Chapter 68: Left Out
Ben’s POV
(Before the hearing)
He went to his car and watched Lora open the main door. He could drool over the Fuentes mansion, if a white house was full of white then the mansion was all black.
They used to stay here and this house was off limits to anyone, it was a privilege for him to see. Their penthouse used to be the show house but this one. Only the Fuentes and their servants could enter here.
He fixed his shirt as if he was about to meet the president.
“You won’t see anyone in there, don’t be nervous.” She said and opened the house. He was greeted by a spacious living area with a grand stair beside him. The gigantic chandelier above was unbelievably huge. The black wall and black glass walls around were overwhelming. The crimson black couch was inviting and black glass center table with a black flower vase on a gray mat.
“Aren’t you going to investigate, Ben?” She asked which snapped him back to reality.
“Right, I want to see her room.”
The first thing he noticed was her walls, it wasn’t wooden brown walls as she described. It was a dirty white wall with paintings on it. There was no black clock too but a classic brown wall clock with golden hands and numbers which were written in roman numerals.
“When was this room last renovated?” asked he.
“Never, Fuentes hates changes. They always want the usual, the one that they used to and they familiar with.” She asked and opened a drawer of Fera’s study table.
“Just like this, this had been here for years. This was her first ever notebook where she wrote her poems at such a young age.” She carefully flips the pages.
“Can I have it?” She looked at him with the are-you-sure look.
“You can touch it and read it but you cannot have it. Fera will kill you.” She handed the notebook to him and he flipped the pages. He saw her baby's handwritten but deep words.
“She’s amazing.”
“She is, she painted all of this. When she was ten she painted this part of the wall but her father learn about it and told her to paint the board not on the wall so she covered it with white again.” Lora said while pointing to the wall above her bed.
“I want to see his room.” Lora lead the way and showed him Mr. Fuentes’ room.
“Have you been here before?”
“Never. No one was allowed. Even Fera wasn’t.” She said and didn’t touch a single thing in his room.
“I see, then where do they talk about some matters?” He asked and looked at the paintings on his wall too. No doubt he and Fera share the same interest in art. They share the same genre.
“At his office, he rarely visits this room. They would usually sleep in his office so if Fera needs him, she goes straight to his office cause he’s eighty percent probably there.”
“I want to see his office too.” She nodded and they walked to his office. It was quite far.
“You knew them that well.”
“No one knew them well, I can track what they have done but expect what they would do next, never.” She talk professionally, her genuine was amusing him every time she would talk about the Fuentes.
“I see.” She opened a door and revealed his office. There he saw the wooden brown wall and black clock. That thing got him thinking, why would Fera describe her room as her father’s office? What’s with this place being more relevant in her memory than her room?
“This was never renovated too?”
“Yes, Mrs. Rain personally designed, I heard.” He nodded and the door went suddenly open.
A man with a bodybuilder figure, massive biceps, and a stoned chest entered. He was bald and had tattoos.
“Mr. Benjamin Leonardo, I presume.”
“Yes,” Ben instantly answered and glanced at Lora.
“Baldo, Sir.” He offered his hand for a handshake so Ben gladly accepted it.
“Nice to meet you, sir.” He said but felt uncomfortable when he over-gripped his hand. Good thing he let it go quickly.
“You too, welcome to Fuentes Mansion.”
“Thank you, I am done here, I think we need to go.” He looked at Lora who was quite to the side.
“Sure, just make sure you didn’t slide anything in your pocket.” He said and she tensed up he shook his head as he didn’t remember picking anything.
“Including the young lady’s diary.” Shot! That’s when he realized he have it.
“I’ll be needing it as maybe one of the evidence.” He said, he took a moment before finally nodding his head.
“She’ll get it back once she’s out.” He said and he lead them out of the house. He didn’t bid goodbye and locked the gate without a word.
“He’s accommodating, isn’t he?”
“Don’t mention it.” She answered with a silly smile. “Drop me by the coffee shop.” She said before hopping in his car.
He drive silently and stopped by the coffee shop. She went out and didn’t even look back.
He went home and read her diary, it wasn’t a normal diary that was clearly narrated. It was the same diary he found at her apartment. Full of lyrics and literally a poet’s notes. Even the date was written like this ‘5th day of august’ or ‘Month of August day of 15’
“I don’t know what kind of milk this kid drank but she had sharp wordings at such age.”
He stumbled into a sorrowful poem. Did this really happen or just purely imagination? He couldn’t help to ask. He flip the pages and saw a poem on her birthday.
‘Colorful day, great event
But I just couldn’t
I hate it
The crowd, and a big event.’
She wasn’t happy on her birthday at all. And every poem is rooted in reality, based on real events. Would this be possible?
He’s high and He’s low. Does she mean powerful when she describes him as high? He went to Lora’s laptop and it locked but he saw a flash drive plugged in the side. He took it and plugged in his pc. Then he saw the papers and pictures of documents that Mr. Fuentes was positive on his drug test and the kind of drugs he was using. The flash drive was named Reymondo.

He was on drugs to be able to do this. But I need evidence.
(End)
He was sitting on his couch while holding his wine. He won but didn’t feel like celebrating it. Nick preparing to leave the country and Lora just left.
He was left alone, even though he was bothered by what he have learn. Even though he had a theory about it, he couldn’t believe that he did that.
He checked his phone and had been receiving notifications. Offers from popular law firms. It was his big break indeed. Fuentes give him a scholarship, and now Fuentes gave him the spotlight to start his career.
“I should be happy.” His problem, he was alone. He could ask Lora out, she was probably hurt by the truth too knowing they had a secret relationship.
He wonder what were the other Fuentes doing now. He never saw Fred around, was it possible that he miss that or he was just around all along.?
“Good job, Benjamin.” He received a text message from an unknown.
“He did nothing to save her, her cell was well ventilated and secured.” He realized that he have the capability of manipulating things around. He dialed Lora soon as the theory formed in his head.
“Did you find who it was?” He asked and she already what he was talking about.
“Yeah, he was there at the courtroom. I followed him when he went out after your massive win.” She said and cut the call immediately. He ran to his computer and find the security surveillance of the courtroom. There he saw a man stand up to leave before anyone and Lora ran after him.
He found the other footage and heard this, ‘Are you happy now, Fred’
“Shit!”