Chapter 18 18

Chapter 18 18


Aria POV

Kane drove me back home after dinner. I took a shower and returned to my bed. I lay flat on my bed, staring at the chandelier above me. I sighed as different thoughts crossed my heart again. It was all about Derek.

My phone suddenly buzzed, jolting me out of my thoughts. I looked at my phone screen and noticed that the caller was Kane.

“Are you thinking again by chance?” Kane's voice came in the moment I picked up.

“I’m not.” I retorted, but I’m sure anyone could notice that I was lying.

“You should stop lying. I’m sure you are.” Kane told me, and I immediately kept shut. 

I suddenly sighed.

“You think I can really do this?” I asked Kane

“Of course you can. You are her mother, and I’m sure you will be the one to get her.” Kane told me, and I smiled softly.

Of course, that was true. The court will never allow Lily to continue staying with Derek when he could easily abandon her for his work.

“I just thought of something, Aria,” Kane said in a low voice, making me a little curious about what he had to say.

“What is it?” I asked almost immediately.

“It’s about Lily’s autism. I think we should make use of that too. Being her mother, you are the one who can take proper care of her; I mean taking her for checkups and others.” Kane told me

I paused for a while.

“What do you think about that?” Kane asked, jolting me out of my thought.

I sighed.

“I guess we should make use of it,” I told him.

Even though I felt a little bad about using that, I had to get Lily to my side. At the moment, I wanted to do anything to get Lily back from Derek.

“Good. We will talk about the rest tomorrow. Sleep tight, Aria.” Kane mumbled 

“Thanks for everything. Thanks for being by my side.” I showed my gratitude. 

“It’s fine. Goodnight sweetheart.” And with that, Kane ended the call.

I dropped my phone right beside me and sighed. I stared at the space for some while thinking about everything again. Before I knew it, I eventually slipped into the dream world.

\-

I sat in front of the mirror, packing my hair in a ponytail. I could feel my heart racing so fast, not because of anything but because it was D-day. It was the day of the court’s first summons.

A knock came on my door, interrupting me.

“My lady, are you ready?” Grace's voice came in.

I inhaled sharply and got on my feet. I took the last glance at my reflection, and I grabbed my bag before walking out of the door.

“Alpha Kane is already here. He is waiting.” Grace told me.

“What about Uncle Grey and Aunt Evelyn?” I asked her. I hadn’t seen them around.

“They are in the living room with Alpha Kane.” She told me.

I nodded and walked in the direction of the living room. The moment I appeared in the room, I met the trio having conservation. I knew they were all talking about what was going to happen today.

“Aria, you are here!” I heard Uncle Grey’s voice the moment they noticed my arrival.

I forced a smile across my face and moved closer to their side. 

“Are you ready?” Kane asked, and I nodded.

“You look a little nervous, child.” Aunty Evelyn moved closer to me and adjusted my dress. 

I looked into the eyes of every other person in the room; they obviously didn’t look as nervous as I was at the moment. They looked calm compared to me. 

“I will be fine,” I forced a smile across my face towards her.

“We need to leave now. We are almost getting late.” Kane took a peep at his wristwatch.

“Let’s leave,” I mumbled.

Kane nodded and led the way out. Uncle Grey and Evelyn took their car while I was to leave with Kane. He helped me with the car door, and I gently got into the car. 

I looked out of the window and took a deep breath as Kane drove on the quiet street. Anyone could notice how restless and anxious I was. The more we moved closer to the court, the more scared I was.

“You looked quite great in this blue suit.” I heard Kane’s voice.

I thought I had heard wrong until I glanced at his face. He really said those words.

Is this the right time to compliment my dress?

I didn’t say a word; instead, my gaze fell out of the window again, and I took a deep breath.

“I told you not to worry about anything. We are winning this.” Kane told me. 

Strangely, that seemed to calm me down. Maybe that was what I wanted to hear from the start. I mean, there is no way I won’t be winning this. Lily is my child, and I won’t allow a monster to take her away from me.

Soon the car stopped in front of the courthouse. I get out of the car along with Kane.

We walked into the courthouse.

“Ms. Aria.” We heard the lawyer’s voice behind it.

I turned in the direction and watched a man in his late 60s approach us.

He is a lawyer, Chris, and he will be representing me. Kane was the one who introduced him to me; he is Kane’s lawyer and his old father's friend. Kane had told me about how he had never lost any case in his thirty years of service, and I was rest assured that he would be winning these as well.

“Good morning, lawyer Chris. I hope you are prepared for this.” Kane asked him. 

“You know I don’t lose Alpha Kane.” He smiled at Kane. 

The man turned back to me.

“You shouldn’t worry, Ms. Aria. This is just a mere piece of cake; we will surely win.” The lawyer assured me.

Hearing that from him calmed my nerves completely.

“Shall we?” He gestured, and I nodded.

The man led the way into the courtroom, and I followed, looking so confident. I had managed to erase every trace of fear or nervousness from my system.

The moment we got into the courtroom, it was empty. Derek wasn’t here yet. I didn’t think much about it, and we took our seats.

The little time gave Lawyer Chris more chances to communicate with me and explain other things I knew nothing about. 

“And with all this, be ready to take your daughter home.” He told me, and I nodded firmly. 

Of course, I will be taking Lily home. I had told Grace to prepare her room before leaving. The courtroom fell into total silence after a while, giving me the perfect opportunity to think everything over, but this time there was no going back. 

The clock on the wall ticked steadily, marking the passage of time with an almost oppressive regularity. The door at the back of the room swung open, and Judge entered, her black robe flowing behind her. She moved with a calm authority, and her presence was commanding respect from us seated. 

The bailiff announced her arrival, and every one of us in the room stood as she approached the bench.

"Please be seated." The judge said her voice was firm yet soft. She settled into her chair, adjusting her glasses as she scanned the room, and we did the same. 

My eyes scanned around the courtroom, and they suddenly fell on the empty seat that was supposed to belong to Derek’s party, but strangely, Derek and his party were nowhere to be found. 

“We are here today for the custody hearing of Lily Thompson. I see that the petitioner, Ms. Aria Thompson, is present with her counsel. However, the respondent, Mr. Derek Thompson... ” The judge paused, and her eyes fell on the empty seat that belonged to Derek. 

“Mr. Derek hasn’t arrived." She completed her words. The judge turned her gaze to my lawyer, Mr. Chris. 

"Me Chris, do you have any information regarding Mr. Derek's whereabouts?" She enquired. 

The old man stood on his feet. 

"Your Honour, we have not received any communication from Mr. Derek or his legal representative. But he is fully aware of today's hearing." Lawyer Chris told her.

The judge nodded thoughtfully. 

"Then we will give Mr. Derek a few more minutes to arrive. In the meantime, I would like to remind everyone that the court's primary concern is the best interest of the child.” The judge said. 

I suddenly felt nervous again. I took a glance back at Kane, who gave me a reassuring nod. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and it worked again. 

The judge continued talking for a while, but Derek didn’t arrive. The woman suddenly took a glance at the wall clock. 

"It appears Mr. Derek is still not present. Bailiff, please attempt to contact him or his attorney." She ordered. 

The bailiff nodded, and she left the room to make the call. 

The judge turned back to us. 

"If we are unable to reach Derek, we may need to proceed with his absences. Are you prepared to present your case?" She asked us. 

Lawyer Chris took a glance at my face, and I nodded firmly. He quietly turned back to the judge.

“Yes, your honor. We will proceed.” He responded. 

“Very Good. Let’s wait a few minutes for the bailiff’s report." The judge mumbled, adjusting her glasses.

The courtroom was left in silence and a state of confusion. Just turn the bailiff returned. I could feel my heart limping a little as I awaited her report.

“My lord. We are unable to reach him.” The bailiff reported. 

The judge sighed.

“I guess we have to proceed with his absence.” She said, and I smiled softly.

That was what I wanted. If Derek wasn’t present, I’m sure we would have the upper hand and more points against him.

But why is he suddenly not here? Did he suddenly develop a cold foot? 

“Let’s begin. Mr. Chris, you may proceed." The judge gestures. 

Lawyer Chris stood on his feet, and he addressed the court. 
"Your Honour, the respondent's absence today is indicative of his overall lack of commitment and responsibility. This is not the first time Mr. Derek has failed to show up for important matters concerning his daughter, Lily. His repeated absences and lack of communication demonstrate a pattern of neglect." He paused, making sure the judge was following, and of course, the woman was. A soft smile escaped from my lips, seeing how the judge was moved. No doubt we will be winning the case. 

"Ms. Aria, on the other hand, has been the primary carer for Lily since birth, even though the child was a little sick. She has consistently shown her dedication and ability to provide a stable and loving environment for her daughter. We believe that granting custody to Ms. Aria is in the best interest of Lily.” Lawyer Chris added. The woman judge nodded, taking notes.

"Thank you, Mr. Kane. Your points are duly noted. Given Mr. Derek’s absence and the evidence presented, we will proceed with the hearing." The judge said.

I took a glance at Kane and smiled more. It was as if Kane could see it all; we are surely winning.

“My lord—“ 

Mr. Chris wanted to continue, but all of a sudden he was interrupted by the courtroom door that sprang open the same minute, followed by a familiar voice. 

“I’m here!” The voice rang vividly into the room.

No doubt it was Derek!

I immediately looked in the direction, but I was left completely dumbfounded and shocked at the sight of what I saw. I wasn’t only shocked, but Kane was shocked as well.

Derek walked into the courtroom, but he wasn’t alone; he had an army of lawyers behind him. He was with seven other lawyers. 

“I’m sorry for arriving late, my Lord. It happened that I met an unexpected circumstance on my way here.” He apologised 

“But I’m here now with my representatives. Can we please begin?” 

He was obviously prepared to fight us to the ground!