Chapter 100 88 % 38 ) Urban pulled his hand back , glanced at Pandora as she walked over , and shoved his hands into his pockets , raising an eyebrow . " What's there to congratulate ? This lawsuit was pointless from the start . " For a split second , Pandora's face twisted , but she quickly smoothed it out . She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and lowered her gaze . " Brother , don't blame Dad . He only did this because he was worried I'd get taken advantage of , being a girl and all ." Urban looked at her with a lazy smile . " Yeah , the old man's definitely lost his marbles ." Pandora had thought that acting soft would get Urban to say something nice , but she couldn't hold it in anymore . Her hand clenched tightly at her side , and a flash of unwillingness crossed her face . He caught every one of those little gestures , a hint of mockery tugging at his lips as he turned to Maxine . " This case is going to get a lot of attention . Come with me out the back . There'll probably be reporters swarming the main entrance . " Maxine shook her head . " Don't worry about it . I'll just call a ride myself ." The Soto family was a tangled mess , and Urban was no exception . If it hadn't been for her friend's request , Maxine wouldn't have touched this case . Now that the verdict was out , she had no intention of getting further involved with Urban . Sensing her deliberate distance , Urban didn't push . He simply nodded and left with his secretary . Maxine slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out . Sure enough , there was a crowd of reporters gathered at the courthouse entrance , and as soon as she stepped outside , all eyes turned her way . But since Maxine was dressed so formally today , they just assumed she was a regular court employee and didn't pay her much attention . She walked over to the curb , pulled out her phone , and opened a ride - hailing app to head home . " Maxine ! " Someone grabbed her from behind . A woman's voice rang out , full of excitement , " Do you remember me ? I'm your mom ! " Maxine turned around to see a middle - aged woman , beaming as she held onto her . Next to her was a little boy in worn - out clothes , happily licking a lollipop . The woman had put on some weight , and her skin was rough and dull from years of hard work , but Maxine could still make t traces of how she used to look . Maxine's face stayed blank as she said flatly , " Mona Parks ." Mona nodded eagerly . " Yes , it's me . After I left home , I missed you so much . I spent ages trying to find you , and finally heard you were working a case for Urban . I came by today hoping to see you , and I can't believe I actually found you ! " Seeing how excited she was , Maxine couldn't help but remember that blurry memory of her mother's back as she walked away , leaving her behind . When Maxine was eighteen , the police showed up at her dad's workplace and took him away , saying he was involved in a fraud case . Her father had always been an honest man , but just a few phone calls were enough for people to call him a scammer . While he was in custody , unable to take the shame , he ended his own life . No one wanted to help the family of a so - called criminal . Maxine scraped together whatever money she could to buy an urn and a burial plot , but before she could even lay her father to rest , Mona ran off with someone else . She left Maxine all alone , with only her father's ashes for company . 1/2 88 % Chapter 100 From then on , Maxine was branded " the scammer's kid . " Everyone looked at her differently , mocking her as the daughter of a liar , an orphan with no parents . Maxine gritted her teeth and survived those two months of darkness , finally getting the score she needed on her SAT . She gave up her dream of becoming a doctor and put all her hopes into the law program at Ashwood University , one of the best in the country , swearing that as long as she lived , she'd clear her father's name and get justice for him . 2/2 Awek AD Comment