A'ishah's POV

The moment I stepped into the restaurant’s VIP room, my exhaustion threatened to show, but I forced myself to stand straighter. Nicole’s parents were the first to see me, and their faces lit up with warm smiles.

“A’ishah, dear! You finally made it.” Nicole’s mother greeted, standing up slightly as if to embrace me. Her husband gave me a nod of approval.

But before I could even return their smiles, Mara’s sharp voice cut through the air.

“You’re late.”

I turned to find her seated at the far end of the table, arms crossed, eyes locked onto mine with scrutiny.

Shit. I had been so caught up in the case that I lost track of time. Coming up with an excuse on the spot, I quickly smoothed my expression into something apologetic yet composed.

“I got caught up with a client.” I said, forcing a small smile. “It was urgent.”

Mara’s brow arched. “So urgent that you couldn’t even send a text?”

Nicole’s mother waved her off, laughing lightly. “Oh, come on, Mara. You know how work can be. Lawyers don’t exactly get to choose their hours.”

I gave her a grateful glance while pulling out a chair. “Exactly. I wanted to text, but I was already rushing here.”

Mara didn’t look fully convinced, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she took a sip of her wine, eyes still assessing me.

Nicole’s father leaned forward, resting his hands on the table as he regarded me with a confident smile. “We actually asked you to meet us here for a reason, A’ishah.”

I raised a brow, waiting for him to continue.

He exchanged a glance with his wife before turning back to me. “We’re here to celebrate.”

I blinked, taken aback. “Celebrate?”

Nicole’s mother nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! We know that in less than an hour, justice for Nicole will be served.” She reached out, gently patting my hand. “We have complete faith in you, dear. You’re a brilliant lawyer, and there was no doubt in our minds that you’d make sure the truth comes out.”

My stomach twisted.

I forced a small, polite smile. “That’s… very kind of you to say.”

Nicole’s father chuckled. “Kind? No. It’s the truth. You’ve proven yourself time and time again, A’ishah. If there’s anyone who can turn a case around, it’s you.”

I nodded stiffly. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

Deep down, guilt clawed at my chest.

They had so much faith in me, but they didn’t know the full picture. They didn’t know that I was withholding information, not just about the case, but about my connection to Nicole’s opponent in court. They didn’t know that a part of me wasn’t just fighting for justice, I was fighting for the whole truth.

Before I could dwell on that thought, Mara spoke up again, her sharp gaze pinning me in place.

“Speaking of things that don’t make sense,” she said, tilting her head, “why would you visit Nikki late at night last night?”

The table went silent. I kept my expression neutral, but my fingers curled slightly against my lap.

Shit.

I cleared my throat. “The Special Unit asked me to help them with the Cobra Organization case.”

Mara’s eyes narrowed instantly. “The Special Unit?” She repeated, skepticism dripping from her tone. “Since when did they start working with private lawyers?”

I held her gaze, forcing a calm nod. “Recently.” I lied smoothly. “They needed legal insight on some… sensitive matters.”

Mara didn’t look convinced. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table as she scrutinized me. “That’s interesting.” She mused. “Because I have contacts in the Special Unit, and as far as I know, they’ve never mentioned working with an outsider, especially not a lawyer they don’t have an official agreement with.”

My heart pounded, but I didn’t let it show. I had anticipated Mara questioning me, but I hadn’t expected her to have direct connections to the Special Unit until now.

I shrugged lightly, feigning nonchalance. “Maybe because it’s a low-profile consultation. They don’t exactly announce their every move, do they?”

Mara tilted her head, studying me like I was a puzzle she was close to solving. “Hmm.” She took a slow sip of her wine before setting the glass down with deliberate precision. “I’m sure.”

Nicole’s mother sighed, shaking her head. “A’ishah, dear, I know you have a strong sense of justice, but getting involved in something as dangerous as this?” She reached for my hand again, squeezing it gently. “You’re already handling so much. This isn’t your fight.”

Nicole’s father nodded in agreement. “She’s right. We appreciate everything you’re doing for Nicole, but the Cobra Organization? If the Special Unit themselves are struggling with them, what makes you think it’s safe for you to be anywhere near that mess?”

I opened my mouth, ready to assure them that I knew what I was doing, but before I could, Mara scoffed.

“She’s being reckless,” Mara said bluntly. “And lying.”

I stiffened, my gaze snapping toward her. “Excuse me?”

Mara leaned back against her chair, arms crossed. “You’re lying, A’ishah. About the Special Unit. About why you went to see Nikki. I don’t know why yet, but I intend to find out.”

The tension between us was palpable, but before Mara could push further, Nicole’s mother clapped her hands together.

“Alright, that’s enough.” She said firmly, giving Mara a warning look. “Let’s not start an argument now.” She glanced at her watch before looking at all of us. “We should get going. There are only thirty minutes left before Maxine’s judgment.”

A heavy weight settled in my chest.

Thirty minutes before Maxine’s fate was decided. And here I was, lying to the people who trusted me the most.

In the courtroom, while listening to Denise speak, I can't help but to heave a heavy sigh, and shake my head in disappointment.

I could still argue.

Denise’s argument had weak spots, gaps I could exploit if I wanted to. I could challenge the body cam’s significance, push for its dismissal until it was fully authenticated, and redirect the judge’s focus to the physical evidence that pointed to Maxine.

I could remind everyone that metadata alone wasn’t enough. That without the actual footage, this was nothing more than another unverified claim.

I could tear apart her reasoning, force her onto the defensive, and solidify my case. But I didn’t. I held back.

Because Denise had to win.

The moment she presented it, tension coiled inside me, not out of shock, but out of the sheer weight of what this moment meant.

I had put that evidence in her hands knowing exactly what it would do. Knowing it would be the key to shifting the judge’s perspective, planting the reasonable doubt Maxine needed to walk free.

Even when I objected, it was only for show. I knew the judge would sustain it. I had it calculated.

The body cam footage wasn’t authenticated yet, and by law, I had every right to push back. But I didn’t fight to have it dismissed completely. I didn’t push as hard as I could have.

Because this wasn’t about me winning. This was about Maxine.

So I held back.

When I stood for my closing argument, I kept my words sharp but measured. I laid out the prosecution’s case, presented the evidence, and reinforced the weight of forensic proof.

But I didn’t crush Denise’s argument. I didn’t tear through her reasoning the way I normally would. I let the doubt linger. I let the judge think.

And now, as the gavel struck and the courtroom fell into silence, I stayed still, my hands curled into fists against my lap.

The verdict was no longer in my hands. But I had done what I needed to do.

But to make sure that Maxine will walk free, we needed that footage badly.

My fingers moved swiftly across my phone screen as I typed a message.

Update? Sent. 10:58 AM

From the other room, I could only imagine Gwyneth and Alverson’s frustration. They had been trying to recover the footage for hours, but they still couldn’t break through. We were running out of time.

Still nothing. It’s encrypted as hell. - Alverson Received. 11:00 AM

Give us more time. - Gwyneth Received. 11:02 AM

Damn it. We didn’t have time. The judge was about to leave, and if we didn’t have solid evidence, this would all be over.

No more time. Force the system. Override it. Sent. 11:05 AM

One minute. Two. Three. No response.

I glanced up and immediately caught Maxine staring at me. Her gaze was sharp, analyzing, searching for something. Before she could notice anything suspicious, I lowered my phone and kept my expression neutral, pretending to listen to Denise and the judge’s conversation.

A notification popped up.

Holy shit. That worked. We got something! - Gwyneth Received. 11:15 AM

I blinked, forcing myself to remain calm.

Download it. Now. Sent. 11:16 AM

It’s taking time. The file is too big. - Alverson Received. 11:17 AM

My heart pounded, but I kept my face unreadable. I looked around. The judge was preparing to make a decision. At the back of the courtroom, I saw tension thick in the air, Maxine’s family, Nicole’s grieving parents, our friends, all waiting, and hoping.

Maxine wasn’t looking at me anymore. She was scanning the room, taking in every person, every emotion, oblivious to the silent war happening in my hands.

Fuck! The judge is moving. - Gwyneth Received. 11:24 AM

I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to show my frustration.

Then move faster. Sent. 11:25 AM

A few more seconds. A few more unbearable moments.

Then, a commotion from the door. And the moment the doors slammed open, I already knew.

I didn't need to see the USB clutched in Gwyneth’s trembling hand. Didn’t need to hear the frantic edge in her voice as she shouted for the judge to stop.

It worked.

I exhaled slowly, masking my relief with a perfectly measured reaction. Furrowed brows, narrowed eyes, and a sharp tone of disbelief.

"What is this?" I snapped, standing up, my gaze locking onto Gwyneth.

"The footage from Nicole’s body cam.” She answered, chest heaving. "The night before she died."

A ripple of shock spread through the courtroom, gasps and murmurs rising in waves. But I stayed still. Unmoved. Calculated.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Maxine watching me. Not at Gwyneth, not at the USB, but me.

I could feel the weight of her stare, sharp and probing. She was searching for an answer, a reaction, a crack in my composure. But there was none.

Because unlike the rest of them, I wasn't shocked.

I was relieved.

Because I know what's about to happen. I know all of this evidence even before they are presented. I had given it to Denise, orchestrated this exact moment, prepared for every possible scenario that could unfold.

But now that it is finally happening? That the truth was seconds away from being revealed?

A knot I hadn't realized was strangling my chest finally loosened.

Gwyneth's hands shook as she handed the USB to Denise, who wasted no time plugging it into the courtroom’s main screen. The judge gave her a single nod, his expression unreadable, before turning to the guards.

"Shut the doors."

The sound of heavy locks clicking into place sent a chill down the room. No one was leaving. Not until they saw the truth.

The screen flickered to life, and the courtroom collectively held its breath.

My pulse skyrocketed when the footage began.

The video started with a shaky view of the inside of a dimly lit car. A pair of hands fumbled with the camera before a familiar voice filled the speakers.

"If you’re watching this… it means I didn’t make it out alive.”

My blood ran cold.

Nicole’s face appeared on the screen. Her expression was grim, her eyes darting around the dark surroundings. The dashboard light cast a faint glow on her features.

"I don’t know if I can trust anyone anymore. I feel like I’m being watched. Followed. But if something happens to me, you need to know the truth."

The entire courtroom was frozen. Even the judge had returned to her seat, eyes locked onto the screen.

“So, it's been three hours since the girls left me alone with Maxine. And I have a feeling that someone is watching us.”

The footage continued, the grainy camera capturing Nicole's careful steps through the night. The distant sound of crickets and rustling leaves filled the silence in the courtroom, the eerie atmosphere settling into the heavy air.

"So far, I haven’t seen anything unusual… but something doesn’t feel right.” Nicole’s voice came through the speakers, hushed but steady. "I left Maxine inside, still on a call with the General, and decided to come back here to get my things. But…"

Nicole trailed off, her breathing audibly picking up.

The camera caught the table where she and Maxine had been earlier, the spot where they’d shared hot chocolate. But something was wrong.

The white handkerchief Nicole had left folded neatly on the table was now stained—dark, almost black in the dim light.

"This… this wasn’t like this before." Nicole whispered. "Maxine couldn’t have done this. I can still hear her inside, talking to the General."

Her camera turned towards the hallway leading to Maxine’s room, where the faint sound of conversation was still audible.

"Then who…?"

The floor creaks. Nicole whipped around. The camera blurred as she moved too quickly, spinning towards the opposite side of the cabin, towards the kitchen.

A shadow shifted. There was someone else there.

The courtroom collectively tensed. The judge leaned forward. Maxine’s fingers curled into a tight fist.

The screen flickered as Nicole hesitated, then took a cautious step forward.

"Hello?" She called out, her voice barely above a whisper.

There was nothing. It was silent the whole time. But then, a sharp, metallic click.

Nicole barely had time to react before a dull, heavy thud landed against her skull. The body camera, which is now strapped to her chest, tumbled with her as she collapsed onto the wooden floor.

The screen jolted violently, spinning before settling on its side, the lens capturing the dim, flickering cabin lights from a skewed angle.

A muffled groan escaped from Nicole’s lips, dazed but still conscious.

Heavy footsteps approached. Slow. Deliberate.

The figure loomed over her, partially obscured by the poor lighting, but the glint of a gun in their grip was unmistakable. The same gun they had just used to strike her down.

The courtroom was deathly silent, all eyes glued to the screen.

Nicole let out a weak breath. "You…"

The figure crouched beside her, just barely stepping into the frame.

A pair of gloved hands reached out, pressing against Nicole’s neck, checking her pulse.

She was alive.

The figure on the screen shifted, reaching for something in their coat. The camera caught a brief glimpse of a syringe, making Nicole fall asleep instantly.

And then, the footage ended there.

Gasps, whispers, and angry murmurs filled the air as the realization of what they had just witnessed settled in. The weight of the confirmation that Nicole hadn’t simply disappeared but had been targeted sent waves of unease through everyone present.

I barely registered the judge pounding the gavel, her sharp voice demanding order. The noise around me blurred into nothing but distant echoes, like I was underwater, drowning in the moment.

Because the only thing I could focus on, the only thing that mattered, was Maxine.

She sat stiffly in her seat, her hands balled into trembling fists on the table. Her jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful, but it was her eyes that caught me.

Dark. Intense. Searching.

I expected anger, expected the kind of rage that burned everything in its path. Instead, what I found was something that made my breath hitch.

Softness.

A quiet, desperate kind of grief that twisted something deep inside me.

Maxine wasn’t looking at the screen, and wasn't reacting to the chaos around her. She was looking at me.

And in that split second, I knew. She understood.

Before I could say anything, Gwyneth’s voice cut through the noise.

“That’s not the only footage we recovered.”

The room fell into an uneasy silence. I turned to her, heart hammering.

Gwyneth’s face was pale, her grip on the USB tight as if she feared it would be ripped away.

“There’s another one.” She repeated, her voice steadier this time. “And this one… this one proves everything.”

A chill ran down my spine. This was it. The final piece.

The courtroom doors were locked. The truth had nowhere to hide.

The screen flickered, and a new footage began.

At first, it was nothing but darkness. Grainy. Disorienting. Whoever was wearing the camera was moving, their uneven breaths barely audible over the faint rustling of fabric.

The door creaked open, and the weak glow from the humidifier cast an eerie haze over the room. The grainy footage trembled as the person moved, the camera catching glimpses of the space, until it landed on her.

Maxine.

Unconscious.

Sprawled on the floor, her dark hair fanned out against the cold surface. The dim lighting softened the harsh edges of her face, making her look… fragile.

My breath caught, fingers curling against the edge of the table.

I should’ve been prepared for this. But seeing her like this now? My stomach twisted.

A shift in the air made me look up, and across the room, I found her eyes.

Maxine was already staring at me.

The chaos of the courtroom faded into nothing. There was only us.

I saw it in the way her jaw tightened, in the way her fists curled, trying to steady herself but more than that, I saw it in her eyes. The way they softened, the way that fleeting vulnerability cracked through her guarded walls.

She wasn’t thinking about the case. Not about the evidence, not about the betrayal, not even about the nightmare unfolding on screen.

She was thinking about me.

And so was I.

A silent conversation passed between us, raw and wordless. A wound ripped open between two people who had already lost too much.

But the moment shattered when the video continued.

The person in the footage stepped forward, tilting the vial over the humidifier. The mist thickened as they muttered under their breath.

"Just to make sure you won’t wake up."

I stiffened.

Maxine’s hands curled into fists, her breathing slow, and controlled but I saw the way her throat moved as she swallowed hard.

I saw it happen in real time, the exact second the voice registered in her mind. The precise moment realization sank its claws into her.

And I knew.

I knew because the same thing was happening to me.

The voice that spoke so casually, so assuredly, as if this was nothing more than an inconvenience.

The courtroom erupted into whispers, murmurs of confusion and speculation swirling through the tense air. But none of it mattered. Because they didn’t know.

They could debate. They could guess. They could argue among themselves about the grainy footage, about who was behind the camera, about what it all meant.

But Maxine and I? We knew. The courtroom may have been fooled, but not us.

Maxine’s eyes were locked on the screen, but I could see the fury building behind them, and the restrained, seething rage of a storm barely contained.

Her lips parted slightly, her breathing unsteady, but she didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to.

Because she wasn’t the only one fighting to stay in control.

I could feel my own pulse hammering against my skin, my jaw clenched so tight it ached.

We knew this voice. We had trusted this voice.

And now, that same voice had been caught on camera, standing over Maxine’s unconscious body, ensuring she would never wake up.

I forced myself to inhale slowly, steadying the tremble in my hands.

Maxine swallowed, her throat bobbing, her gaze flicking to me for a fraction of a second. And in that single glance, we understood each other completely.

No words were spoken. No confirmation was needed.

We both knew who it was.

~~~

Thank you for reading! 💛

AN: Double update again tonight! ☺️