The Attorney ✓( A White House occupants prequel)

Chapter Twenty Three

She still hasn't stopped, even now- on our five minute break where she could be using the bathroom or eating a granola bar. Except now- she's going over the file we have on our next witness, one that will shift the jury's opinion. If she doesn't, after what I just pulled with the officer- nothing will.

  I allow myself to eat said granola bar. We were just in that room for four hours, going back and forth with various medical experts. The defense tried to argue that the exertion he was putting himself through by running sped up his death- which was irrelevant of course, as Noelle proved when she backed one of them into another corner.

"You do know you're allowed to slow down, right?" I say after I swallow a bite. "It doesn't make you a bad person or lawyer to take care of yourself."

"I know that." She mumbles, still glancing through the next witness's file.

"Then eat something." I press. "You won't do anybody any good if you pass out in there. They'd have to reschedule the witnesses and give you a few days off, which would mean the sentencing gets pushed back too. Eat."

She sighs, annoyed that I have the audacity to care, and grabs a bar out of the glass container. She takes one bite, then raises her eyebrows as if to say "You happy now?" I nod, because in the very next second, the loudspeakers come on.

"All participants in the Maxwell case- the trial will resume in one minute. Again- one minute."

She leaves the bar on the meeting room table, slamming the file shut, and I follow her back in. Most did not take their breaks, choosing instead to stay there- so we're one of just a few coming back in now. Every set of eyes is on us as I sit down and she stands in front of her chair.

This is her witness- she's made that abundantly clear from the beginning, because although she's good at getting in everybody's heads, females are her speciality. She thinks she can relate to this one more than the others and really lock in her loyalty to us because of her hatred for Maxwell.

"The court will now resume its....session." Judge Cannon yawns. This has been the longest day yet, and we're all ready to go home- just as soon as this witness is done. While Noelle prepares herself, mumbling the questions and trying to stare at her forehead to focus more- I do my own little ritual.

  I straighten my notepad and line my three pens up, ready for anything I may have to write down, then take a small sip of water and silently swish it around my mouth- trying to eliminate the bad breath I'm sure I have by now. Noelle is perfect all the time. She does not have to make an effort to do these things, it's like a second nature to her.

  "Your honor, permission to approach the bench?" She says, already looking at our witness. When Judge Cannon simply nods, she goes forward.

"Charlene Rios- how long were you in a relationship with the defendant's youngest son for?" She gets straight to the point, not bothering with a softening-the-blow technique. So this is how she gets things done so quickly, while also getting the information she needs. I wish I had even half of her strength.

  A twinge of guilt hits me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her- but in that same line of logic, she wouldn't be the assistant attorney general. Now, I understand how stupid my thoughts sound.

  "Almost a year. He was nothing like his father but I just couldn't take it anymore."

  I wish Noelle and I were in a relationship for a year. Instead, I had to go and fuck it up, like I do with everything else. I know I've apologized before, but now I feel the need to do it again as soon as the day is over.

  "And what do you mean by that?" She asks.

  "He would always make little comments that...didn't seem like much if you looked at them individually but....if you really took a step back and bunched them together it became clear how disgustingly rascist he was." So he's similar to my father.

  While he never said anything directly racist, it was the little things that built up- like his extreme disapproval of Sonia even though she came from a good family and we both thought we were in love at the time.

  "Could you give the court an example?" Noelle continues.

  The one time my father met hers, or rather afterwards- he said races shouldn't mix. That was the worst thing he ever said and the biggest indicator of his mindset.

  "When our daughter was born, when he came to visit in the hospital- he kept going on and on about how he loved his granddaughter 'even though she's mixed' , like he was trying to convince himself."

  My father did the exact same thing to one of my brother's wives- at their wedding. "I accept you as a daughter even though you're Japanese"- he said over and over again.

  "I see. So is it your opinion, as a black woman that was around him a lot- that he was a rascist?"

Maxwell coughs, pleading with Charlene in his facial expressions to just keep her mouth shut. She smiles, staring directly at him.

  "Yes." She replies.

  "And is it also your opinion that Zachariah Matthews would still be alive if it weren't for your former Father in law's prejudice?"

  "Yes." She answers again.

  "Really- you don't think he would have shot a white man in the same manner he did Zachariah?"

  Oh shit.

  This should be interesting. I lean on my hand, it covering my mouth so the cameras don't capture my own smirk- because it is not funny, but this truly is entertaining.

  "Absolutely not."

  "No further Questions, your honor."