The guard quickly stopped in front of a heavy, narrow steel door and jerked his chin toward it. “There—you’re here to see Dale.”

“Thank you very much,” said William Carter.

James Bennett: “……”

The guard lifted a movable panel on the door, revealing a window barely big enough for a pair of eyes. In a gruff voice, he shouted inside, “Hey, kid! Your lawyer’s here to see you!”

A pair of emerald green eyes quickly appeared at the window. Just from the look in them, there was nothing friendly—if anything, they brimmed with cold hostility.

The next moment, the person inside suddenly raised a hand and, right in front of everyone, slammed the window shut with a loud “bang.”

William Carter: “……”

He was so exasperated he almost laughed, turning to ask James Bennett, “Are you sure you really scheduled this meeting?”

Is this what passes for a meeting? What a joke.

But before he could finish laughing, he noticed that Senior Lawyer Bennett behind him was leaning against the wall, watching him with a deadpan expression.

William Carter instinctively wanted to ask, “Who died and made you this grim?” but before he could speak, he suddenly realized how much he’d been stealing Senior Lawyer Bennett’s thunder all along.

Old habits die hard.

He pressed his nose and coughed awkwardly, stepping aside. “Hey? Why’d you end up in the back?”

James Bennett: “………………”

Rarely had he met someone so shameless.

James Bennett stared at him coldly for a moment, then moved his lips. “Not going to continue, Senior Lawyer Harris?”

William Carter gave a couple of dry laughs and waved his hand. “You’re the teacher, you go ahead.”

To ease the awkwardness, this guy could drop his pride at a moment’s notice—after all, no one here knew him.

After speaking, he pointed at the tightly shut little window and asked, “When we got off the shuttle, I clearly heard you talking to him over comms. Why is this kid acting like he doesn’t know you now?”

Making a mistake and then immediately changing the subject without even blushing—James Bennett was truly impressed by this intern.

Still, he replied coolly, “I had the guard transfer the call to him. As soon as I finished, I hung up. If a one-sided notification counts as a conversation, then yes, we talked.”

The guard, looking perfectly justified and used to this, pointed at the window. “Transferred it. Opened the window so he could hear.”

William Carter: “……”

Fair enough.

William Carter stepped aside, and James Bennett naturally took the lead. He pointed at the steel door. “Please, open the door.”

“Are you sure? With that attitude, you still want to see him?” the guard grumbled, but still opened the door. As he did, he gripped the electric baton at his waist, ready to pull it out at any moment.

William Carter, however, pressed down on his hand, signaling that there was no need to be so on guard.

In fact, as he and James Bennett entered one after the other, the kid named Joshua Dale didn’t do anything.

He just sat there, staring coldly at the two of them, then snorted and turned his head away.

Only now did William Carter get a good look at this troublesome kid.

He had thick black hair, quite long, tied in a braid at the back, but it was obvious it hadn’t been washed in days—messy and unkempt. His eyes were emerald green, and because his cheeks were so thin, his eyes looked especially large, with deep sockets.

His lips were even thinner than James Bennett’s, so when he pressed them together, his face took on a sharp, mean look.

Actually, James Bennett had that same sharpness, but his every move was always so proper that it came across as a kind of cold handsomeness.

But this brat in front of him…

He was only fourteen, after all, so even his meanness felt a bit forced.

“I’m the lawyer taking over your case. I spoke with you before,” said James Bennett.

William Carter: “……” You really have the nerve to say that out loud?

Joshua Dale seemed equally annoyed by this so-called “conversation,” his expression showing deep disgust. But he didn’t say anything more; it seemed he’d already expressed all his feelings when he slammed the window shut and had no desire to speak again.

“I’m only here to meet you, so you’ll recognize my face,” James Bennett said coolly, unfazed by the silence. “No matter what your attitude is now, I hope that next time we meet, you’ll tell me everything truthfully and completely.”

Something about these words seemed to hit a nerve with Joshua Dale, and he finally spoke. “Tell you? What’s the point of telling you? The last one, and the one before that, all said the same damn thing, and what happened?”

He kicked the metal wall. “I’m still stuck in this disgusting place!”

“You can give it a try,” James Bennett replied, completely unmoved by his outburst, his tone still cold.

“Try my ass! I’m innocent! I didn’t do it! Why the hell should I sit here and wait for one person after another to come and tell me to ‘try’? If you’ve got the guts, get me out of here first, then talk about trying! If you can’t, then get lost—” Joshua Dale shouted, nearly losing control.

William Carter chuckled from the side. “You’re about to spit blood just from talking—how do you expect anyone to get you bail? The judge at your hearing will take one look at your face and immediately reject your application.”

Joshua Dale glared at him, panting. “More bullshit! If I could get bail, would I still be stuck here?!”