Chapter 543 Are You and My Master in a Relationship?
The key point was the word "returned."
From what she said, it seemed she hoped Ashley would never come back.
"I did come back," Ashley said, clearly not fond of her.
Lynn instinctively moved a step closer to Sean, as if declaring her territory, "Do you have a court case too?"
Ashley noticed her small gesture and said calmly, "To be precise, it's yours."
Lynn was quick to react. She looked at Sean in disbelief, "Mr. Ross, the external help you found is Ms. Astor?"
Sean had a slight, warm smile, especially comforting in the dead of winter, "Yes, Ms. Astor is extremely professional, even better than I expected. Without her help, this case wouldn't have progressed as quickly as it has."
Sean often praised his new top-notch assistant during law firm meetings, and everyone was curious about who it was. He would just smile and say he would introduce them in due time.
His serene expression was like he was holding a precious treasure.
So, the person Sean recognized and praised was Ashley!
Why her? What qualifications did she have?
Lynn forced an awkward smile, "I heard Ms. Astor's license was revoked. Is this legal?"
As a professional lawyer, Lynn knew the legal definitions well. She just wanted Sean to say it out loud and embarrass Ashley.
Ashley remained silent, and Sean spoke first, "She has an international law certificate and a Sylvania law license. She is one of the top lawyers at SylvaniaIK Law Firm. Our case involves international law and cross-border disputes. Fortunately, Ms. Astor was willing to help me out. Otherwise, finding someone of her caliber would have greatly exceeded our budget and time constraints."
Sean explained a lot, and his words were full of praise for Ashley, while his own contributions were deliberately downplayed.
Lynn felt like she had been slapped in the face, and her heart was even more uncomfortable. She gritted her teeth and reluctantly said, "Is that so? Time's up, let's go in, Mr. Ross."
Ashley caught Lynn's micro-expression, took a step forward, and smirked.
Lynn's intention to cling to Sean was too obvious.
She really knew how to pick her targets.
The case was complicated, and the trial lasted more than three hours. The first trial resulted in a loss for the opposing party, who immediately appealed the court's decision.
Ashley listened to the prosecution's arguments throughout and had a strategy in mind.
After the trial, she briefly discussed with Sean, "Their appeal will likely focus on the defendant's family relationships. After all, human emotions play a role outside the law, and children can easily sway the jury. However, since there is no extradition treaty between the two countries, crimes committed domestically should be punished domestically. The jury's sympathy can only slightly reduce the sentence and execution time, but the main principles cannot be relaxed. This way, we can actively seek more financial compensation for our client, at least increasing it by one percent."
Financial crimes involving large sums of money meant that one percent could be millions of dollars.
Sean agreed with her view and nodded after serious consideration, "The defendant's child is only nine months old and still breastfeeding. The court may delay the prison sentence. If they have more time, they will use various tactics and actively apply for bail. We need to prevent this from happening."
Ashley was also quite angry about this, "That's their despicable nature. They don't consider their family when committing crimes, but use their wife and children as shields when facing legal consequences. Financial crimes combined with intentional harm should have landed him in prison today. I can't believe his wife forgave his infidelity and came all the way here with their child to gain sympathy. It's a clever tactic."
Sean could tell that Ashley's disdain for the defendant's character was even stronger than for the crime itself, "The survival rule of shameless people is indeed shamelessness."
"Who says otherwise?" Ashley thought of Chad's shameless face and sneered.
Lynn stood nearby with the documents, wanting to interject several times but unable to get a word in.
Ashley and Sean seemed very in sync, like long-term partners.
As an assistant who usually handled everything, she now felt redundant.
Lynn bit her lip in frustration, her face darkening.
Samantha leaned against the porch, hands in her pockets, casually observing everything.
She secretly took a photo of Ashley and Sean chatting and sent it out, along with a text message: [They seem to be getting along very well.]
With Damian's strong possessiveness, how would he react to seeing Ashley with someone else?
After all, she was just following Damian's orders to report Ashley's whereabouts in real-time.
As expected, there was no reply to the text.
After finishing their business, Sean felt delighted. He and Ashley not only shared similar life philosophies but also had identical work approaches. Talking to her was a great pleasure.
"Lynn."
Finally hearing her name, Lynn smiled, "Mr. Ross, shall we go?"
Sean, still in high spirits, said, "Book a restaurant. I want to treat Ms. Astor to dinner."
Lynn's smile froze instantly!
Back at Sky Balance Law Firm, she and Ashley were equals. Even if their treatment was different, at least she didn't have to serve her. Now, she had to book a restaurant for Ashley?!
Ashley glanced at her face and decisively said, "I have other things to do, so dinner isn't necessary. Maybe another time..."
Before she could finish, an excited voice called out, "Master! Master!!"
Ashley and Sean turned simultaneously to see Hannah running towards them, excitedly waving her arms.
She was carrying a thick down jacket on her arm, wearing a professional suit, with her long hair tied in a high ponytail. Her fresh face had light makeup, looking more refined and capable than the naive girl who had just graduated two years ago.
Ashley raised an eyebrow, "Hannah? Are you handling cases on your own now?"
There was a sense of pride in seeing her student mature.
Hannah smiled proudly, "The director let me try, and I won! It was a small civil case, nothing compared to you, Master!"
Ashley naturally reached out to ruffle her hair, "Not bad! To celebrate your victory, I'll treat you to dinner."
Hannah's eyes lit up as she looked at Sean, "Sean, are you dating my master? I saw you two looking very close from afar!"
Ashley was about to explain when Sean smiled, "That depends on whether Ashley likes me."
His light-hearted self-deprecation eased the awkwardness.
They all laughed, except for Lynn, whose face grew darker.
Hannah pretended not to see her and held onto Ashley's arm, "The director said you were back but wouldn't let me bother you. So annoying! Today, I won't let go of you, Master!"
Sean looked at her kindly, "I'm really envious of you, being able to monopolize Ms. Astor. She wouldn't even give me the time of day for dinner."
He still spoke in a joking tone.
Hannah blinked, "Sean, keep trying. Lynn, you're here too? I heard you're assisting Sean. Please take good care of him; he's lost weight."
Lynn nearly ground her teeth to dust!
It was bad enough to suffer in one place, but even after moving to Justice Peak Law Firm, she couldn't escape being mocked by these two bitches!
Ashley said a simple goodbye, "Mr. Ross, let's stay in touch."
Then she walked away.
Sean watched their cheerful backs, his gaze growing softer.
Lynn gritted her teeth, her blood pressure rising.
In the car, while driving, Lynn asked nonchalantly, "Mr. Ross, do you like Ms. Astor?"
"Why do you ask?" Sean opened a file and saw Ashley's handwritten notes in the margins, her handwriting elegant and reflective of her personality.
Lynn gripped the steering wheel, her eyes cold, "I used to work with Ashley and know a lot of her dirty secrets. Actually, Ashley had inappropriate relationships with every male partner at Sky Balance Law Firm. Some say she used her body to gain her position and resources. Her private life is filthy, and she even had an affair with Mr. Hearst. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten the KM case. I don't want to gossip, but I'm worried she'll deceive you. Her tactics are too clever, and you're too kind, Mr. Ross. And Hannah, she's young but very cunning. She's Harold's cousin and often uses backdoor methods. She's very manipulative, so be careful of her."
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