Ayleen's POV
"Throw it away," I said when I saw Mia standing by the door of my office holding another bouquet of white lilies.
"Ayleen, she's been sending you flowers every day since that party. This is the 10th bouquet you have me throwing away, and they are so pretty!" Mia protested while stomping her foot on the floor.
"Are you really throwing a tantrum over flowers?" I gave her a puzzled look and received a blank stare. There was no doubt that the flowers were gorgeous, and maybe somewhere in my heart, I was content that she was sending them daily. It made me feel like I was occupying her mind.
"Knowing Clara, she is probably upset that she's getting ignored. It is something she is not used to. She doesn't really want me as a person. She just hates rejection," I added, analyzing the situation.
"I still think you should talk to her, hear what she's got to say. She's been trying to get your attention for a while, and let's not forget she is helping us with the case," Mia said as she set the bouquet on my desk.
I watched as she took the card that came with the flowers and read it. Her lips curled into a little smile before she masked it with a cough and put the card in her pocket.
"Well? What does it say?" I asked curiously, tapping my finger on my desk.
"Why do you care? Weren't you going to throw it away?" She teased me, and after a few seconds of thinking if I should follow my curiosity and ask again or continue playing it cool, I decided to go with the latter.
"I do not care. I was just making conversation," I said, shrugging and relaxing back in my chair.
"Of course, you don't care, you big baby. Let's go. We need to do a quick sound check before Avery arrives," she said, pulling my hand, causing me to groan.
"Go. I am right behind you," I dismissed her with a wave of my hand and watched as she walked out of the door, closing it behind her.
I rested my cheek on the palm of my hand and touched the beautiful flowers that were sitting carefully on my desk. They used to anger me when I received them, but now I wondered when they would arrive. She was successfully getting me hooked on her poison again.
Standing up, I grabbed the flowers and threw them away in the trash. I took a deep breath and followed Mia to the studio after stopping to take one last look at the pretty flowers that were no longer carefully placed together.
I took my seat in front of my piano and waited for Mia to give me the signal to start. I closed my eyes and ran my hand on the keys of the piano.
"Ayleen," I heard Mia's voice through the headphones, bringing me back to reality.
"What happened?" I asked her through the mic, and I saw her put an envelope on the glass.
Clara's POV
I walked confidently through the courtroom halls, my heels providing a sense of empowerment. It seemed that the sound of a woman's heel had a spellbinding effect on those around her, making them stop and look without fail.
No matter if you were the most powerful judge in the room or an accused criminal waiting for your verdict, once a woman's heel struck the ground, all eyes were drawn to her. And I knew how to use this to my advantage. I never looked back, remaining steadfast in my mission to reach the courtroom. However, this time, my heart felt heavy - it was Katherine's courtroom today.
Katherine had tried to talk to me several times since the incident, but I didn't give her the time of day. We had a deal: she dropped the case against Ricardo, and I tried to keep a professional relationship with her. I had made the agreement for Ayleen's safety, as I feared that Ricardo might hurt her if she moved away from the protection we had assigned to her. I wished I could destroy Katherine for what she had done to my life with Ayleen, but I had made a choice back then, and it still lingered with me.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Sofia, I'm about to enter the courtroom," I said hurriedly.
"Miss Ayleen is here to see Marcus, and she's crying," Sofia informed me. "Miss Alcaraz? Can you hear me?" she added.
"Get her to my office, and don't let Marcus near her. I'll be there in 30 minutes," I said before quickening my pace to the room.
"Judge Katherine," I said as I entered the courtroom.
"Clara," she greeted with a wide smile that made me queasy.
"I need to postpone this case," I said abruptly, ignoring the formalities.
"Postpone?" she asked, confused. This was the first time I had asked for a postponement. I was always prepared for my cases.
"I have a personal emergency," I explained after a second of silence.
"Can one of your juniors stay? We need to start the hearing, and any of your lawyers can ask to postpone," she said attentively, as if she saw this as an opportunity to do me a favor.
"Thank you," I nodded and walked away. I hated asking her for anything, but for Ayleen's sake, I didn't mind.
I hadn't driven as fast as I did that day. I almost ran into the office. Sofia gave me a reassuring nod as I rushed inside. Ayleen was sitting on my couch, tears streaming down her face.
"What happened?" I asked cautiously, hesitant to approach her in case she pushed me away.
She looked up at me, and a soft sob escaped her lips as she pulled an envelope out of her purse.
"Eviction?" I asked curiously.
"I thought he was taking this to court, but somehow I'm getting evicted. How did this happen? I don't understand," she struggled to speak.
"Henry's brother happened," I explained as I took my glasses out of my bag and read the eviction notice, pointing to the signature on it that belonged to Andrew Garcia.
"So that's it? I'm losing everything?" she said, despair in her voice.
"Ayleen, you're not losing anything. Go back to the studio, and I'll handle this," I reassured her.
"Clara, I can't lose this," she said, placing her hand on mine. My breath hitched in my throat.
"I promise you won't lose anything," I said, wanting to tell her to trust me, but I knew she would have laughed in my face.
"How can you say that?" she withdrew her hand, and I immediately wanted to grab it again.
"Andrew has a lot of scandals, scandals that I'm very familiar with. I'll go have a quick chat with him, so consider this paper gone," I said as I tossed the envelope in the trash.
"I can't lose this studio. I worked too hard for it. It's my life savings. It costs too much to set up a studio, and I can't start over somewhere else. I have a lot of contracts coming up with deadlines I must meet. It's not just about losing the studio; it's losing clients and my reputation," she said, and I listened to her quietly.
I missed her voice. I missed how her hands moved when she talked. Her features had matured and became more beautiful, but she was still the sweet Ayleen that I loved.
"And you won't lose anything. I'll make sure of that," I said, wanting to hold her and stroke her hair. I wanted to tell her that I was by her side, but at least we were having a civil conversation.
"Thank you," she whispered, and a smile appeared on my lips.
"I'll talk to Andrew. You can stay here and calm down. I'll ask Sofia to get you some hot chocolate," I said as I stood up and walked toward the trash to retrieve the envelope I had thrown away.
"I actually need that. It was just a dramatic gesture to throw it away," I explained when I noticed Ayleen looking at me curiously. She turned her head away, hiding a cute giggle that escaped her lips.
I left the office, suppressing the urge to stay by her side. Right now, she needed Clara the lawyer, and I would be anything she needed.
Ayleen's POV
I looked around her office; it smelled just like her. Everything was as I remembered it to be, which brought me pain and comfort. She brought me pain and comfort.
As soon as Mia gave me the notice, I ran here. I don't know why I didn't ask Mia to go tell her. I needed to see her, and I was angry at myself for it. Angry at myself for feeling safe after seeing her. My heart was at peace, as I trusted that she would solve everything for me. But why was I trusting her after everything?
I stayed in her office until Mia called me and told me that Clara said she would meet them there. Anxiously, I made my way back.
As I was about to open the studio door, I heard Mia shouting. I rushed in and saw her standing in front of Henry, with his guards. George was nowhere to be found.
I took a deep breath, mentally begging myself not to cry again, and walked to Mia's side.
"What is happening here?" I asked, as I rested my hand on Mia's forearm.
"I came to check if you received the notice. You have a week," Henry said nonchalantly.
"A week for what?" A familiar voice husked from behind Henry, making me take a deep breath of relief. Clara had kept her promise and come.
"Who are you?" Henry asked as Clara took my side along with another man.
"Clara Alcaraz. This is my client you are harassing, and this gentleman is a reporter. He is here to make a cover story about the studio. It's the talk of the town, as you may know," she said as she looked my way and gave me a wink that made my knees betray me.
"I am afraid the town is going to be disappointed. This studio received an eviction notice," Henry said with another condescending smile.
"Sorry, what was your name again?" Clara asked curiously, earning a confused look from me. She knew who he was; was she kidding me?
"Henry Garcia," he answered as if his name would intimidate Clara.
"Oh, you are Judge Garcia's brother? The same judge that illegally issued this eviction notice?" she said, giving the reporter the envelope that I had given her.
I saw her plan now. She wanted him to say his name in front of the reporter.
"What did you just say?" Henry said, taking a step towards Clara, but she stood tall in front of him. I found myself standing behind her, shielding myself from the angry man and seeking her safety once again.
"I was just at his office. What a coincidence, he actually denied signing this paper and said to consider it null. Interesting news, wouldn't you say, Jim?" she said, looking at the reporter who was holding a recording device, smiling as if he had won the lottery.
"I think you need to go call your brother. He's got some news for you! Go on, stop bothering my client," she added, imitating what he had done and taking a step towards him, asserting that she had won this round.
He looked at his bodyguards angrily, as if he expected them to come to his rescue. He punched one of them in the shoulder as he walked away.
"Thank you, Jim," she said, shaking hands with the reporter who left satisfied with the news he had received.
"And this is for you," turning around to face me, she gave me a piece of paper.
I looked at the paper, confused, and then back at her, waiting for her to explain.
"This is a restraining order against Henry. It says he needs to stay at least 3 km away from you. So legally, he is the one who's required to be evicted from the building, and it's signed by Judge Garcia himself. He chose to save his own ass and sacrifice his brother's," proud of herself, she said while chuckling.
I found myself staring into the hazel brown eyes in front of me. I got lost in them. They always had this spark that compelled me to look at them.
I was snapped out of my daze when I saw Mia jump into Clara's arms, screaming in happiness. They wrapped around each other as they laughed together.
"That was so cool!" Mia said, jumping up and down in front of us.
"He won't be a problem anymore," Clara said, looking at me with a warm smile.
"Thanks," it came out colder than I wanted it to be, and immediately her smile disappeared, and Mia's laughter died down.
"That's all right. I should get going," she said, causing a hint of sadness to invade my heart.
"No way. We're going to do a rehearsal now, and you need to stay for it," Mia said, grabbing her hand.
"I don't want to get in the way." She looked at me, waiting for me to say anything, but I only shrugged as I walked away, then looked at Mia's hand that was entwined in Clara's.
I made my way back to the recording room and put on my headphones. I watched Clara and Mia laughing through the glass window. I hated that it was soundproof and I couldn't hear what they were saying.
I I took a deep breath and let my fingers glide over the piano keys without waiting for Mia's signal. The notes flowed effortlessly, the melody easing my frayed nerves. As I played, I couldn't help but think of Clara. She had saved me once again, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it.
Part of me wanted to be angry and distance myself from her influence. But another part of me couldn't resist the comfort and security she offered.
I didn't want to acknowledge it, but I was inexplicably drawn to her. Whenever I saw her, my heart skipped a beat, and I felt like my world had shifted.
However, I couldn't afford to get too attached. I had been hurt before, and I couldn't let my guard down again.
On the first page of our story
The future seemed so bright
Then this thing turned out so evil
I don't know why I'm still surprised
My eyes flickered open, and there she stood, her lips slightly parted, her hand resting delicately on her heart. With eyes that seemed to peer straight through me, she gazed intently, her presence captivating me. It was as though time had slowed down, and I was trapped in the intensity of her stare.
Even angels have their wicked schemes
And you take that to new extremes
But you'll always be my hero
Even though you've lost your mind
I kept my gaze locked on her as I played, my fingers moving effortlessly over the keys. I could feel the weight of her stare, so intense and unwavering, causing a flutter in my chest.
Suddenly, she bit her lower lip and looked away, breaking the contact of our eyes.
Just gonna stand there and watch me burn
Well, that's alright because I like the way it hurts
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry
Well, that's alright because I love the way you lie
I love the way you lie, oh
I love the way you lie
I watched as she subtly wiped her eyes and turned away, her shoulders heaving with emotion. Mia said something, but I couldn't hear what it was. But she didn't stop to answer her.
I closed my eyes again ignoring the pang of pain that creeped in my heart.
Now there's gravel in our voices
Glass is shattered from the fight
In this tug of war, you'll always win
Even when I'm right
'Cause you feed me fables from your head
With violent words and empty threats
And it's sick that all these battles
Are what keeps me satisfied
I looked back to Mia seeing her shaking her head in disapproval before turning away, I was not going to feel bad for protecting myself.
I am not falling for this game.