Young Kim sat there, kicking her feet as a man and a woman walked in. The woman was Kim’s mother, and the man was Pearson, the store owner. Grieving and distressed, the mother expressed her dissatisfaction with Kim, who had always been a good student, blaming her for learning to steal. Mr. Pearson suggested calling the police, and the mother immediately agreed, stating that this would punish Kim.
Frightened, young Kim told the truth—she had stolen a necklace and a pair of earrings. The necklace chain had broken while she was stealing it, making it unsellable. The mother offered to buy it and pay extra interest, but when she went to get the money, she realized she didn’t have enough. Looking troubled, she promised to make up the difference as soon as possible, explaining that all the money would be deducted from Kim’s living expenses and pocket money, even if it took a lifetime.
The woman took money from her bag to compensate Pearson, but he refused. Instead, he told her to take Kim home, canceled the plan to call the police, and said Kim wasn’t a bad kid—occasional mistakes were forgivable. Pearson sincerely praised Kim for having a good mother. As they left, Kim held her mother’s hand. The mother glanced back instinctively to make sure no one was following, then smiled—having nipped Kim’s misbehavior in the bud. In the car, the mother gave the necklace to Kim; it turned out the whole thing had been a play acted out by the mother and daughter.
When Howard learned that Goodman had been scheming against him secretly, he hired a private detective to investigate. The detective discovered that Goodman had withdrawn a large amount of cash. Though the purpose was unknown, it was clear he was up to something.
In court, Kim defended her client, who had been ticketed by a traffic cop for a pendant hanging from his rearview mirror that obstructed his view. The client disagreed with the citation, and Kim argued in court that most people hung pendants—including the judge hearing the case—making the punishment unreasonable.
Outside the courtroom, Cliff asked Kim what she thought of Howard. Kim said Howard had led her down the path to becoming a lawyer; without him, she wouldn’t be where she was today, and she would always be grateful. Cliff was pleased with this answer, then asked for her opinion on foundations, telling her they planned to start one and hoped she would join. Kim was delighted.
Eager to share the news, Kim went to see Goodman and found his office completely renovated. His plump secretary happily showed off her decor and congratulated Kim on her relationship with Goodman. After the secretary left, Kim went inside to find Goodman, who was working with a professional photographer and a man practicing wearing a fake beard. The man was going to pose as the presiding judge for the nursing home lawsuit, and they were taking photos to fabricate evidence and win the case.
Kim gave her opinion, suggesting trimming and waxing the beard for a better effect. She also told Goodman about her conversation with Cliff, which he thought was excellent and expressed his support for her.
Lalo arrived in a forest where a bearded man was chopping wood. Seeing Lalo, the man fled in fear into a wooden cabin. Lalo entered with a pistol in hand and searched the cabin. Just as he was about to leave, the bearded man, hiding in the shadows, hacked at him with an ax, wounding him. He demanded to know who Lalo was. Pretending to be seriously injured, Lalo said he had come because of Margaret. The bearded man, worried about Margaret, let his guard down and asked Lalo what he had done to her. Seizing the opportunity, Lalo snatched the ax, injured the bearded man, and tied him up with a belt.
Goodman’s business was booming, but all his clients were gangsters. The newly renovated office was soon in disarray. The plump secretary grew worried, thinking defending these people might be illegal, but Goodman told her to trust him. He also insisted she call Howard’s law firm posing as a nursing home resident’s family member to find out where they were holding a private mediation.
Mike had stationed most of his men around his daughter-in-law’s house, which dissatisfied Gustavo. But Mike had his own plan: if Lalo was still alive, the first person he would come for was Mike. However, Mike knew his granddaughter was his weakness, so Lalo would definitely go after her too. Standing in a house across the street from his daughter-in-law’s, Mike monitored the situation every day. Watching his granddaughter observing the stars, he called her to teach her where to look.
Confident that everything was in place and that Howard would lose the lawsuit, Goodman took Kim to the lawn outside Howard’s house to celebrate their impending victory the next day.
The next day, Goodman and Kim split up. Kim went to a party at Cliff’s house, where Cliff planned to introduce her to important people—an opportunity that could change her life forever. Meanwhile, Goodman went to buy a bottle of rare wine to celebrate with Kim afterward. Unexpectedly, he ran into the presiding judge at the store, who had his arm in a cast. The fake judge they had hired, however, had no such injury. This twist threw a wrench in their plans, and a frustrated Goodman called Kim.
Kim was also flustered but turned her car around and told Goodman the plan had to go through that day.