Isabella~"What did he just say?" I stared incredulously at Xavier's face, my breath catching in my chest."Bella, please calm down; the court session is about to begin." Victor kept me from falling by holding me in his arms, his grip firm yet gentle. Seeing no remorse on Xavier's face, my eyes welled up with tears. Is this how he hurts me now? I never thought he would go to such lengths to force me to withdraw from Lincoln's case. How could he defend murderers in court? The news hit me like a bomb, shattering every ounce of resolve I had left."Take me to my hotel, Victor." My voice trembled as I struggled to keep my emotions in check."They wanted to see you broken, Bella, which is why Xavier decided to stand up for Jonathan. You must keep your vulnerability hidden from them," Victor said, his tone laced with disappointment as he glanced at Xavier. I noticed the shadow of pain in Victor's eyes—pain for me, for what I was enduring, and for the betrayal that hung heavy in the air.
Xavier~"Xavier, what are you doing here? Let's go." I was standing in the car parking lot and watching Bella's car leave the court premises."Did you ask the judge to schedule the hearings for both cases on the same dates, Dad?" I questioned him as I got in the car."Do you think that I need to use such a cheap trick?" He lifted his eyebrows in my direction."No, Dad, I didn't mean to offend you; I am just asking you to confirm." I gave a shoulder shrug."No, I don't know, but I am glad she has to choose one case now. She is entangled in a big, complicated situation now that she has to miss one court hearing that day." Even though his smile did not extend to his eyes, Dad still tried to fool himself as his lips curled into a smile.I am well aware that Dad is not happy with this complicated situation at all, but he is compelled to protect Lincon, and like him, I am also compelled and trapped in my own words. Her eyes showed me the broken pieces of her heart, but even if I wanted to,
Isabella~"My lord, I believe the prosecution has withdrawn from this case." Xavier's voice echoed in my ear as I opened the door to the courtroom."No, my lord, I am not the one backing out." I swiftly put on my lawyer coat and tied my disheveled hair into a bun, preparing to present myself in front of the judge."Miss Luis, what kind of behavior is this? Do you understand how important punctuality is in court?" The judge’s voice thundered as I stepped into the room."I am sorry, my lord. I was caught in an emergency. I promise this will not happen again." I bowed my head in apology."All right, enough wasting time. Begin the proceedings," the judge said, his voice softening.Before starting the judicial process, my gaze instinctively flicked toward Xavier. I never intended to face him as an adversary in this case. We were supposed to stand together, supporting one another, not at odds. Promises, affection—everything seemed to have vanished. Was love truly a force that could be overs
Xavier~"James, what are you doing here in the court? Where is Bella?" I questioned him in confusion as I noticed him seated in Bella’s chair.When Bella failed to return from her lunch break, the courtroom erupted into murmurs and uneasy glances. This time, I was sure the judge would penalize her for her tardiness. The judge entered, her stern gaze sweeping across the room, and gestured to begin the proceedings. Her frown deepened when she noticed Bella’s absence."My lord, we will be jointly prosecuting this case for the remainder of the hearing session, as my colleague was forced to leave due to an emergency." James rose from Bella’s seat, his voice steady as he requested permission to proceed.My chest tightened as I saw Victor sitting next to him, dressed in a lawyer’s suit. What’s he doing in court? Upon seeing him, my eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. Before presenting the evidence to prove Jonathan's guilt, Victor glanced at me, his expression heavy with frustration and disapp
Isabella~"Point to be noted, My Lord, Lincon Thompson, not only secretly engaged with Ms. Jennifer also promised her marriage after his divorce from Dixie Thompson." I thanked Jennifer for coming to court by blinking my eyes. She is a well-known television actor, and testifying in this case could damage her reputation in public, but she consented to assist me after I informed her of Lincon's reality."Defense, do you need to interrogate Ms. Jennifer?" The judge questioned Dad.I turned to look at Dad's face in the hope that now he recognized Lincon's true colors."Thank you, my Lord." Dad rose from his chair, scrutinized my face, and then proceeded to question Ms. Jennifer. I could see his inner agony in his eyes, even though his countenance was emotionless."Since when did you know Lincon Thompson, Miss Jennifer?" He is attempting to keep his cool, as seen by his taut jaw and white knuckles."From the last three years." Jennifer glanced at me before turning to face Lincoln. After w
Xavier~"Bella, please don't say this; I am genuinely sorry for my behavior." I held her hand to stop her from leaving the courtroom. My heart was drowning in guilt after seeing the real face of Lincon. I never imagined that he would go to such extreme measures to achieve success and financial gain, such as joining Jordan Lucas' drug supply company."Xavier, sorry isn't enough for the wounds you caused on my heart." She turned to face me, but her eyes remained fixed on the floor instead of my face."I understand that apologizing is insufficient, Bella, and I am willing to accept any form of retribution for my errors." I lowered my head in embarrassment.Her slow, painful voice was like a needle piercing my heart. "Don’t think any penalty is sufficient for the hurt you caused me; therefore, if that’s the case, I want to cause you the same suffering." Suddenly, a hint of malice crept into her tone."Bella, you already know that I am not as strong as you are, so please don't even consid
Isabella~"Mama, Dad wants to talk to you." When I noticed the call from my home landline, I assumed it was Alan, but when I heard him mention that Xavier needed to speak with me, I let out a disappointed sigh. Why is he repeatedly using my son as a pawn in his cheap game?"Xavier, I am already done talking with you. Now I don't have anything to talk about with you." Before listening to him, I told him my decision, my tone sharp, before hanging up."Please listen to me just once, Bella. I know you're upset with me and don't want to see my face, but please don't hang up."I paused the call and placed my phone against my ear."Ok, I am listening." I gripped the phone tightly because it would be difficult for me to ignore him, particularly when he was genuinely apologizing for his behavior."Dad wants you to come home, Bella. He is deeply upset about Lincon's situation, and he feels deeply guilty for not trusting you." The weight he held on his chest was evident in his tone."Tell your d
Xavier~"Xavier, did you call Bella and ask her to return home?" Dad questioned me about Bella as we sat at the dining table for breakfast. His swollen, puffy eyes gave me the impression that he didn't sleep well last night. I don't want to aggravate him further by informing him about Bella's response. How can I explain to him that she broke off all contact with us and now refuses to even meet her son?I don't believe that she could be so angry with me that she refused to meet even Alan. I don't think I made such a severe mistake that she couldn't forgive me and return home.Dad's voice carried a sadness that stung. "Xavier, why are you quiet? Didn't you talk to her?" His voice brimmed with eagerness.I don't want to break his heart by telling him the truth, but I can't lie to him anymore."Dad..." I fidgeted with my fingers nervously, trying to gather the courage to tell him the truth."Mama, finally you have returned!" Alan's excited voice broke through the silence. I turned to lo
Isabella~“Uncle Joseph.” I jumped from my chair when I saw him sitting on the judge's chair. He was the last person I ever expected him to meet and now he is sitting on the judge's chair. I turned to look at Xavier's facial expression."Bella, I am now sure that we will lose this case," Xavier muttered in my ear upon seeing Uncle Joseph.So this is his evil plan. How cleverly he used our family members to protect himself from getting punished is something truly remarkable. I never assumed that he would find Uncle Joseph as a substitute judge for this case. Now I understand his whole plan. He killed the former judge so that he could involve Uncle Joseph in this case. He was well aware that after submitting solid evidence against him in the court in the last hearing, he didn't have any other option to save himself from getting a death sentence so he changed the judge before he could give his verdict."Begin the court procedure." Hearing the new judge's voice, my internal thought train
Xavier~“What the fuck is this? How can he commit suicide just before the verdict is declared in Victor’s murder case?” I raked my fingers through my hair with frustration, trying to process what I had just heard."Xavier, I told you already that Jordan Lucas will do something terrible to protect himself from getting punished." Bella’s eyes filled with worry and fear after watching the news."Relax, Bella, we already submitted solid proof in this murder case, so I have full trust that no matter how much Jordan Lucas is trying to run away from this case, the law will not leave him without being punished for his crimes. All the evidence points towards him, prompting the filing of numerous new FIRs in anticipation of his punishment for his crimes." I handed her a glass of water and patted her shoulder to console her."What are we going to do now? You don't listen to me when I tell you not to celebrate too soon." Tears rolled into her eyes. She has every right to be angry at me; after al
Isabella~“Bella, stop worrying now. The judge will give his verdict after three days. We all know that he will give his verdict in our favor; after seeing the recording of his crime, you need not doubt the judge’s verdict.” He held my hand to stop me from pacing anxiously."Xavier, I don't get a good vibe. I observed how Jordan Lucas looked at us with a mocking smile on his face as if he had already planned something to handle the situation," I voiced out my fear."Bella, I too felt frightened upon hearing his threat, but I believe this was merely a ploy to intimidate us. You tell me what he will do now. If he decides to kill us, it won't benefit him in any way, as the television has already broadcast his crimes." He tried his best to comfort me."Xavier, I know this too, but my heart still feels very heavy." I put my hand on my heart to calm myself."Bella, come on, don't overthink things now; at least take a calm sleep tonight. Wouldn't you agree that we should celebrate our succes
Xavier~I told Bella to hold my hand. We were falling from the waterfall together. We jumped into the waterfall’s flow. I held her hand tightly so I wouldn't lose her this time in the water. We reached the riverbank, and there was a village nearby. We were running late for the court hearing."Bella, are you all right?" I asked. She nodded, but I could see the worry in her eyes. "Don't worry about me; I am all right. We have to reach the court on time." Her breath was heavy, and she looked tired, but she nodded again and gestured for me to continue our walk.We took help from Jackson's father to reach the court. He was working near the courtroom, so we didn't have much difficulty getting there on time. Our clothes were wet after coming out of the waterfall, but by the time of the hearing, we were completely dry. We thanked him and then entered the courtroom."Thank God, we reached today's session on time." Bella looked at the empty judge's seat and sighed in relief."Oh, it seems you t
Isabella~“Xavier!” I shouted when I saw him being carried away by the river current. He reached the same place near the waterfall where I was stuck before. He struggled to come out of the stream, but the river's flow made it difficult for him to swim."Xavier, hold this!" To assist him, I tossed one rope in his direction, but because of the strong wind, it floated in the opposite direction."God, please help us; we can't lose now." I prayed to God, my heart hammering in fear.I wanted to jump into the river to save Xavier, but Jackson grabbed my hand and stopped me. Xavier was still having trouble getting out of the river while holding the drone tightly in his hand. Just in front of the waterfall, he gripped one large stone, taking a few deep breaths to relax himself. He used all his strength to swim against the current."Thank God you're safe, Xavier!" I hugged him as soon as he reached the bank of the river, tears of relief blurring my eyes."Bella, I found it!" In front of me, he
Xavier~"Please don't give me to the police. I'll tell you everything." That boy held my hand and pleaded with me, desperation dripping from every word."Tell me the truth, or I will report you to the police." I threatened him again. Although I was thankful for him saving my life, my mind was filled with doubts after seeing him living in this deserted place. Because of the unexpected flood, the government had strictly forbidden people from residing close to the river. Those who disobeyed faced severe penalties and fines for violating the regulation."Tell me, what’s your connection with Jordan Lucas?" Seeing his quietness, I threatened him once again."Jordan Lucas?" He gave me a perplexed expression, genuinely confused."Don't lie. I know he sent you here to keep your eye on us." I narrowed my eyes and gave him a doubtful glance, every nerve on edge."Sir, I don't have any idea who you’re talking about. I’m a student doing my research on submarine life." He quickly handed me his iden
Isabella~The cold water felt like an ointment to my burned skin, but soon I found myself flowing with the river's current. My hands felt numb in the chilly water as I attempted to swim against the stream. I had trouble breathing as water began to fill my nose. I looked around in search of Xavier, but I was unable to find him in the violent current.My body was still in shock from witnessing the car blast. I had never been this close to death before—never felt it breathe against my neck the way it did now. I made every attempt to locate the riverbank so that I could escape the current, but I was unable to do so since my hands and feet were not functioning properly.I heard the roar of the rushing water grow louder, and my swimming became more desperate. I was about to plunge into the waterfall ahead if I didn't exit the river's grip. This river would plummet vertically off the edge. If I didn't get out now, I would tumble down the cliff and that would be the end.I fought the river wi
Xavier~“Bella, what did you do? I am now sure he will not show any mercy to us.” Jordan Lucas' threats rattled my body. His eyes blazed with anger and retaliation. The moment he saw us in the court, he was fuming with anger. I am well aware of Jordan Lucas' nature. Once he decides something, he will not back out of it, no matter how far he has to go to achieve the desired outcome.“Bella, why did you discuss another case in this court when we already have difficulty handling Victor's murder case?” I looked at her with a complaint-filled gaze. I am well aware that she is not doing anything wrong, but I don't think messing with Jordan Lucas in every situation is a good idea.“Xavier, I didn't have any choice at that time. Can't you see how Andrew argued with us in today’s court session? He is one step ahead of us. He came here well prepared, and we would have lost this case in today's hearing if I hadn't diverted the court's attention to the recent crimes of Jordan Lucas.” She sits on
Isabella~“My lord, Jordan Lucas not only killed Victor Thompson but he also killed two of my staff by burning them alive. He not only took the lives of those two innocent people but he also burned my costly property.” I turned to look at Jordan Lucas with hate-filled eyes. Now he has to pay a high price for his sins. I waited for the perfect opportunity to enter the court so that I could see this fear-filled expression on his face. When I saw Jordan Lucas, I felt retaliation and rage in every cell of my body. How could he burn those two innocent individuals so viciously? I saw no trace of regret in his eyes. His brutality went beyond all bounds.“Objection, my lord, Mrs. Thompson is trying to mislead the case. She is attempting to squander the court's valuable time by involving my client in her latest baseless charges, even though we are here to discuss Victor's case.” Andrew rose from his seat and gave me a furious glare.“Andrew is correct, Mrs. Thompson; your statements seemed un