Chapter 72 Courthouse!

Chapter 72 Courthouse!
Laura's POV

"Miss Laura Jacobs, please step forward into the witness box." The court clerk called. Gwen squeezed my hands in hers and smiled at me encouragingly.

My heart was racing at a thousand miles away and even my legs felt too wobbly, but I pushed myself up the minute after he called my name and walked slowly through the aisle into the witness box.

"How long have you known Mr. Jaxon Fallon?" The prosecuting attorney asked. I swallowed slowly, carefully, before looking him in the eye without flinching.

"I met the man about four months ago at a Gala Conference I was invited to perform at."

The attorney stared at me for a minute as if weighing my answer.

I didn't care. Whatever he was thinking anyway — this was the answer he was going to get. To him and the rest of the world: I only met Jaxon at the Fintech Gala and I still regretted that day over and over again.

"Have you guys met anytime else before this Gala?" The attorney pressed on again. My throat suddenly went dry, too dry — I coughed loudly. "Eh, I —"

Before I could finish stuttering, one of the lawyers Ryan had hired had shot up to his feet. "Objection, my lord," he cried.

All eyes turned to him and my breath caught, relief briefly warming its way into my heart. "The counsel for prosecution is asking questions that are leading, vague and clearly misguiding."

The judge tapped his hammer just as the prosecuting attorney was opening his mouth to say something. "But my lord —"

"Objection sustained. Counsel for prosecution, you may proceed with your cross-examination but stick to already established facts."

"Yes, Your Honour." The attorney bowed slightly and straightened up, the famed Mr. Swiftly, and his eyes found mine almost immediately — gunmetal grey eyes, depthless and flat.

"Miss Laura Jacobs, what is your relationship with Mr. Jaxon Fallon?"

"He is my employer." I spat out over my thumping heart. "He bought the studio and label I was signed to, two weeks after meeting me —"

"And why would he do that, if I may ask —" the attorney asked, drawing closer, his bead-like eyes pulling mine and holding it captive.

I clenched my fist tightly, even digging my sharp nails into my palms so hard, I was sure they left scratch marks on my palms.

"Miss Laura." The attorney repeated now, standing directly over the witness box and scowling openly at me.

"I do not know." I blurted out, avoiding his gaze.

"You do not know or you'll not say —"

"Objection, my lord!" My lawyer jumped to his feet again. My cheeks heated up as relief washed over me again.

"Objection overruled. Prosecuting counsel may proceed with cross-examination." The judge said without even glancing up at the young, enthusiastic lawyer Ryan had hired. The little hope I had had — suddenly evaporated into thin air, my hands trembled slightly and sweated profusely.

"Miss Laura now!"

Miss Laura now, Miss Laura now, Miss Laura now.

My vision blurred at the edges. I staggered backwards and gripped the witness frame with all my might to steady myself.

"Why did Mr. Jaxon randomly purchase the label you sing for, two weeks after you both met at his father's gala?"

"I do not know." I said under my breath, my voice breaking roughly at the edges.

"Miss Laura, do you understand that you must be truthful — you're under oath to do just that." The attorney said coldly.

"I am saying the truth!" I snapped fiercely, my voice coming out sharper than intended. My face flushed. I swallowed and drew in another quick, steadying breath. "I don't know his intentions."

The man studied me carefully, like how one would examine a mysterious treasure at the bottom of the sea — looking for how to work it. He was looking for how to break me.

Damn pervert! Get off me! Ahh! Get off me!

The memory tore through my head like someone had just used a knife to slice open an old wound. I winced and stumbled backwards.

"Are you okay, Miss Laura?"

"Vixen!" Someone yelled from somewhere — behind me, maybe. But I couldn't quite make it out, my heart was throbbing loudly, badly — like some large drum had been allowed access and they were going haywire.

"Counsel for prosecution, you can step back a minute!" The judge said, hammering down. I blinked, gasping. My chest was spasming, constricting against my lungs.

My lawyer shot up to his feet. "My lord, permission to cross-examine my client."

"You'll do that when we reconvene, Counsellor." The judge said. "This meeting has been adjourned. We'll reconvene again tomorrow morning."

I breathed a soft sigh and lifted one still shaky hand to my chest to calm its loud rhythmic thumping.

"Court!" The clerk declared. The entire court shuffled to their feet, the jurors and preceding counsels too. The judge, an old man with a white stubbly beard, eased himself from the seat with slight difficulty. His size was twice more than average and his protruding stomach didn't really help matters much. He bowed to the court, picked up his files from the table with one hand and turned around, tottering slowly, majestically out of the court into the backroom.

The moment he was gone, the other lawyers began packing up too. I eased out of the witness box in time to get crushed against Gwen's chest. She buried her face in the hollow of my neck and patted my head dotingly. "I'm glad you made it, baby girl, I'm glad."

Someone dry-coughed behind her and we broke free. I managed to smile at Ryan.

"At least you're still in one piece." Ryan called out smiling and pulling me into a half hug.

"Thank you." I muttered under my breath. "I don't know what I could have done without you two."

"Oh, hell. Don't mention!" Gwen replied smiling.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be celebrating just yet, Miss Laura Jacobs." Someone called out to me from two rows away.

I knew that voice. Everyone knew who that was.

I looked up with a frown on my face as I saw Evan smirking down at me.

"Best not to bother with her, our case is airtight. She's just taunting you." Ryan said casually, steering me around towards the door.

"It doesn't seem that way to me though. It looks like..." I paused, letting my words trail off for a complete minute, not daring to say it. "It looks to me like she has an unplayed card, an ace up her sleeve."

"Oh, even losers are very much confident and good at show off, Laura — don't let her get to you."

"I wouldn't." I said firmly.

"That's the spirit, girl." Gwen said, clapping my shoulder. "Now let's go home!"

"I wish it was that easy!" Ryan groaned as he pointed towards a throng of reporters barring the exit.

"I guess there's no other way out." I said, smiling bitterly.

"Remember, 'you've no comment'." Ryan reminded.

I chuckled softly. "Needn't you say?"

"It's protocol, let's go."

We marched towards the door with a determined gait in our stride. Ryan walking in front and me behind him, with Gwen holding my hands. It was the best gift I'd ever been given. Ever!

"Vixen, do you mind telling us, why you were summoned to court today?"

"Are you having an affair with Jaxon Fallon?"

"Are the rumours about the two of you true?"

"Say something Vixen, what do you have to say about all this?"

Ryan lifted up his hands to calm the overexcited reporters and fans who had mounted up the sidewalk blocking our path.

"I'll entertain only two questions —" I said over the loud noise. The crowd quieted. "So who is going first?"

A female reporter raised her mic, jumping over the shoulder of a fellow reporter. "I'll go first. Did you snatch Jaxon Fallon from his girlfriend Evan — are her allegations against you true?"

I blinked. This reporter really had the guts. "Why would I do that?" I asked.

"Because you're a pathetic little slut and a shameless whore, that's why!" Evan's voice retorted back, answering from behind me. She shoved past me and stood in the limelight, smirking down at me.

"Vixen, is it true what this woman is saying?" Another reporter asked, fixing his camera on me. I swallowed and looked up at the reporter.

"Vixen —"

"I have no comments." I spat out.

"Oh right! Because obviously I do." Evan shot back, her smirk widening. She turned to the reporter who had asked the question and was about answering him when I flung myself at her, knocking her cleanly off her feet.