ROYCE
The first day of the trial has arrived. I was preparing my clothes when I got a call from Nelly.
"Hello, baby, how's your morning?"
"Not so fine," Nelly said weakly. It alarmed me to hear her that way.
"What's wrong? Are you worried about the trial later? Don't be; we have a strong chance of winning. I've talked to our legal team."
"No, it's not that. I'm worried about you. Someone called me and said Mr. Gonzalez withdrew the charges against you, and he would expect us to do the same. I stood firm and told him we would continue the fight."
"Baby, you did the right thing. We will fight and win. There's nothing to worry about. Was it Mr. Gonzalez who called?"
"No. And he was using a different number. But I'm sure he was tasked by Mr. Gonzalez. I mean, who else could it be?"
"Don't worry about that, baby. We had predicted he would withdraw the charges against me. He has too much in his hands now. He can't bear another problem, especially with me."
"Yeah, but I'm worried for you. Mr. Gonzalez might have dropped it and would retaliate directly as he did to Marica. Baby, I can't bear another accident, especially…."
"That's not gonna happen," I said, disregarding what Nelly was about to say. "Baby, calm down. Listen, I've taken all the precautions and have predicted the worst-case scenario,"
"I can't bear losing another love of my life just like my brother." Nelly's voice was trembling in fear as she sobbed.
It broke my heart hearing Nelly cry. "Baby, stop crying; I'll be safe. I have bodyguards with me anywhere I go. You don't have to worry about me, okay?"
It took a few seconds before I heard Nelly answer. "Okay then, I'll see you in court. Take care."
"I'll see you later, baby. We will fight and win. Remember that."
Mom and dad made the accused weak in their influence in Sunny's Corporation and even as businessmen. They barely have power in the business world because of their tinted reputation.
I called my secretary to confirm if everything was fine for the testimony. We have one person we need to secure the justice we are all seeking. Everything seemed in order when I talked to Jerry, so I went directly to the court where I'll be meeting Nelly's family, Marica, and Leo.
I couldn't wait to see the accused's reactions seeing our witnesses in the following days of the ongoing trials. We have a more substantial chance of winning and putting them behind bars.
We met in the lobby and went inside the courtroom together. We bumped into Lexxi, Mia, Arya, and their family in the hallway. The atmosphere was intense among the accused and our companions. Mr. Gonzalez and the other executives looked at Mr. & Mrs. Cruz sternly before proceeding to the courtroom.
We were about to follow them when Lexxi held Marica's arm. Mrs. Cruz felt alarmed as she looked at Lexxi's hand seizing Marica's arm.
"We got this. You should go first," Marica said calmly as she bobbed at Mr. and Mrs. Cruz. She shrugged her shoulder, getting off Lexxi's hand.
Nelly's parents went to the courtroom with the legal team while Leo, Nelly, and I stayed with Marica.
The 3 girls were all glaring at us. Lexxi smirked as she faced Marica. "So, how are you? We heard you had a car accident," Lexxi asked sarcastically.
"As you see, Lexxi, I'm still alive and kicking," Marica answered enthusiastically.
Lexxi snorted. "I thought you were between life and death after the accident." She was too confident in herself this time. Mia and Arya standing behind Lexxi; they have nasty smiles on their faces too.
"People like me have nine lives; we will rise from the dead and crush those people who did us badly and make them pay," Marica said, showing her fist unto Lexxi. "I'll make sure justice will be served," she added.
Mia laughed. "Good luck with that," she said with a hint of teasing.
The good thing was that Marica handled it well; she was composed and didn't give in to the trap. "I am Marica Lopez, and I will do anything in my power to get to the culprit. There's no limit to what I can do, unlike the three of you who solely depend on your parents' money. And, before I forget, was it true that your father, Mr. Gonzalez, is not the chairman of Sunny's Corporation anymore?"
The smile on Lexxi's face faded. "It should be temporary; I'm certain dad will get back into his position when this is all over," she said, trying hard to be calm.
It was Marica who snorted at that time. "Seriously? When this is over, your dad will likely be in prison. I doubt if that's a suitable place to be a chairman of a big corporation."
I had to stop myself from laughing. Marica could be a villain if you provoke her.
"My dad is innocent," Lexxi said firmly.
"Yes, our dads are innocent," Arya seconded. The smirk on her face disappeared too.
"We'll see about that. They look so powerless nowadays, and so are you guys."
Marica looked back at us. "Let's go?"
We left the three girls in disdain.
Mr. Cruz was the first to speak about what happened the day of the accident, which appeared to be planned. And also, the lawyer asked about the accident's impact on Cruz's family.
"Mr. Cruz, can you tell us how the accident with your son affected your life?" Atty. Garcia asked; he is one of our legal team.
It took a few moments before Mr. Cruz was able to answer. He drew a deep breath as he looked at his family, Melissa and Nelina.
"I lost my son, who used to be my right hand in building the empire I dream of and inherited from my parents. Half of my life died the day of the accident, and only half of it lives with me, and they are my wife and daughter." He answered, looking at his wife and daughter the whole time.
"Now, can you tell us what you remember during the accident?"
"Yes. My son Mark drove the car on our way home. I noticed an orange Lamborghini tailing behind us a few minutes before hitting us." Mr. Arthur started; he was emotionally recollecting the memory of his son driving the Ferrari.
"In the secluded area, I felt the strong bump behind the car, but I still had a glimpse of the Lamborghini in the side mirror. The second time we were hit, I passed out and don't remember anything until I was in the hospital."
It was the same story as Marica but in a different location. I got it. It was the culprits' thing. They are obsessed with creating an accident scenario and somehow love sports cars. They sure love wasting their money, which they will regret when the verdict comes out.
I held Nelly's cold hand the entire time her dad was questioned. Hoping it would alleviate the pain she was feeling. She was uneasy watching her dad having a hard time speaking the truth.
The first day went smoothly, although the accused were uncomfortable the entire time Mr. Cruz spoke about the incident more than 2 years ago. We all got glared at by them, especially by the three girls. We expected it anyway.
The next day was presenting a person that would testify against the accused' anomaly in Sunny's corporation that Mr. Cruz found out. It was the reason they had to take him down.
I could never forget the commotion when the executives saw Apple appear. The terror look in their eyes was satisfying in my sight. They know all their secrets will be exposed. I gave my secretary a satisfied nod the moment I saw Apple testify.
Nelly hugged me. "Baby, thank you for keeping Apple safe."
"Anything for you, my love," I answered, kissing Nelly's forehead.