It was tempting to deny that he'd left that second gift, but...well, it was obvious it had been from him. Who else would go through literal millennia of contract case records to find a way to break a contract?

He sat quietly for a moment, considering his answer as Angel continued to pet him.

"I didn't intend for it to sound that way. It could take months, years, maybe even decades before your case was heard. The judicial system down here makes the one on Earth look lightning-fast. Given my punishments and the annual Cleanse, I couldn't guarantee I'd be here when your day in court arrived. I wanted you to be fully armed in case you had to represent yourself. That meant making sure you had a counter for every potential argument either Valentino or the court itself threw at you."

Because Lucifer was perfectly willing to let things slide. Look at the state of Hell, after all. But by confronting him with his own past judgments, it would sting his pride to be called out. That meant he'd more carefully consider the arguments and whether or not the contract should be annulled.

"I suppose I didn't think about how it might sound."