Xavier~
"Dad, no lawyer wants to fight against Bella in court!" I conveyed this to him in a worried tone.
"I understand; it is not her fault that she is flying so high; rather, it is my fault that I have given her such large wings. She's flying over our heads now." Dad got off the sofa and returned to his room. He shut the door to his room before I could get inside, even though I wanted to talk to him to calm his nerves.
I sat defeated on the couch. Everything was out of my control. I wanted to live a simple life with Bella, but I didn't know I would have to pay such a great price to love her. I struggled with balancing my devotion to my dad with feelings of regret. I have no idea where she is or what state she is in right now. Why did she prosecute Lincoln in this case, adding to the complexity?
"Where is Mama, Dad? She didn't receive my call. I want to speak with her." Alan came downstairs, his eyes filled with tears.
"Why are you crying, Alan? What happened?" I embraced him and forced him to sit on my lap.
"I had a nightmare in which Mama jumped off the hill after you, and she fought." He sobbed once more as he described his nightmare to me.
"Mama is all right and will return home shortly, so don't worry, Alan." I brushed his tears away. I patted him on the back to reassure him, but in truth, it made me even more concerned about her. The image of her tear-filled eyes haunted me. What had I become? The man I was becoming disgusted me. The same hands that once held her with love now pushed her away in anger.
What will I do if Alan's dream comes true? No, that's not possible. She is not someone who ends her life over such trivial matters. I was on the verge of calling her to inquire about her situation when my father came downstairs and instructed me to contact the reporters immediately.
I stared at him in confusion, but his intense gaze prompted me to immediately call a journalist to our home. Dad asked me to bring all the files and proofs that can prove Lincoln's innocence in this case.
"What will we do with the proof and evidence if we don't have a lawyer?" I asked him.
"Just follow my instructions; I have chosen a lawyer for this case." His authoritative voice compelled me to show him all the materials we had gathered for the Lincoln case. Even though I had a lot of questions, I decided to follow my father's instructions in silence.
Ultimately, who is the attorney willing to take on Bella in this case?
"The news reporters are waiting for us, Dad," I spoke softly into his ear.
"Okay." Dad gave a nod and left the room to speak to reporters. My curiosity grew as I couldn't find any lawyer in the crowd who had been selected by Dad for this case.
"As everyone knows, I resigned from my firm many years ago. However, regardless of age, lawyers will always practice law. I therefore decided to stand up for my son, Lincon Thompson." The shock rippled through the press. They gave Dad a startled look before bombarding him with questions.
After listening to him, I felt completely numb. How was he able to make such a severe choice? He's planning to go to court against Bella. She always regarded him as her mentor, her guide. How would she handle receiving such explosive news? Maybe after knowing that Dad is defending Lincon in court, she would withdraw from this case. I found somewhere my dad's decision was correct. However, I understood that she would undoubtedly experience great pain as a result.
I wanted to keep her away from this case at all costs to protect her from the uninvited threat in her life. After speaking with the journalist, Dad went back to his room and locked it.
Alan sat with his toy truck in hand, quietly watching the storm brewing in the family. He didn't understand everything, but he knew his mama wasn't home—and that was enough to break his heart.
"Victor, did you go to meet her today?" Dad questioned him on the dining table.
"Yes, Dad." Victor gave him a nervous response while lowering his head.
"She must have heard the news by now." He stared intently at Victor's face.
"Yes," without looking at his face, he nodded.
"Hmm... then did she decide to withdraw her name from this case?" The pressure Dad was under to make this choice was evident in his voice.
Victor stared at his plate without responding to Dad's query.
"Why don't you respond to my query, Victor?" Dad seemed irritated by Victor's silence.
"Grandpa, my mom said to me that she is not going to withdraw her name from this case. She has always advocated for justice, and she is committed to bringing Dixie Aunty justice this time around." Alan appeared to recall what Bella had told him as he placed a palm on his chin.
"Yes, Grandpa, she asked me to express her gratitude to you, and she expressed her eagerness to meet you in court," Alan concluded his statement, but Bella's decision and motivation were too obvious for his naive tone to conceal.
How could she explain such complex concepts to a child? When I witnessed her persistence, my anger started to flare. I never imagined that she would be so stubborn over a trivial issue, completely disregarding our relationship.
"All right, if she wants a war, then I am ready to tackle her in her way." When he saw Bella's latest interview on TV, Dad's eyes were red with rage, and he tossed the dish on the floor. I tried to quiet his rage, but my phone buzzed with an unknown number before I could figure out how to do it.
"I called you, Xavier Thompson, to remind you of your promise, so be prepared for your next case." Before I could say anything to him, he hung up the phone. However, this time, his tone lacked the same lightheartedness, and he was utterly serious about his threat.
I sighed deeply before putting my next plan into action to stop Bella from fighting this case. The tension within me burned like a firestorm. I couldn't allow the love of my life to destroy everything. Not like this.