Chapter 17 Lukas
Lukas
I hope you’re feeling better
Was the food any good?
The Wishing Kettle used to be my favorite.
Are you still feeling unwell?
Istared at the string of text messages I had unashamedly sent Elsie over the past few days, sighing at the lack of responses. How I’d gone from swearing off romance to sending repetitive, unanswered text messages was beyond comprehension. I’d lost my mind.
It had only been a handful of days since I’d seen her last, when I dropped her off at her house and she’d rushed inside as though trying to get away from me.
One moment, we had been happily looking over a menu, and the next, she was dashing away from the table.
Her feigned sickness wasn’t convincing in the slightest, but I’d let it go.
Because it was probably my fault.
I had made a truly foolish decision to ask her about her experience with the love potion attacks. For some time, I had wondered how it affected her. But I simply wanted to know so that I could know more about her. It had nothing to do with the case.
Immediately after asking it, I felt like a callous idiot, even though I thought we’d become close.
Whatever had been blooming between us was most likely squashed because of my ignorance.
Shoving my phone in my pocket, I walked into the firm that held Alicia Vane’s office.
Since working with Ed, I hadn’t been invited to any meetings with the entire prosecution team.
Understandably, since I was just an intern to the potions master on the team.
However, Ed asked me yesterday while we were in the office if I could join today, to listen in and take notes for him.
I would take on whatever role I needed in order to be more involved with the case.
A secretary directed me to the correct location once I gave her my name, so I marched to the lift. My shoulder bag with the laptop and notepad hung heavily as I considered the case so far, trying to push Elsie to the back of my mind.
I’d sat at every court date, listened intently, and done my best not to glare at Professor Aster or William Middleton.
There were others on the defense team for Aster, but Middleton was the one I placed the most blame on.
Not only was he defending a sleazeball, he was also one.
Other than defending her, I just didn’t like him.
There was something off about him, and every day I saw him only further confirmed it.
There was plenty of evidence presented in our favor to win the case, and there were still so many witnesses to be questioned before the jury.
I entered the conference room and easily slipped into the seat next to Ed, who was pulling his own notes out of his bag.
“Morning,” he grunted, not looking at me as I pulled my things out. There were others around the table who I knew from the many days in court, and some gave me nods of acknowledgement while others continued doing whatever they were doing without looking up.
I reviewed the notes I had already been working on until Vane and her assistant arrived, beginning the meeting.
These were routine for the entire team, so there were no introductions or reviews of anything I might have missed in previous ones, so I took notes to the best of my ability.
Everyone around the table had different roles and offered their inputs differently, and I did my best to note who said what, though I didn’t know everyone’s names.
The discussion covered the upcoming schedule for hearings, breakthroughs, and possible other evidence to gather, and I typed furiously to keep up.
“I’ve never had a case where two witnesses called out sick on the day of.”
I paused my typing, looking up to watch the rest of the room fall silent for the first time in the entire meeting.
“Incredibly inconvenient for our schedule,” mumbled another table member. I tried not to roll my eyes at his tone, which indicated he just wanted the case to be over quickly, probably for personal reasons.
“Do you think someone is paying them off?”
“Highly doubtful. Both actually went to medics to be treated, so they weren’t faking.”
“What were they?”
“One had influenza, the other—”
“In the summer?”
“Yes. The other had food poisoning. Both are well now and have been added back onto the schedule for later dates.”
“Great, thank you. Hopefully, there will be no more sickness amongst our witnesses. They are of great importance in sealing this verdict.”
I took a deep breath, my mind still caught on the two witnesses who were sick. I supposed it was common enough for anyone to fall ill, but it was incredibly convenient timing for both of them.
The conversation around the table moved to another subject, and I continued typing away and kept my thoughts to myself.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, yet I wasn’t about to check it in the middle of this meeting. But the anticipation of wondering who it was from, and specifically if it was from one particular blonde, was going to kill me.
Finally, the meeting came to a close. After telling Ed that I would condense the meeting notes and send them his way later today, I packed my bag and hastily left. My brain buzzed with thoughts on the case and, of course, hatred for all that Aster did.
Especially as my mind drifted to Elsie and her response to my question about the potion.
A burning feeling, unlike one I’d ever known, took residence in my stomach as I considered anyone hurting Elsie.
As soon as I felt it was appropriate, I pulled out my phone.
On the lift to go back to the lobby, my gut sank in guilt and disappointment as I read Elsie’s too-simple reply.
Elsie
I’m fine.