| |
T
he cab was stuck in traffic, and Angela continued to curse under her breath as the driver tried his best to make it to the courthouse in time. Her heart was practically beating out of her chest; she still had not fully processed what was going on or what had happened; she was trying her best to block it all out and focus on what was important, but at the same time, she knew her heart had shattered to pieces in the office when she heard exactly what she was awfully afraid to hear. She held on to the recording device even tighter in her arms, she didn't know if this was the right move, but she knew she couldn't leave Toby all alone.
She could see the huge building leading to the courthouse, and she cursed softly as another light turned red before her; she knew that this was not good news. She was already late, and when a person takes charge of a case this big, usually the court doesn't waste any time to get them going and to start their process.
She looked towards the taxi driver. He was a middle-aged Asian man, and by the expression on his face, she could tell that he was sympathizing with her. She waited for a few minutes, but it seemed that the traffic had a knack for staying, one of the many reasons why moving to New York City seemed to be a pain. She didn't know what had come over her, but at the moment her eyes landed on the meter of the cab, she pulled the cash out of her pocket and practically charged it towards the man before her. She knew that she had paid a lot more than she needed to, but before the man could even look at the money he had been handed, she was already gone.
Angela found herself running across a street filled to the brim with people on both sides. Her vision was blurry, and her heart was ready to jump out of her chest at any given moment as she pushed herself forward with all the energy left in her body. Now, as she dodged the women in coats and men on the street, she felt herself fully breaking. David's face flashed before her eyes and she cursed under her breath once again, wondering why it had ended in such a manner.
She thought of the way he had sat across from her at the pizza shop; he had stared into her eyes and told her he felt at home in her company. Suddenly, it felt like it was a dream, and now here she was once again; for a moment, doubt washed over her body as she approached the courthouse. She was standing on the marble steps, and her heartbeat began to speed up once again. She closed her eyes, and the past flashed before them. She knew she had come too far to give up now. There was a boy in the courtroom who needed her badly; it was time for her to make David a distant memory in her mind, at least the David she had gotten to know; she had a feeling he wasn't the same man she would soon be standing against in court.
The double doors of the courthouse were opened, and Angela felt a wave of cold air washing over her body. She looked around the crowds of people; there was a couple apparently getting married, and there was another she assumed had come there to get a divorce; she sighed as she pushed past the fragments of heartbreak melting into those of affection at the same time. It made no sense to her.
She was about to rush up the wooden steps in the loud building when she stopped in her steps, and she caught a glimpse of messy curly hair and the same faded black hoodie; he was sitting at the edge of the steps with his head held in his hands, he hadn't seen her there. She walked up to him slowly and carefully knelt; he hadn't moved a single inch; it was as if he was in another world when she spoke up.
“Hey there, how is my hero doing?”
Slowly he lifted his head upwards, and Angela could have sworn she had seen tears at the corners of his eyes. Toby was quick to wipe them instantly as his eyes widened at the sight of her. It took him a moment to gather himself before he finally spoke up.
“What.... what are you doing here?”
She smiled the best she could, considering the circumstances they were both in. She placed her hand on his shoulder as she spoke gently.
"I have something for you...."
Her voice trailed off. Toby's eyes widened as he stared back at her, looking for what she had to offer. She carefully pulled out the recording device from the pocket of her jacket and placed it into his lap. He was frozen for a few moments; his eyebrows were raised as he looked at her with confusion. She rolled her eyes and gestured towards it again as she spoke in a hurry this time around.
“Go on.... take a listen.”
He grabbed onto the device and placed it next to his ear. The recorder was so loud, the voices reached Angela, and she tried her best to look away as she held back her tears, holding herself together.
"Anything, you can ask me anything you please, and I give you my word that I will be honest."
"There was a kid your company took under your wing, Darren...."
"Did you and your company have a hand in his death? Did you and your people kill him, David?"
"How...how do you know about him? Angela, I swear, I didn't mean to get him caught up in everything....I swear, it happened so fast.."
“I need one answer, yes, or no?”
"Angela...please take a seat. Let's talk about this. I'll tell you the whole story; please just give me some time."
"Yes or no, David, that's all I'm looking for, and don't you dare lie to me."
It came out in a whisper.
“Yes.”
“I’ll see you in court.”
There was a sight click when the recording ended, and she exhaled before she even knew it. Toby jumped forward; the recorder was still in his hand as he wrapped both his arms around her body, holding onto her, his grip tightened by the second. Angela was taken aback at first, but slowly she eased into the hug; she could sense that he was crying by the way his body was pressed to hers; she held her breath until she heard the broken whispers escape from the boy's mouth.
"Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me...."
She felt like a weight had suddenly been lifted off her shoulders, and she could breathe once again. She sighed as she turned to face him; she didn't get the chance to say anything to him as they both froze when the woman across the counter at the huge reception area in the building pointed towards Toby and called his name, gesturing for him to enter into the office.
Angela looked back at him, and he did the same. He smiled at her as he wiped his tears; she gestured towards the room with the huge wooden door across the hall; she placed her hand at the small of his back as she spoke.
“Let’s go sue a billionaire.”
It was the start of a brand-new fight.
