The Shadows of Diplomacy

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

At the conclusion of the interrogations, it was concluded that Alexei would be tried in the ICC for involvement in the disappearance of the President of the G10 and in the sabotage of the pipelines. Keller and his team, Alexei and his lawyers, Arya, and Cindy flew over to the Netherlands for the proceedings.

The first day of trials was characterised by anxiety for all the parties involved. Arya, for one, could not stop throwing up before getting ready. Taking some nausea soothing medicine, she got dressed. She wore a black pencil skirt, with a black turtleneck blouse tucked in under a black jacket with black boots, black shades, and she carried a black handbag. She had gotten the chance to straighten her hair, and was wearing eighteen inch dark brown extensions with brown highlights. When she showed up to the court, the media went crazy, snapping tons of photos of her.

Her small baby bump did not go unnoticed, social media and live commentators noting that she appeared to be pregnant, and questioned if the baby might be for her rumoured boyfriend Alexei Petrov, whom they had gathered would be standing trial. The security team provided by Keller tried to shield Arya from the paparazzi as she entered the building.

In the hallowed halls of the ICC, Alexei's trial unfolded with the weight of global scrutiny bearing down upon it. The courtroom buzzed with anticipation as the prosecution and defence prepared to present their cases.

The prosecution's case was that Alexei Petrov aided Russian interests, mostly criminals and oligarchs, to finance the war by helping them to launder their funds in the European Economic Area. He was further accused of espionage, involvement in the disappearance of the President of the G10 and in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. Each charge carried grave implications, threatening to escalate tensions between Russia and Western Europe.

As the proceedings commenced, the prosecution called forth a parade of witnesses, each offering damning testimony against Alexei. They had video footage, recordings, eyewitnesses and intelligence operatives who submitted statements supporting the accusations against Alexei.

The money laundering accusation was the first to be dismissed on the grounds that the evidence was illegally obtained, and insubstantial as it could not be proved that the parties were helping to fund the war, and even if that were true, Alexei's knowledge of same could not be proven. This meant the matter would also not be within the jurisdiction of the Court.

Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom, flashes of light were strictly prohibited but the few journalists on the inside were struggling to grasp the image of Arya taking the stands as the prosecution's witness. 'Was she testifying against her own supposed boyfriend?'

As Arya stood at the threshold of the witness stand, her heart pounded with apprehension. She could feel the weight of the moment pressing down upon her, the gravity of her testimony looming large in her mind. Across the courtroom, her gaze met Alexei's, and in that fleeting exchange of looks, a kaleidoscope of emotions passed between them. There was a flicker of recognition, a spark of shared history that transcended the adversarial nature of their current situation.

In Alexei's eyes, Arya saw a tumult of conflicting emotions—anger, betrayal, perhaps even a glimmer of regret. Yet beneath the veneer of stoicism, she detected a hint of vulnerability and her heart skipped a beat. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as they locked eyes, each silently acknowledging the rupture that had brought them to opposing sides of the courtroom. Their eyes became watery and Arya felt unease rising within her, so with a steadying breath, she tore her gaze away from Alexei's and turned to face the judges.