When Louissa heard the exchange between Amari and Sebastian, worry immediately clouded her features. She turned to Sebastian, concerned. "Babe, please don't get angry. Maybe she just misunderstood something between the two of you. Don't escalate this. And please... don't hurt me."
Amari looked at Louissa with thinly veiled mockery. She hadn't realized until today how theatrical her cousin could be—and it disgusted her.
Before Sebastian could speak, Amari interjected. "It's not like it's only been a day or two since my dear cousin has been eyeing my position as Mrs. Clavel. You should marry her soon, Sebastian. That way she can stop wasting her time sending me messages meant to provoke me."
The moment Louissa heard the word "messages," her expression shifted. She quickly replied, "Amari, I've explained this to you multiple times. I'm not trying to ruin your family. Sebastian himself was the one who saw that I was a good woman. He felt indebted to me. We didn't do anything wrong."
Sebastian's gaze darkened with disgust. "You don't have to justify anything to her. Let's go."
As Sebastian reached out to take Louissa away from the café, Amari stopped him. "Maybe it's better if we finalize the divorce certificate today. That way we can both move on without delays or complications."
Louissa clenched her fists slightly. Sebastian had told her they were already divorced, yet their marriage was still legally binding. No certificate has been presented to prove otherwise. Her heart sank with the realization.
After a long pause, Louissa turned to Amari with surprising seriousness. "Ate, I truly have nothing to do with him. If you don't want to see us together, I'll cut off contact with him."
Then she looked at Sebastian with glistening eyes. "Sebastian, I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I'll go ahead. Please clear things up with her. Maybe she's just waiting for you to win her back." With that, Louissa turned and walked away, leaving silence in her wake.
Sebastian turned back to Amari, his expression as cold and lifeless as a drawn blade. "I'm busy. My assistant will reach out to you." And with that, he turned and followed Louissa.
Lea had been quietly observing the entire conversation from her seat. Her eyes were sharp, cold with disapproval. As Sebastian left, she turned to Amari. "Good thing you divorced that jerk. He's not worth your time. You should be angry at him."
Though it wasn't her fight, Lea couldn't contain her irritation. She felt a raw urge to slap Louissa for her brazen audacity.
"That woman is shameless," Lea muttered in her thoughts.
"Lea," Amari began thoughtfully, "didn't you say that if Sebastian loses his current legal case, he stands to lose billions?"
"Yes, why?" Lea was still distracted by her frustration when Amari's question snapped her out of it.
Amari turned to look calmly out the café window. "Lea, contact Mr. Haskel's side. Let's prepare to begin work."
Lea gasped and covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my God… You're not doing this because of love or anger, are you? You're not out for revenge, are you?"
Amari turned to her and smiled coolly. "This is just business, Lea. And besides... I find the case quite interesting."
Amari had always enjoyed tackling complex, high-profile cases. Now that her marriage to Sebastian was all but dissolved, she didn't need to consider her feelings for him. They were irrelevant.
Still in disbelief, Lea asked cautiously, "But... why help Mr. Haskel? You used to be Mrs. Clavel. You loved Sebastian deeply once. You sacrificed so much for him—"
"Exactly. I used to," Amari cut in, her voice firm. "And besides, all that's missing is the court's formal approval of our divorce. Once that's granted, we're officially done."
Lea nodded slowly. "Then what now?"
"Simple," Amari replied. "Now that I've taken the case, I'll treat it with the utmost seriousness. I don't play games with my work."
Lea nodded again, still absorbing the drastic shift in her friend. Then a thought struck her. "But in the past, you handled most of your cases remotely. Mr. Haskel specifically requested to see you in person and by name. If he finds out you're Sebastian's ex-wife—Mrs. Clavel—he may not trust you."
"Don't worry," Amari said confidently. "I know how to handle this."
Seeing her friend's resolute expression, Lea finally relented. "Okay. I'll handle the other arrangements. You also know their legal team's head—your former senior, Henry—so things should flow smoothly."
Lea couldn't help but admire the transformation in Amari. Gone was the woman broken by love; now, she was a sharp, formidable professional. Lea smiled and grabbed Amari's arm affectionately. "Come to my house tonight, Amari. I'll cook for you. We need to celebrate—finally, you're free from all that suffering!"
Both women left the café, smiles tugging at their lips. However, not far from where they walked, a car sat parked—and inside, someone watched them with seething rage. It was Sebastian.
'Amari, what the hell are you playing at?' he thought angrily, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.
After dinner at Lea's house, the two discussed the case in more detail. When the evening winded down, Amari finally left to head home.
As she arrived at her villa, one of her staff members greeted her and took her bag.
"Miss, I need to review the CCTV footage. It seems someone's been following you."