The cooperate monster
*Chapter 1: The Corporate Monster*
The courtroom went silent.
Amara Johnson straightened her blazer over her curves and looked the 12 jurors dead in the eye.
"This man destroyed a family business to buy a parking lot," she said, her voice clear and sharp. "Damian Cole doesn’t build. He takes."
Gasps.
At the defense table, Damian Cole didn’t even blink.
Tall. Suit worth more than her car. Ice in his eyes and a $3 billion company on his shoulders.
He looked bored. Like she was a mosquito.
She hated him.
Not because he was rich. Not because he was handsome in that cold, cruel way.
She hated him because he won. Always.
"Ms. Johnson," the judge said. "Your closing argument?"
"This is about greed," Amara finished. "And it ends today."
She sat down, heart pounding. She could feel it. This was it. The case that would make her name.
The case that would prove a chubby girl from Surulere could take down a billionaire.
Then the doors at the back slammed open.
Damian’s lead attorney walked in with a stack of papers and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Your Honor, we have new evidence. Signed documents proving the plaintiff’s company was already bankrupt before my client made his offer."
Lies.
Amara was on her feet before she could think. "Objection! This was submitted after the deadline!"
"Overruled," the judge said. "The court will review."
30 minutes later, it was over.
Case dismissed.
Her client, Mr. Adebayo, looked at her like she’d failed him. Because she had.
And at the other side of the room, Damian Cole stood up, adjusted his cufflinks, and walked past her without a glance.
But his PR team wasn’t done.
By 6pm, her phone was exploding.
*TRENDING: Billionaire CEO Damian Cole Slams ‘Unprofessional’ Lawyer In Press Conference*
_"Ms. Johnson let her emotions cloud her judgment. This is why we can’t have amateurs in corporate law."_ - D. Cole
Amateur.
Emotional.
The words burned.
Amara threw her phone on the couch and stared at the ceiling of her tiny apartment.
She’d lost. He’d won. Again.
Her best friend, Tolu, called immediately. "Babe. Are you okay?"
"No," Amara said. "I’m going to ruin him."
"How?"
"I don’t know yet. But Damian Cole called me a monster today."
She laughed, bitter. "So I’m going to act like one."
She didn’t know that 48 hours later, a tabloid would publish a photo of her leaving his building at 2am.
A photo that was fake.
A photo that would force her into his world.
A photo that would start a 6-month contract.
