Avery and Prince

[4 years ago]

She was the defense counsel, and he was the prosecutor of the case. They're waiting for the final verdict, but the intensity of their stares couldn't be withdrawn. It was the first time Avery heard a prosecutor named Prince Gomez, but it sounded familiar. Maybe her mother must have talked about him a lot…

Avery tended to forget names, but after seeing him, she knew he's the one she's searching for.

She crossed her arms over her chest, and didn't back down from the staring contest.

"Look at how feisty the defense counsel is, Mr. Rob," Prince whispered. Avery narrowed her eyes.

At first, Prince thought he couldn't sway her feet. She was unapproachable, intimidating, and someone who shoot daggers in her gazes. It was never Prince's thing to get involved with a strong and an independent woman like her, but guess what… he never got afraid of her presence.

Behind those dark glimpses in her eyes were a prey crumbling up, waiting for the predator to pounce on her.

"Defense counsels tend to be like that, Mr. Gomez. It's nothing new in the court. They thought they could rule out every prosecutor's charge, but you know, we still won against them," Mr. Rob explained. Prince knew it, as he was in this field for already 5 years. He held onto the clipboard, ruling out the statements Avery ousted on her counterattack.

She was that good at her job.

"You know what's frightening about defense counsels? They're actually defending the guilty defendant even though they know the charges. The defense counsel knew what happened, the evidence it got, and still, they didn't back down a fight," Prince responded. He cleared his throat, turned back to the clipboard, and Avery got satisfied upon winning the staring contest.

"Yeah, isn't it the same thing in us?"

Prince stopped scribbling in his notes, and turned to his senior.

"You know, Prince, defending and charging the law is at the same scale. That's why our statue held a weighing scale and have her eyes covered. Because the defendant and the accuser became lost in the tangle of conflicts, and no one would sever the tie but us."

Prince followed his words. He's learning from him every day.

"The law depends, Prince. It should state as equal and just, but sometimes, the person who has a stash of cash in their pockets wins. It might be wrong, but in the eyes of the judge who got bribed, it's nothing else but just a single person." Mr. Rob shrugged.

Prince knew that being a prosecutor would eventually lead him exhausted out of torment.

"Did you get bribed?" Prince asked. Mr. Rob turned to him.

"Do you think so?" He's testing him. Prince sighed.

"Even if I said yes, you wouldn't say the truth." Prince tilted to his head on one side. Mr. Rob laughed.

Prince turned back to the files, and skeptically turned to the defense counsel's table. Avery turned back to reviewing her final notes for today. Prince wanted to admire her beauty, but underneath those glimpses, she's unpredictable.

The plan was about to set out, and at the same time, Bryce is on the move.

Prince's cell phone rang. He checked if there's time left to go for the recession. He still has 20 minutes.

"I'll just check my call." He tapped Mr. Rob's shoulder, and went out for a while.

As Prince came out, he answered Bryce's call. Prince put on his emotionless face, asking, "How did it go with meeting Aria?"

"Great. I finally baited her on the hook. I'm hoping to see her tomorrow. How about you? Have you planned out the meeting you have with Avery?"

Prince slipped his hands inside his robes, responding, "It's all fine."

He was about to turn around but he got surprised when a woman appeared by the hallway, wearing a cerulean coat and skirt. Prince got startled, looking at her, and recognized Avery. She's rubbing her palms on each other, like she just washed her hands and came out from the nearest bathroom.

Avery raised her eyebrows, asking, "Why do you look so startled?"

Prince parted his lips slightly. He covered his mouth, assuring, "I'll call you back later."

Avery wondered what his deal was, and that he's calling someone before the verdict of her defendant.

"Who are you calling?" Avery found it suspicious.

Prince slipped in his phone inside his slacks. He turned to Avery, and knew exactly what she's thinking. It's better to check that the judge isn't bribed by the upper positions and that the Supreme Court was an institution of highest noble law. No one can taint it with blood.

"He's a friend of mine. He works as a prosecutor, too. He is Bryce Fajardo, Ms. De Leon," Prince addressed her courteously. Avery got taken aback by his words, wondering if the address is sincere. Prince smiled.

"Alright, I thought you're…"

"I'm not like that, Ms. De Leon. I've been on the field of law for 5 years, and I never tainted this institution's name."

It's part of the plan to be righteous. How is he supposed to be a brilliant prosecutor if he doesn't know how to abide to the law? Even if the plan revealed he had to murder someone, Prince had to act as if he was on the absolute good. Nothing could be wrong in this years' work.

"As you said, Mr. Gomez. Just remember that secrets don't last forever. They may take a while before it gets uncovered, but…" She took a step forward, giving her the darkest smile possible.

"When someone found out your secret, it was going to be bloody hell, Mr. Gomez."

Prince doesn't know what kind of reaction his body persisted. His heart rate increased, and it thumped in his chest. Prince looked at her long eyelashes, her wavy, jet black hair, and her flawless skin. He wanted to reach out and touch her cheeks. Prince sighed, looking down at her.

Avery tilted her head to one side, and her strong scent wafted in his nostrils. Oh…

It was good enough to smell her all the time…

"Right, you don't have secrets to uncover, but I wish you had one." It made Prince frown.

"Why are you wishing I had a secret?" Prince asked back. She's clearly unpredictable. The lawyer fit her well.

She stepped forward again, maybe trying to tame her, and fixed the creases of his prosecutor's robes. Avery touch made Prince flinched. He's not used with people's touch, but this woman did it for the first time. He didn't even take a step back. Prince just let Avery straightened it while he watched her.

She tut, turned to him, and murmured, "It will be exciting to undress the secret behind your lips."

That's one of the lines he'll never forget.

After saying that, Avery stepped back, and admired his robes. "You look good. Now, we need to get back."

Prince stood there in the middle of the hallway while Avery turned back to a normal one. She closed the door of the court, and Prince gasped for air. His body tensed up by just her touch, and the way she said those words right in his lips…

"What's wrong with me?" Prince gaped. He covered his mouth.