100% win rate in every case?" Whitney let out a laugh. "No, of course not." Joseph smiled. "Exactly.

So losing once really isn't a big deal. There are just too many uncertainties in litigation. Maybe the evidence isn't enough, or the legal relationships are tangled, or sometimes the client isn't telling the truth. Even if you think you've got rock-solid proof, all these unpredictable factors can still flip the whole case and leave you with nothing." "It's just like how no doctor can ever tell a patient that a surgery is guaranteed to be 100% risk-free," he added.

"As lawyers, the best we can do is to put ourselves in our client's shoes, think through every possible uncertainty, and do everything we can so they have the best shot at a fair and just outcome," he said. Whitney looked thoughtful, and said to Joseph, "Thanks. I think I understand now." Joseph smiled gently and said, "Don't worry about it. You're still young. If the journey ever gets tough, it's okay to pause and take a look around. There's no rush." After Joseph left, Whitney slipped her arm around Klein's and smiled sweetly.

"Honey, thank you for cooking tonight." Klein snorted, a little jealous, "So, how come you only call me honey now? Why not when we had company?" Whitney just stared, dumbfounded. Then she realized that she'd gotten so used to calling him by his name. 'Seriously? He's actually jealous about something so silly?' Whitney couldn't help but find it both funny and a little cute. "Okay, honey, my bad! Next time I'll make sure to say it in front of everyone. Or hey, if you really want, just call Joseph back and I'll say it right in front of him.

How is that?" Whitney grinned, her tone playful and sweet. "No need," Klein replied, his eyes turning intense. With a sly grin, he swept Whitney off her feet and into his arms. "Honestly, I'd rather hear you call me that when we're in bed." ...Seriously?' Whitney thought, a little embarrassed. 田 A5 Comment Send gift No Ads Dex Morgan Dex Morgan works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.