Xavier~
"Does providing homemade food to every client stem from a place of compassion, or is it just your work ethic?" I felt a wave of joy come over me when I saw her give me the lunch box.
"I just offered you food because you missed breakfast due to my early visit, and I feel bad for keeping you hungry. You don't need to give up hope." Her icy gaze remained focused on the lunchbox.
"Well, whatever the reason, I am thankful to you for giving me a chance to eat homemade food. It's been a while since I've had homemade cuisine. Since Alicia detests cooking, we have lunch and dinner outside most of the time." I tore open the lunchbox right away and devoured all of the delectable food within.
Did she still have a memory of my preferences? When I saw my favorite egg curry with noodles, I eagerly glanced back at her face.
"Please don't view me in this manner; my maid prepared the meal and packed it for me to eat for lunch." My stare seemed to annoy her.
"It's ok; I am still thankful to you." After eating, I wiped my face and returned her lunchbox. She silently observed my expression the entire time I was eating food. It's been a while since I've eaten such delicious cuisine, so yes, I ate like a voracious wolf and lost all manners when I saw the meal. I knew she was an excellent cook, and even when she was absent from my life, her culinary skills remained a constant reminder of her.
She assured me that she didn't prepare this meal, so I suppressed my need to look for love in her eyes for me, even if the food tasted precisely like the cuisine she cooked. I wanted to kiss her hand in gratitude for cooking such exquisite food.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Thompson." With a cool, deliberate step, she picked up her lunch box and departed from the visitor's cell.
I felt at ease and peace in her presence, so I made my way back to my prison cell. I glanced at the notebook she had requested. I filled up with every aspect of my marriage with Alicia. I hesitated for a moment, but I knew that for her to prove my innocence in court, she needed to know everything about my life.
As a criminal defense attorney, my main concern is protecting my clients at all costs, so I'm not sure what she will do with all the details. In contrast, Bella is more interested in the past than the present.
What does she want to search for? Is she conducting this investigation to force me to confess my betrayal and lie to her, or is it genuinely connected to the case? Gazing at the notebook, I wondered. However, her confident gaze made me believe in her, so I wrote all the necessary information in the notebook.
In the evening, her assistant came to collect the notepad from me. I asked her who was the case's prosecutor. Knowing the prosecutor's identity in this case caused my throat to dry up.
"Derrick Merchant will take up the case's prosecution." Her assistant told me.
"Did Bella—I mean Veronica—know about the prosecution lawyer?" I questioned her assistant in shock.
"Indeed, she is." She confidently nodded.
"What? Did she not know about Derrick Merchant? He is a giant shark in the legal world, and no one ever wins a single case against him." As soon as I heard the name of the prosecutor, every chance I had of getting out of this prison vanished.
I wanted to speak with Bella and ask her to drop this case, as I didn't want to damage her reputation and career after causing her so much trouble in the past. However, before I could ask her assistant to contact Bella, the police officer ordered her to leave the visitor's cell.
Did she lose her mind? She took this case so personally that she was ready to engage in a bullfight with Derrick Merchant. I recalled how, years ago, I attempted to challenge him in court, and he had easily defeated me with his statements and reasoning on the first hearing. My dad has never been able to beat the 70-year-old lawyer in a single case in his whole career. I waited impatiently to see Bella in the morning, wandering around my cell the entire night.
"Mr. Thopmsan, you look so tense today; is everything alright?" There was a hint of worry in her gaze.
"Bella, what do you hope to achieve by getting involved in this case? If your goal is to exact revenge on me, understand that I've already earned my retribution. However, why do you feel the need to jeopardize your legal career?" I don't want to leave prison at the expense of troubling her anymore.
"Mr. Thompson, what are you talking about?" Calmly sat in front of me.
"Derrick Merchant, do you know about him?" Her composed demeanor heightened my anxiety. How could she stay calm when his name would have alarmed any lawyer?
"Yes, I am familiar with him." She shrugged her shoulders casually, as this was nothing so big a deal for her to fight against Derrick Merchant.
"Why would you want to compete against someone who, in his whole career, has never lost a single case?" I gritted my teeth to suppress a mixture of dread, panic, and mild rage over Bella's illogical choice.
"Mr. Thompson, you have to give me the necessary facts and leave the rest up to me. It is not your responsibility to consider my courtroom behavior or argument partners. I will now meet you in court on Monday; my assistant will get in touch with you if I need any information." She stood up from her seat and began to exit the jail.
"Bella, please don't take this risk for me. You just started your career, and I don't want to be the reason for ruining it." I pleaded with her once again to think again about her decision.
"Have this: My maid packed an extra meal today, which led me to believe it was intended to feed some poor people." She came to a halt and took a lunch box from her handbag.
"Thank you." I smiled on seeing her kindness hidden behind her cold, stone-like face.
"Mr. Thompson, rest assured that I will provide you with the court-ordered bail sanctions on Tuesday morning." Her voice was filled with determination and confidence. She already left me wondering how she was going to make these impossible tasks possible.