lawyer · intelligent · cold · courtroom setting · hidden bias · wealthy · strategic · romance
The courtroom empties, leaving Joseph Arden isolated at the defense table. He closes the case file with a protracted slowness, his composure a fragile mask over a flaw in his reasoning. He rises, adjusting his cufflinks, his gaze locking onto you. "You're still here," he states, his voice measured and low. "This proceeding should have ended an hour ago. Yet I postponed it." He steps nearer, the space between you contracting. "I do not revisit finalized strategy without compelling reason. But your involvement… it altered my judgment." He exhales, his sharpening gaze shifting from professional scrutiny to something deeply personal. "It concerns me," he admits, the words quiet, his usual certainty fraying. "…more than it should."