My Everything

22

"Daddy, Kitty!" Vivien cheered as she ran into my arms. "How'd I do?"
"So good, pumpkin," I said. I kissed the side of her head and handed her a big bouquet of flowers. "These are for you, dear."
"Thank you, daddy." She gently kissed my cheek before wrapping her arms around me.
"Kitty actually picked them out."
"Thank you, Kitty."
"Anything for you, pumpkin."
"Alright, let's get going before we get stuck in traffic."

I picked Vivien up as Dan collected her things. Dan led us to the car and I offered to drive home since he felt like complete shit. On the drive home, Vivien fell asleep in her car seat—poor girl must've been exhausted.

"Dan," I whispered.
"Hmm?" he hummed.
"I go to trial in two months."
"Good for you, sweetie." He placed his hand on my upper thigh. "You're gonna do amazing."

***

"How do I look?" I asked.
"Handsome as ever," Dan smiled. He fixed my suit and brushed off some lint.
"Thanks," I whispered.
"Nervous?"
"A little."
"You're going to do great, babe."
"Thanks, kitten." I leaned down to kiss him.
"When is your mum supposed to be here?"
"She buzzed in at the gate a few minutes ago, so I'm assuming soon," I chuckled.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"That must be her," I said. "Pumpkin, grandmas here!"
"Grandma!" Vivien cheered as she ran from the downstairs lounge.
"Hi, honey," Mum smiled. She picked the little one up and set one on her hip.
"Grandmas gonna do whatever you want today, as long as you behave. Can you do that?"
"Yes, daddy."
"Okay, Kitty and I will be back later."
"Bye." She waved to Dan and I as we got our jackets on.
"Good luck, Phil," Mum said. She kissed my cheek and gave me a one armed hug. "You got this, Lester." I let out a chuckle.
"Thanks, Lester."

***

"Mr. Brinsburg, there is undeniable evidence that you sexually assaulted the CEO of your company, Mr. Lester. What do you have to say for yourself?" Ethan asked.
"He came onto me first," Owen retorted.
"That's not that the security tape says. You kissed him. You groped him. You attempted undressing him. Mr. Lester very clearly was uncomfortable and not consenting in this situation. You are very clearly at fault."
"No I'm not," he smirked.
"I'm done with you," Ethan scoffed.
"Thank you, Mr. Brinsburg," Judge Scully said. "Philip Lester to the stand."

I made my way over, took the oath, and sat down smugly. I was the most truthful son of a bitch alive, I knew there was no way they could find me at fault.

"Mr. Lester," Owen's attorney, Arthur, started, "what business did you have going to my clients office in the middle of the day?"
"One of my subordinates, PJ Liguori, had just gotten back from paternity leave, and Owen was threatening to fire him."
"How long was he on leave?"
"Three months."
"Why did he have to take so long of a leave?"
"His wife was having a lot of trouble recovering and couldn't be left on her own. Instead of getting extra help, I granted him longer of a leave to help out his wife."
"That doesn't answer why you came to my clients office in the middle of the day."
"Yes, actually it does. I needed to tell him, in person, that he could not legally fire Mr. Liguori."
"Well, if you were out of the office, and out of command, then I believe my client could do whatever he wished. Is that correct?"
"No! He could not have! While I was gone, on my three week recovery, Owen only had to cover the business aspect of things. He did not have any power to hire or fire any employees."
"Why were you out on a recovery leave?"
"I was injured during a home invasion."
"Mr. Lester," Owen called, "where did Mr. Aaron Becker shoot you again?"
"The shoulder," I smirked.
"Then why were you out for so long? According to recent studies, a person of your age can bounce back from that within a week and a half. Why'd it take you three?"
"Because it was also doubled with a concussion and a sprained ankle. My body was having a hard time getting itself together. Before any more questions, are asked, may Mr. Brinsburg be called to the stand?"
"But we're not done with you," Arthur said.
"Oh, but you are."
"Motion carried. Mr. Brinsburg, you're up."

I flashed him a smile as we traded places. I stood in front of him as he slouched in the uncomfortable chair.

"Owen, how do you know the name of the invader?" I asked.
"It was all over the news." I cocked my head to the side and grinned.
"My husband and I went around to countless news stations, paying them off, and instructing them to report very little. My husband wanted to keep his and our daughters identities practically nonexistent. While we were at it, since it was a private investigation, we wanted to keep as much as possible a secret. Besides who my family members are, we also wanted to keep my address, invader, and where my injury was a secret."

His eyes shot open.

"The only thing the media was legally allowed to disclose was that there was a home invasion of a young, rich, CEO named Philip Lester, and that I was shot. No more. No less. I wanted the invader to serve his time silently and in the smallest amount of time possible. I didn't think he was a bad kid, he was just doing something he didn't want to do. For money, possibly."

I strolled over to Owen who was sweating bullets in his seat. The entire jury had their jaws essentially resting on the floor.

"Now that your involvement in my home invasion is covered, let's get back to the real reason you're here, shall we?"

Throughout the rest of the trial, Owen didn't have much to say. Dan, as well as a few other victims, stepped forward to share their stories about Owen. When it came time for the decision, the jury was gone for less than ten minutes. When they came back, they found him guilty for sexual assault and for suspicion of taking part in a home invasion.

Initially, I just didn't want the bastard getting any money from the company. Now, he's going to jail for fifteen years and must pay my family £30,000 for our "pain and suffering." Never, in a million years, was I expecting the trial to go this way—hope that shit-stick enjoys his time.

"We did it!" Dan cheered.

He hugged me tightly and refused to let me go. He dug his head into the crook of my neck and began to silently sob. I rubbed his back and tried holding everything in.

"Yeah, kitten..." I kissed the top of his head. "We did..."