IVYAfter the court hearing, I lingered around. I stood in a private place and watched Mark and Vector drive out of the court premises.“I hate you both,” I blurted in a whisper.I really wished that they would both spend the rest of their lives in jail. It upset me that after my attempt to cause a rift between them, it didn’t work.Anyway, I waited for Detective Kent.They took longer than expected inside the courtroom, but I didn’t mind. I wasn’t waiting for him because of our last discussion, but I waited for him because of something else I wanted to ask him.Eventually, they came out.Fortunately, Mark’s new lawyer was the first to come out. Some seconds after he drove out, Detective Kent came out.I hurried to him.“Detective!” I called.When he saw me, he became carefully alert instantly. He looked around to ensure that no one was looking at him before turning to me.“Ivy, I thought you had left,” he said.“Obviously I haven’t,” I responded with a small smile. “I was waiting to
ALEXA“What’s that?” Noelle asked me worriedly.“It’s an email from my dad’s lawyer,” I said.Noelle was trying so hard not to encroach, especially now that I had made it clear that I wanted to start handling things on my own, but I knew that deep down, she wanted to know. Knowing her, she would have grabbed the phone by now, read out the email, and even begun to analyze it and tell me what she felt I should do.“Is there a problem? Is your dad okay?” Noelle asked worriedly and carefully.“I think he is fine,” I stated, but I was still confused about the email.“Is it anything troubling?” Noelle asked.“It’s just something about…it’s not quite clear,” I responded. Then abruptly, I dumped my phone inside my handbag where it had earlier been. “You know what, I don’t want to rack my head over it right now. It might have been a mistake anyway,” I stated.“Your father’s lawyer would mistakenly send you an email?” Noelle asked.She didn’t believe what I just said, and neither did I. I only
ALEXA“Why did you have to get an apartment?” Noelle asked me hours later.At first, she hadn’t pressed the issue, and we went back to working, but she was obviously troubled by the news and she could barely stay still about it.Especially as the clock was gradually ticking by.“I just wanted to live on my own,” I told Noelle.My response didn’t make her feel any better.“This is because of what I did, right?” Noelle asked, almost at the verge of tears. “Gosh, I have unintentionally kicked you out of your apartment,” she added wistfully.I shook my head.“Noelle, please, not everything is about you,” I said.“That’s not true,” Noelle objected. “I pissed you off and you decided to get an apartment to stay away from me,” she added sadly.I refused to feel guilty about making a decision by myself for the very first time. “Indeed, what you did pissed me off greatly, Noelle, but one thing it did was give me clarity,” I tried to explain.“And that clarity led you into realizing that you ne
MARK“My client, Mark Ronaldo, has been unjustly accused of conspiring with Oscar when he was alive, while his friend, Vector, has been accused of murdering Oscar,” Brent started.“Accused?” The attorney asked in a sneer.“Is there an issue with what Brent just said?” The judge asked the attorney.“Yes,” the attorney said.“What is it?” The judge asked.My eyes turned at that moment, and it met with Ivy’s. She definitely wanted me to get nailed for this; I could see it clearly in her eyes.“The person accused here was Mark Ronaldo, not Vector. A witness attested to seeing Mark run out of the apartment, but somehow, Vector jumped in and claimed that he was the one who was seen. The report is here, my lord,” the attorney said.He sounded really smart. I realized that Brent knew exactly what he was saying when he said that the state picked the absolute best to fight against me.And I knew without a doubt that this had all of Donald Shell’s involvement in it.“I know that this is an enclo
ALEXANoelle and I sat in my office, alone. When she told my secretary not to let anyone in to see us, I was hoping that she also included Donald Shell.He was the last person I wanted to see right now.“You came,” Noelle started. “I have been worried sick about you and trying to reach you, but you have been unreachable,” she said.“My secretary told me and I did tell her to inform you that I was okay,” I said drily.Right now, even though I wanted to, I just wasn’t feeling anything. Deep inside, there wasn’t any form of emotion running through me. I just sat there, bland.“She told me, Alexa,” Noelle said, feeling sad. “Where did you pass the night?” She asked.“At a hotel,” I told her.Noelle sighed, visibly hurt by that information.“Listen, Alexa, I am sorry about everything that happened,” Noelle apologized. “Maybe I came off too harshly, but trust me, it is because I want the best for you,” she stated.“But have you ever considered the thought that maybe I might also know what i
MARK“Are you two ready?” Brent asked Vector and I before we stepped into the court.As explained, there were no reporters or paparazzi or bloggers. The only persons present were Detective Kent, Brent, Ivy, Vector, and I. Even Donald, as much as he might have wanted to, couldn’t come because it was a private hearing.“Yes, we are,” I answered for both of us.The detective already led Ivy into the courtroom.“That’s good,” Brent said.His voice was tighter and more professional than usual, and I understood that it was because we were seeing him at court now.This was our first time.“Brent?” I called.“Yes,” he responded.“I just want to really thank you for this,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “You have no idea how much this means to me,” I added.If I hadn’t been a Ronaldo, I probably would have had tears in my eyes by now, because truly, I doubted he even knew how much he was being helpful. Never would I have imagined that anyone could have a court case devoid of the media wh