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Carmella, seemingly taken aback, responded with an affronted look. "Oh, I didn't think it was necessary."

"It is necessary," I shot back, my patience wearing thin. "This is not your office. You can't just barge in whenever you please."

Her eyes narrowed, condescension lacing her voice. "I just wanted to talk about the Johnson case."

"I don't see anything to talk about," I shot back, my patience with Carmella wearing thin.

"Oh, there certainly is," Carmella continued, disregarding my obvious disinterest. Before I could retort that I had no intention of listening, she pressed on, "In fact, the reason I'm here is because, well, now that I'm handling the case, I need to collect your group's findings on it."

I was astounded. Carmella’s shamelessness never failed to amaze me.

"Collect our findings?" I repeated with disbelief creeping into my tone.

I couldn't help but laugh at her audacity. "You must be joking. First, you swoop in to take over the case, and now you want our hard-earned research, too?"

Carmella shrugged nonchalantly, her arrogance on full display. "I didn't 'take over' the case. I just mentioned to Mr. Gilbert that I'd be up for something challenging. Next thing I know, he hands me the Johnson case."

"Challenging?" I snorted.

It was ironic, almost laughable. Carmella, seeking a challenging case? The very idea seemed like a poorly written joke. How could she handle the complexity of the Johnson case when she struggled with the ones she currently managed? Her misguided sense of her abilities was truly something to behold.

Several times, Carmella had come dangerously close to derailing her cases if not for the heroic efforts of her team, who often worked overtime.

I leaned back in my chair, contemplating the absurdity of it all. I couldn't help but think about all the times she had stumbled over cases, seeking help from others, trying to hitch her wagon to someone more competent. The notion of her tackling a case of this magnitude was almost comical.

Carmella was about ambition without substance, appearances over character.

"Since you believe you're so capable of handling such a challenging case, I'm sure you'll have no trouble analyzing it, researching all there is to find out and coming up with a brilliant strategy," I responded, my tone laced with sarcasm.

I wasn't about to let her plunder my team's hard work.

She was taken aback, her disbelief evident.

"What did you say?" she stammered, her eyes wide.

"I didn't know you were deaf," I shot back, my patience all but evaporated.

"And will you be able to handle the consequences if you don't hand over your trial preparation?" Carmella snapped, her frustration clear.

I held my ground, my gaze unwavering. "If you have nothing useful to contribute, then I suggest you leave my office."

Carmella glared at me, and with a huff, she stormed out, almost bumping into Sophia. Sophia entered my office, looking startled by Carmella's sudden and fiery departure.

"What’s her problem?" Sophia muttered, clearly bewildered.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of Sophia, a reliable ally in the face of such audacity.

“She wanted our trial preparation files,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

Sophia's eyes widened, and she exclaimed loudly, "Is she insane?"

"Seems that way," I replied, chuckling at Sophia's immediate, incredulous reaction.

"Why on earth would we hand over our work to her?" Sophia continued, her disbelief turning into annoyance.

"Did I hand over the work to Carmella?" I asked rhetorically, facing Sophia squarely.

Sophia looked at me, momentarily uncertain, but then a small victorious smile tugged at her lips as she realized the answer.

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