Nothing But Hate

Chapter Five

"You have a meeting with Jenkins at 2, and Gordon at 3:30. I told Joe you'd be leaving early for your family dinner, but he wants to see you before you head home. I've ordered flowers for your mother and they should get delivered here in an hour. So, don't forget to take them. Oh, and your deposition with Fred Monroe is first thing tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Aurora." Tucker looked puzzled. Aurora sighed, hugging her folder to her chest.

"I've added it all to your calender. I'll also buzz you to remind you," Aurora gently shook her head as Tucker grinned, "Also, please change your shirt before heading to Paige's for dinner. And wear the watch your father gifted you. You know how much he likes it."

"What will I do without you?" Tucker asked, looking warmly at his secretary.

"Crash and burn? Sabotage all your relationships? Get fired from your job?" Aurora shrugged, a sly smile on her face.

"You know it." Tucker chuckled. Aurora left after that, leaving Tucker to do his work.

After a long day of meetings and a heavy workload, Tucker was finally done. He went to see Joe, the District Attorney, before heading home. Joe wanted to know whether Tucker was sure about taking the anti bribery charge against Kaufman Enterprises, and Tuck ensured that the case was his biggest priority as of the moment.

Joe was a little skeptical, but he knew how much Tucker despised the big corporations that think they can get away with everything, so he let it be. He knew Tucker was a good prosecutor, but this was a huge case and not Tucker's specialisation. Joe thought of Tucker as his son, so he decided to give him the opportunity nonetheless.

Tucker had to reach Paige's house for dinner in an hour. Since he drove to work in the morning, he had time to go back to his apartment and freshen up. He picked up the flowers that Aurora had delivered, and left work.

Tucker was in a good mood today. He was close to his parents, but he rarely got time to see them. He parked the car, leaving the flowers on the passenger seat because he was going to be driving to Paige's anyway. Deciding on taking the stairs since he missed his workout in the morning, Tucker tried to catch his breath once he reached his floor.

Tucker stopped in his steps when he saw Callum Kaufman leaning against the wall, right next to his door. Callum looked to his side, his eyes on Tucker with an emotionless expression on his face. Tucker furrowed his brows as he walked closer, till he stood in front of the man.

"What are you doing here?" Tucker folded his arms in front of his chest.

"I wanted to talk to you." Callum answered simply.

"If you want to talk to me, then book an appointment with my secretary," Tucker raised a brow, "Don't show up at my house unannounced."

"I don't want to talk about the case," Callum sighed, "I want to talk about why you took it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tucker stated, moving towards his door to unlock it, "Please leave."

"Oh yeah? So you're just going to pretend you didn't take this case because you have some personal grudge against me?" Callum scoffed.

"Why would I have a personal grudge against you?" Tucker twisted the key, unlocking the door, "You don't matter to me. Don't overestimate your importance."

"I looked into you, Tucker," Callum said, holding Tucker's wrist before the man could go inside his home, "You rarely ever take such cases. Your track record is good, but you put murderers and rapists behind bars. So, are you really going to lie and say you didn't take this case because you hate me?"