by Emma Vikes
“I think I have something else right now revs makes me up more than caffeine ever could,” she muttered under her breath and then wiped her hands on her apron. She picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip, her eyes fluttering close and she let out a little moan. “But coffee’s gonna be incomparable.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Even if it’s me?”
There was a small spark in Olivia’s eyes but she was quick to turn away. “Let’s just get ready. The trial’s at 10 and we need to be there at 9.”
“Should we go in together?” I knew I was risking with that question. There would be media everywhere but Olivia was my lawyer and everyone already knew that. It wouldn’t mean much if I walked inside district court with her.
But Olivia seemed to be contemplating still.
I knew she was thinking of the other things it could possibly imply. Given the fact that I’d already stated I used to see Julija outside of work, people would speculate that it was the same with Olivia. They wouldn’t be wrong though. I was seeing Olivia outside the case and we had a daughter together.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“You’re my lawyer, Olivia. They would think that I’m simply coming in court with my lawyer to finish this case once and for all.”
She bit her bottom lip but slowly nodded. She took off her apron and set it aside, flashing me a small smile. "We better get ready then. If we’re late, Clara might kill both of us.”
The fact that she was agreeing for us to go together made my heart do a little dance of delight. I felt like Olivia was slowly letting her walls down and letting me in again. I understood if she had her reservations, after all, I did break her heart. But I wanted her to know I would never do it ever again.
Olivia was the only woman I’d ever loved and she was the only one I wanted to love.
At nearly nine, the two of us were on our way to the district court. I already called Clara and informed her that we were coming in together. I didn’t want her to be caught off guard. By the time we reached the parking lot, there were already reporters waiting for us at the stairs.
Olivia let out a small gasp when she saw them.
I reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry. Just ignore them.”
But it was clear the sight of them made her uncomfortable. “I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and then turned to face her. I placed both hands on her cheeks and forced her to face me. “Liv, it’s fine. You’re my lawyer so they shouldn’t make a big deal out of it. This is just gonna show that we’re in this to win it.”
She swallowed and her gaze flickered to the dozens of reporters waiting for us to come out of the car and head inside. “We are gonna win it today.”
I nodded my head. “I know you’ll win it. You’re good. You’ve always been good. The last time, you were on fire in that courtroom and I couldn’t help but think that I don’t deserve this girl. But I’ll try my hardest to make sure that I’m worthy of having you when you finally let me.”
Olivia sucked in a breath and her hazel eyes momentarily flickered to my lips.
My heart raced and I wondered if she was gonna kiss me.
Then she abruptly turned away. “We should head inside. I’m sure Clara’s waiting.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I followed her out. I tried to shield her from the photographers but she was smart enough to keep her head down. We were free from the prying eyes of the reporters once we went inside.
Clara was already waiting for us, tapping her foot impatiently, and the relief was clear in her eyes when she saw us come in.
We waited in the same room like the last time and were called to proceed to the trial room after fifteen minutes. Everything went the same as the last time and I intently listened when Olivia began her opening statement.
“Your Honor and ladies and gentlemen of the jury: under the law, my client is presumed innocent until proven guilty. In our trial last Friday, we’ve provided sufficient evidence against all claims and evidence made by the complainant. There is no record of any transaction in any of Mr. Crewe’s accounts that can prove he made such illegal action. You will come to know the truth: all accusations made against Mr. Logan Crewe are false and he’s being framed for a crime he did not commit. Someone who has access on the accounts of Outright Auto must’ve taken the money, hence why there was a transfer transaction. But that amount is not showing in any of my client’s accounts, even the ones offshore.” Olivia gave Catherine a hard look when she made that point. “Therefore, my client isn’t guilty of the claims made against him.”
“The complainant may call its witness,” the judge said.
Catherine stood up and called for Julija to come to the stand.
Julija was sworn in.
Catherine stood in front of her client. “Miss Burrows, for how long have you worked as Logan Crewe’s personal accountant?”
Julija seemed calmer today and focused. There wasn’t any trace of anxiousness in her eyes. “For four years.”
“And you’ve handled all of his accounts?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t have any access to most of his accounts offshore.”
Catherine presented her the documents that they kept insisting could serve as evidence. “So all of the transactions made in these documents, all of them were made by Mr. Crewe?”
She was quick to nod. “Yes.”
Catherine told the judge that she didn’t have any further questions to ask.
Now it would be Olivia’s turn to cross-examine. “What I have here are documents taken from Mr. Crewe’s bank and none of them shows any record of transactions made that supports your evidence.”
Julija pursed her lips. “My lawyer has previously mentioned that those transactions were made in his offshore accounts.”
Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “But you just said that you don’t have any access to his offshore accounts. How could you have those documents then?”
Julija realized her mistake and out of the corner of my eye, Catherine squirmed in her seat.
Olivia remained calm, cocking her head to the side. “You’ve worked with Mr. Crewe for four years. What’s your relationship with him?”
Licking her lips, I could tell Julija was cracking with this question.
Catherine made an objection. It was overruled by the judge, stating that I was asked the same question last time.
“I was—I was his personal accountant.”
“Be reminded, Miss Burrows, that you are sworn under oath to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” Olivia reminded her, “and we’ve managed to save a copy of a post you made on Instagram that you recently took down. In your post, it was captioned: my heart wasn’t the only thing you stole, apparently.”
Julija looked like she was sweating. “So, what’s your point?”
Olivia flashed her a thin smile. “The picture doesn’t show the face of the man you’re with but there’s a ring on his pinky finger, one that’s very similar to Mr. Crewe’s. There had been assumptions made that the guy in your post is Logan Crewe himself. If that’s the case, then were you really just his personal accountant?”
Julija was shaking in her seat and she closed her hands into fists. “Why don’t you ask him? I was just his personal accountant, he made it very clear.”
Olivia pursed her lips and tried to contain a smirk. She turned to the judge and told him that she had no further questions.
Julija was taken back to her seat.
But Olivia didn’t sit down just yet. “Given the contradicting answers we’ve heard from Miss Burrows and Mr. Crewe. I’d like to call on another witness that could shed light to this topic at hand.”
“But it’s not related to the case!” Catherine complained.
Olivia looked at the judge expectantly.
He seemed to be contemplating the matter. “Where are you going with this, Miss Wilson?”
“The tr
uth and the reason why my client was framed with such accusations, Your Honor. I’m here to prove my client’s innocence and I need to shed light to any possible reason why he was framed.”
“You may proceed.” He nodded at her
Julija’s secretary, Layla Summers, was called to the stand. She was sworn in and took the seat.
“Miss Layla Summers, how are you doing today?” Olivia asked.
“I’m good, Attorney, nervous but good.”
Olivia nodded and pulled out a notepad. She adjusted her glasses before she asked the first question. She was downplaying everything and easing everyone in. “What’s your position in Mr. Crewe’s company?”
“I’m the secretary of his accountant.”
“Does that mean you used to work for Miss Burrows?”
The secretary nodded and stated, “Yes.”
Olivia pressed on, “And how would you describe working for her? How was she as a boss?”
Layla nervously glanced at Julija before focusing her attention on Olivia. “She was good at her job and she treated me like how any boss would treat their secretary.”
“So if you mean that she’s good at her job, why do you think she turned in a resignation out of the blue?”
Catherine objected but the judge ignored it. He wanted to hear Layla’s answer too.
Layla replied, “I’m not sure. Something must’ve happened to her. Her resignation was so sudden.”
“Why do you think?”
Layla bit her lower lip and looked down. “I think—I think something must’ve happened between her and Mr. Crewe that made her resign.”
Bingo.
“And if you’ve been her secretary for a long time, how can you say that something happened between Mr. Crewe and Miss Burrows which caused her resignation?”
Layla was nervously glancing at Julija who looked like she was about to bolt out of the room any second. “I used to overhear her talk with her friends on the phone. It’s not like I did it on purpose. It’s just that you hear things and I’ve heard that she has been seeing Mr. Crewe outside of work.”
Julija slammed her hands on their table again and rose slightly from her chair. “That’s not related to the case! That’s not even true! I never said such things!”
The judge warned her to remain calm or she would be thrown out of the courtroom.
Layla proceeded with her statement, “One day, I overheard her talking to her friend, claiming that she thought Mr. Crewe would propose to her. Apparently, they were going to dinner and she thought that he was going to ask her to marry him.”
I loudly scoffed at this. Julija was aware that I was seeing other women. It was preposterous for her to assume I would choose her. Hell, she didn’t even stand a chance to the only girl I would ever choose. But it was my fault for leading her on. She must’ve thought that she had a chance with me, not knowing that there was only one girl I could ever settle down with.
“What happened right after that?” Olivia asked her.
“She didn’t show up to work for a while and when she did, she had tuned in a letter of resignation. I think something must’ve happened over the dinner they were meant to have.”
Olivia didn’t have any further questions and Catherine didn’t have any for Layla either.
So Olivia called me to take the stand.
I rose and walked over and was already sworn in, so I sat down.
“Mr. Crewe, you’ve heard Miss Summers’ statements. Do you deny them?”
I shook my head. “No. Even in the last court session, I admitted that there had been times I saw Julija outside of work. We dated and had our fun but it was nothing more. Given what Layla had said, I think she might have thought it was more but it wasn’t. It never was.”
Julija stood up abruptly from her seat, glaring at me. “You’re a fucking liar, Logan Crewe! You told me you loved me! You told me you wanted me! You were giving me all these signs that basically said you were gonna marry me!”
I pursed my lips and the judge ordered to have her removed but I asked them not to. “I never did, Julija. I’m sorry but I never said I loved you. I never loved anyone else but one woman.” My eyes drifted to Olivia when I said it.
Olivia was quick to look away from me.
Julija fell on the floor, a hysterical mess.
The judge had to order everyone to collect themselves and stay calm.
The jury was asked to leave the courtroom for a moment to contemplate their decision.
It was quiet the whole time we waited and we could hear Julija crying from outside the room.
When the jury came back with the judge, they brought her in.
“Are you ready with your final arguments?”
Both lawyers nodded and Catherine went first. Her argument sounded weak and even she already looked defeated.
I didn’t think she had anything up her sleeve that could put the jury in their favour again.
When it was Olivia’s turn, she said her argument with easy confidence and a kind smile on her face, “Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury: Logan Crewe was unfortunate to be involved in an embezzlement scandal, regarding a company that he co-owns with Mitchell Johansenn. According to the claims against him, he had apparently taken money from the company’s account. Supposedly having then transferred it to one of his personal ones and withdrew it right after. However, according to the evidence our party has procured, there is no evidence of such transactions in his personal accounts. As the complainant has also stated, she has no access to any of Mr. Crewe’s offshore accounts. This would lead us to believe that someone else had stolen the money from the company and framed Mr. Crewe of doing so. I suggest to you that this whole case has been used to frame and defame Mr. Logan Crewe for whatever reason.” Olivia casted a glance at Julija who refused to meet her gaze, then she went on, “Logan Crewe is an honest and good person and he would never steal, let alone from his own company. He already has billions, why would he steal more money?”
She paused for about a minute to let this sink in.
“Under the law, my client is presumed innocent,” Olivia continued, glancing my way with a small smile. “The opposing party must prove what the defendant has done beyond reasonable doubt. The opposing party has not procured any real evidence against my client. Therefore, it only means that there is no reasonable doubt, so you must find my client not guilty of the allegations made.” Olivia sat down,
The judge called to the foreperson of the jury to have them all consider a final verdict.
They all left through a side door.
The judge pounded the gavel down and excused the court.
We all stood and went out to the hall.
Without a word, Olivia went into the room we’d been in before.
Clara and I followed.
Clara shut the door while looking confused. “Why are we in here? “
Olivia set her briefcase down and said, “This will only take maybe ten to twenty minutes, so we might as well have coffee.”
My brows rose at this. She felt this confident?
Clara blinked and shook her head.
I spoke up now, “I will go out to the coffee machine and get…” My voice fell away as Olivia met my gaze.
That was how we met. Me at the coffee machine, standing in her way.
Liv bit at her lip and nodded.
Avoiding Clara’s stare, I stated, “I will get you your tea, Clara.”
A few minutes later, I came back in with our drinks.
Olivia was studying a file while Clara was checking her phone.
I set their cups on the table.
We each grabbed our drink and took a few sips. The quietness in the room wasn’t tensed like one would expect, it seemed more relaxed than it should even.
Clara then stood. “Well, I can’t just sit here all day, I—”
A bailiff opened the door, cutting her short. “The Jury is coming back in,” he stated to Olivia and then closed the door.
&nbs
p; Clara looked from the door to her. “Well, damn.”
I laughed.
Olivia calmly gathered her files and shut her case.
We both followed her back into the court room. It had been all of 11 minutes or so. We stood until the judge came back in and the jury as well.
The judge pounded his gavel.
I felt as if my heart had jumped to my throat. For some reason, I suddenly felt anxious for what was to come and what the verdict would be. Despite the fact that we were certain, there was still the tiniest possibility they wouldn’t be in our favor.
“The jury has deliberated and they have cast their votes,” the judge’s voice boomed throughout the room.
My stomach was doing somersaults and my heart was beating so fast that I feared I might end up having a heart attack in the middle of the room. As if on autopilot, I kept repeatedly tapping my foot.
The head juror stood and read out from a piece of paper, “We hereby declare, the defendant, Logan Asher Crewe, not guilty for the crime of embezzlement made against him.”
I felt like my chest deflated from breathing a sigh of relief. Without thinking, I pulled Olivia in for a tight hug that surprised her. “I love you.”
26
Olivia
I love you.
It wasn’t as if the confession of those three words was a new thing for me to hear. Logan had made his feelings transparent to me but I was the one with reservations. It was just that, for the first time, he said it in a public place when we were surrounded by so many people. Granted, I was the only one who heard him say it.
Still, it came as a surprise.
But for some reason, I really wanted to say it back. I wanted to profess my love to him, given the victory we were both sharing. But Logan pulled away right after he said it, smiled at me ever so sweetly, and then turned to talk to Clara.
The whole thing happened so fast that I had to take a moment to gather myself.
Eight hours later, I was on Logan’s yacht. He wanted to celebrate his victory right away with his employees, sponsors, and the people at the firm. I managed to get Raquel to agree to spend the night with Amy and even had her bring her boys over. I was still gonna come home but I was afraid that I might come home too late.
