29
SILENCE IN COURT
Things were going well with me and Nate. We practically lived together, alternating our living arrangements between the two houses and we had been for a while now. We both kept personal items at the other's place. But what became more complicated was trying to hide the truth from Ivy, as much as we could; we both made sure the main topic around Ivy when we were alone with her was the wedding.
I had gotten so good at lying to her, making excuses, that I struggled to even know the truth anymore. It was getting me down as I really missed my best friend and that was on me. I kept telling myself just a few more months and once the wedding was over, we would tell her.
After the successful visit with my parents over Easter, we realised we could spend more time with them where we could be a normal couple. Mum even called us once a week just to check in and Dad always asked when Nate would be over again, maybe to catch a game with him sometime.
When it came to work, shit was well and truly hitting the fan. My company was preparing all the final bits ready for the trial. My name had been protected, as promised by Nate, but the same couldn’t be said for the company. We were struggling to stay afloat. We had lost a lot of clients and the lawsuit was costing us a fortune but we hoped today would be the end; it was trial day.
I awoke at Nate's, laying in our bed and watching him as he changed into his business suit ready for the day. He was leaving earlier than me this morning to meet with his client and go over some final details.
He strolled into the kitchen and prepared toast for us both while I got myself up and dressed. My nerves were radiating off me as this was only one of the trials, we still had Mr Cato’s one to go.
I didn’t know what to wear so I settled on my light beige pant-suit, which was slim fitted, and paired it with a black shirt. I tied my hair into a neat bun and kept my make-up natural. I wanted to make a good impression in the courtroom to support not just the company, but also Angelina as her deputy. I popped on some white court heels and made my way into the kitchen, the penthouse offered a stunning view of the city below. When Nate noticed me he froze in place, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.
“Do I look okay?” I asked, feeling insecure. My body was shaking inside, and my tummy felt a little unsettled.
Are you kidding me? You look sexy as fuck Gi.” I blushed at his enthusiastic comment. I smiled to myself that I still made this impression on Nate.
Confidently, I made my way to the kitchen island and grabbed a slice of toast with jam. I just hoped my stomach would allow it as I needed to eat something. He came up behind me and placed his hands on my hips, blocking me between him and the counter. He kissed my cheek before whispering in my ear, “I want you to wear this later, sweetheart.”
It sent a shiver down my spine and he rubbed his hands over the material that sculpted my body. I could feel him getting excited. “How am I supposed to concentrate in that courtroom today?”
“I think that's a you problem,” I smirked, knowing my cheekiness would add some extra punishment to our session later.
“Oh sweetheart, we both know that's not true.” He planted another delicate kiss on my cheek, then on my neck before stepping away. He grabbed his briefcase from his home office and placed it on the island beside me, clicking it open. “I have a small gift for you,” he smiled.
“For me? It's not my birthday,” I teased.
“Do I need a reason to treat my girlfriend?” The word still brought butterflies to my stomach. He handed me a red velvet box and I opened it slowly. It was a key with a keyring.
I looked at him confused. I picked up the keychain and turned over the small disk to read the engraving 'Mi casa es tu casa'.
I looked up at him, knowing full well what this was but needed him to clarify. Something so trivial, a part of Spain, a sentiment of our relationship and at the same time, such a grand gesture.
“Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly.
“Positive. You are here all the time anyway. And it would make it easier for you to let yourself in and out” he smiled; this was a massive step for him. He was letting me into his life. Into his space.
“I love it Nate!” I smiled as I took the key out of the box. He checked his watch.
“I need to go, sweetheart. I know today is going to be hard but I'm here, okay? Even if I can't hold you in that courtroom today, I promise I will later. I love you.”
“I love you too, Nate. Good luck and I'm excited to see you do your thing,” I teased. He kissed me on the lips before leaving the penthouse.
Silence filled the room and washed over me, now that Nate was gone, the volume of my thoughts increased. I sat on the stool with a sigh, giving myself a moment. Today wasn't going to be easy. This could be the end of the company and, as mad as I was that Nate had to be the one to have a hand in that decision, it wasn't his fault. He had prepared me for this and had tried his best to minimise the damage in the process.
I made my way to the courthouse, separate from Nate, to meet Angelina and Jennifer. Angelina was visibly nervous, fiddling with her car keys that she hadn’t put away yet. I tried to keep my cool, she knew me and Nate were together but had kept our secret just like she had promised as long as I kept up my end of the deal. I never told her Nate’s boss knew about us.
Our legal team came into view and greeted us all, briefing us quickly for today’s events. Angelina would be representing the company and taking the stand. She smiled at us both, grabbing both of our hands in hers.
“This is it,” she said, as she took a deep breath. “No matter the outcome today, we have fought as hard as we could. It's been an amazing company and I'm so proud I have you guys by my side. You have helped me to build this company into something I never imagined.” She hugged us both tight.
Angelina wasn't one for hugs and affectionate words. In a way, I felt like she was already resigned to the outcome, like she knew what the result was going to be.
We made our way into the courtroom, our legal team on one side followed by some supporters of our business. and the other side was a smug client smirking as we entered the room. I didn’t recognise this client and nor did Jennifer. Nate was sitting beside him. He turned around, gave me a quick glance and a warm smile before clearing his throat and turning back to his client. I could read him like a book, and while Nate's eyes showed he was nervous on the inside, his facial expressions and body language displayed the opposite. His posture was so strong and powerful that it was actually pretty sexy. It made me more excited watching him do his job.
It reminded me of the power he had over me the first time he came into the office and demanded I call Angelina. It made my stomach twitch and an ache appear in my lower body. I clenched my thighs together trying to push the thoughts out of my head as my heart and body ignited at the thought of his assertiveness. And how I knew this feature in our role play later.
Jennifer sat beside me as Angelina stepped into a separate area of the courtroom. She sat next to our lawyers.
We stood as the judge entered the bench and the trial began. Months we had waited for this day and we hoped this would come to an end this week. I was so nervous of what this meant for my future, for our company’s future.
I wasn’t ready to find another job yet, and this would set me back years for opening my own business as I would need the finance to support myself. The only thing I could do was sit back and watch Nate do his thing.
He was amazing, so much passion, such pride in his work and he was the most powerful man in the room. The confidence that radiated off him was intoxicating. He paced the courtroom floor, asking questions not just to his client but to our side too. He was actually pretty intimidating.
The court session droned on, replaying the same shit we had already discussed a hundred times out of the courtroom and now another hundred times in it. The questions were asked and then reworded to get the same answer, I couldn’t keep up and zoned out. I honestly couldn’t wait to take a break. It was becoming overwhelming.
We were allowed to take a small lunch and some time to regroup before court was back in session. We wandered to the local coffee shop to step away from the courthouse and take a breather. Angelina looked exhausted and honestly, I couldn’t blame her. I was exhausted just watching. The session was a shit show, our lawyers looked rubbish compared to Nate and his team. Even the jury was mesmerised by Nate working the room, and it looked like it was going to be impossible to fight. Nate did that, he lit up any room that he walked into, his presence was known.
Angelina told us that whatever happens we go down with a smile on our face and dignity. She even praised Nate and said she wished that Mr Dalton was our lawyer as she was pretty impressed with him despite him being an arsehole to us during the case.
Hearing her praise Nate after months of her passive aggressive comments warmed my heart. At the end of the day he was just doing his job and he was doing it well. It made me incredibly proud of him. I knew this wasn’t his dream job and, thinking about the way he was in his line of work, I imagined just how well he would have succeeded had he chased the dreams he wanted.
I was interrupted by my phone buzzing on the table, his name lighting up the screen. Talking of the devil. Angelina caught a glimpse, giving me a subtle smile as I blushed.
I chuckled softly as I admired his cockiness. That’s what I loved about Nate. His confidence. Very attractive. He had the power, not just in the courtroom but over me, my heart, body and soul.
Angelina cleared her throat, interrupting my little thought
bubble. We had to go back in for the final stretch. Let’s get this over and done with.