“Court rise,” the court Marshall called out and everyone stood up.Archer was already seated with Charlene by his side as they waited for the judge to sit them down.“Take your seats,”They all sat down, Archer leaned forward to look at Sheikh to find him already staring, the Sheikh winked and that left Archer wondering what was happening.Did he think he had won or…The judge motioned for the attorneys to come before him and Charlene sighed. She approached the bar alongside Charles who was looking every bit of smug as his client.“There is a complaint that you are compromised with the defendant,” the judge said to Charlene.Charlene nodded, “Yes, the defendant is my boyfriend,”“Is that not a conflict of interest?”“Not if I want it to be,” she defended, Charlene looked the judge in the eye, “he was my client before he became my boyfriend and my view of him has not changed. I am able to contain my emotions and defend him fairly in this trial,”“And if he loses?” Charles asked,Charlen
Flashback to the day before trial…Charlene walked with her files and bag to the parking lot, it was pretty late by the time she was done at the office.Her car was parked so far that she had to walk a little too far, her ears perked up when she heard footsteps behind her.Charlene looked behind her but she didn’t see anything, she shook her head and told herself she was being paranoid.“Just keep walking,” she mumbled to herself.She kept walking until she saw her car far ahead, she was almost close to it when she saw the reflection in the glass and screamed.Two men were standing behind her, they seemed to be waiting for her. She froze and the files in her hand dropped automatically.She dropped her bag too and fumbled for the files,“Are you done?” One asked her.Charlene shook her head as a whimper left her lips, “No, no,”“Step away from the files,”“Please, I don’t know who sent you but I can pay you double for what he or she paid. Please don’t hurt me,”“We are not here to hurt
Men in masks barged into the courtroom brandishing bats, chaos ensued. Screams pierced the air, mingling with the shouts of court guards desperately trying to restore order. Archer and Charlene exchanged panicked glances, but their expressions belied a steel calmness.Archer leaned towards Charlene, his voice was controlled. "Stay close, Charlene. We need to keep our heads down."Charlene nodded, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched her phone. "I'm calling 911," she whispered, fingers darting over the screen. "They need to know what's happening." Charlene relayed the situation to the emergency operator, Archer's gaze darted around the room, assessing the threat. His eyes locked onto the Sheikh, who sat unperturbed amidst the chaos, a smirk playing on his lips. Even his lawyer seemed more rattled than the Sheikh himself.Archer's jaw tightened as he whispered to Charlene, "He caused this, look at him all calm like nothing is touching him."Charlene nodded, her voice shaking
The police did their jobs and left with word that they would track down the rest of the men.Even with the commotion, the judge managed to regain control, his voice trembling slightly as he addressed the shaken crowd."We will adjourn the trial to tomorrow," he announced, his tone firm despite the fear flickering in his eyes. "It is clear that everyone has been deeply affected by today's events."Charlene nodded in agreement, her voice steady as she spoke up. "I concur, Your Honor. However, I must insist that my client, Archer, be released from custody. This incident was in no way his fault, and he should not be forced to remain in prison."Charles interjected, his voice dripping with disdain. "You can't seriously be suggesting that we let a murderer walk free, Ms. Charlene. That man belongs behind bars."Charlene's gaze hardened as she fixed her eyes on Charles. "Last time I checked, Charles, we believe in the principle of innocent until proven guilty. And until that happens, Archer
“Hey!” Madison yelled as soon as Archer and Charlene walked through the door. They hugged each other.Gabriel came out and hugged him too, Archer turned around and frowned when he didn’t see Lydia.“Where is Lydia?” He asked.“She has been spending more time at work than usual, she really misses you and doesn’t know how to express it.”Archer shook his head, he didn’t let her visit him because he knew how much her heart would break over that.“I was hoping to avoid that, I will just let her see for herself when she comes back.”Madison nodded, “she would be very happy for that,”Archer waited patiently in his room to rest, he was so sure he had gotten enough sleep when Lydia barged in with a scream.“You are back!” She yelled as she jumped on top of him in a hug.Archer chuckled, “For now, I am.”Lydia sobbed as she squeezed him, “I am so happy you are here, it’s been crazy down here. I just… I have…”“Breathe,” Archer urged her.They broke apart and he smiled at her, “There, because o
"I find the defendant not guilty," the judge declared."What?" The Sheikh thundered but he couldn't be heard over the uproar in the courtroom. Even when the judge kept calling them to order, their happiness couldn't be held back.The trial was over as quickly as it started, everyone rejoiced over Archer's case. Hell, even the twins got vindicated for the accusation and the judge sentenced the Sheikh, Davide and his cohorts to life imprisonment.The Sheikh was not happy with it and called the side bar, Charlene and his lawyer were there. The judge took one look at the Sheikh and shook his head."You cannot call for a side bar, you are not a lawyer,""No, I am not. But if you are going to make judgements off your head then I better know what I am working with,""You don't think I made the right judgement even with all the evidence pointing straight at you? You think I should let you roam around torturing innocent people because you felt like it?" the judge asked."That's not what I said
Archer sat on a table at the podium, the weight of the heavy stares on his shoulders. Lydia approached him, concern etched on her face. "Are you ready for this?" she asked, her voice soft .He glanced at the sea of faces before him, anxiety tightening his chest. "I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready," he admitted, his tone heavy with uncertainty. "But I have to face them, if I don't do this now, it will be late."Lydia nodded understandingly. "I'm here for you, whatever you need," she reassured him, her presence comforted Archer a little.Archer managed a faint smile. "Thanks, Lydia. But I think I've got this. At least, I hope I do."With a final nod, Lydia stepped back, giving him space to gather his thoughts. Archer took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come.As he approached the microphone, the room fell silent, all eyes fixed on him expectantly. Archer cleared his throat."Thank you all for being here today, you all have busy schedules yet showed up for this imprompt
It wasn’t that surprising to see the calls coming on his phone after the press conference but Archer didn’t answer any.He went home, showered and slept for two days straight before he was able to tackle another task for the day.It was on a Monday morning when he stood in front of his dressing mirror to fix his tie, it reminded him of the day he started going to the company.He was standing in this same exact spot and he smiled, he was taking today as starting afresh. CEO back from prison and ready to take over the world.The first thing on his agenda would be to address his board members and assure them that he was back for good.A knock distracted him and he told the person to come in, Lydia peeked her head in and smiled.“Ready?” She asked him.Archer nodded and grabbed his jacket before leaving the room. They entered the car and started going.Lydia saw how much he was worrying and smiled, “Everything would be okay, you nervous?”Archer shook his head, “That’s not what I am worri