"Defend Me, Attorney." (Law Series #1)

PART SIXTEEN: GAME OVER

"Due to the absence of the supposed to be witnesses, and the situation aroused by new evidence acquired, I therefore move the day of the last trial the day after tomorrow to give way to new reports both the prosecution and the defense need to file."

Matapos niyon ay tunog ng gavel ang maririnig mula sa judge. Nagsimulang magbulungan ang mga tao.

I looked around. From there, I saw people were one by one leaving while their eyes were looking at us still.

As I looked at Avery, she was looking at me sharply. Traise's aunt was still standing in the witness stand while uncontrollably crying. Newt seemed confused. Tyler, on the other hand, looked like he was amused.

"Leave..."

I looked at Traise who was beside me. He seemed devastated. His face turned madly red and there were tears in his eyes.

"But—"

"I said leave!" he exclaimed to me while his jaw was clenched.

He probably can't believe still the revelation his auntie just spilled. Few seconds later, he was escorted by a police out of the court room and in a blink of an eye, he disappeared from my sight.

"Well, I guess that's it for today."

I heard a mocking voice said and I looked at the owner of it. When our eyes met, I looked at him sharply as if I can kill him anytime. When he saw the anger written all over my face, a smirk formed on his lips. He then turned his back and walked away.

"So what are you up to?!" I asked while following him but he wasn't looking back.

"Hindi pa ba sapat sa 'yo 'yung niloko mo kaming lahat? Na nagpanggap ka at pinaniwalang kakampi ka pero ang totoo ay ginamit mo lang kami, ha? Na ginamit mo lang ako?"

That's when he stopped and he looked back.

"Courtney, think whatever you wanna think. I have my own agenda to fulfill."

"Agenda?" I bitterly smiled. "Anong agenda, Tyler? Na gaguhin kaming lahat?"

"You know," he said. "In the first place, you should not be mad at me. Tinutulungan pa nga kitang kilalanin mo ang sarili mo."

"What?" I asked, confused.

He smiled. "Who gave you enough resources to know about your mom? It was me. Who gave you an idea about your mom? It was me. And now I'm helping you unraveling your family's secret."

"Family secret? What do you mean?" I asked.

He walked towards me while his eyes were fixated at me.

"It was revealed that Traise Stevens, your dear friend, is an illegitimate child. Nanay niya ang tumestigo laban sa nanay mo para mabigyan siya ng death penalty, which apparently caused her death. If that's the case, bakit siya tutulungan ng tatay mo kahit na siya ang isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit nakulong ang nanay mo? Bakit siya bibigyan ng tatay mo ng trabaho after ng malaman ng tatay ni Traise na hindi niya tunay na anak ito?"

I felt a bang in my chest.

"And why would your dad support the education, even giving allowances, of the son of the woman who testified against his wife, making way for you and Traise to get close?" 

I felt my heart stopped beating.

He inched the gap of our face.

"Tell me, is your friend...really your friend, or he's more than that?"

He smirked.

"Stay tuned."

His smile faded. He turned dead serious, and he walked away.