TLC Shots

C.A.J. Part 14

"Oh, your birth father?" Kaito repeated. Immediately, Thorne did not like where his lawyer was headed with this. Kaito turned to the jury for a brief moment. "And what were you discussing with you birth father? If that really is what you were doing."

"Excuse me, Mr. Huang?!" Judge Erland protested. He was standing up from his seat now, fists down on the table.

At this, Kaito was slightly defensive. "Come on, your honor. Doesn't it just seem too convenient for her to have a pretty shaky story for her having that call. A call that's not even with this "birth father" she supposedly hasn't met before a month ago."

"I happen to think it's a perfectly reliable explanation for her call!" the judge retorted as he hit his gavel to its mound. "Before this court, I can identify Miss Darnel's birth father."

Cockily, Kaito placed his fists on his hips. "Really? And who would that be your honor?"

With a dead stare directed at the lawyer, Erland spat, "Me."

Thorne could have heard a pin drop, and would have been thankful for such a thing. Judge Erland eyed Kaito was a deadly rage, and the jury turned their heads towards him as well.

The judge pounded his gavel against the wood with enough force to break it. "Mr, Huang, I declare your line of questioning to be inadmissible. If you have no real evidence to support your case, I will call an end to this session!"

At this point, Thorne's lawyer finally sobered up, and said, "I have nothing further, your honor." He took his seat next to Thorne and hung his head to avoid the eyes of the judge.

From the corner of his eye, Thorne could spot the Plaintiff's lawyer mustering all her might in order not to laugh. The rest of the court was in awe at the stupidity it must have taken to develop an entire line of questioning on one unknown phone call from someone who hadn't been involved in the case before it was taken to court.

Oddly enough, Thorne couldn't be bothered with how poorly the performance of his lawyer was reflecting on him.

He was too busy feeling betrayed by a sweet girl he thought could see past what the rest of the world could only see him as.

Apparently, he'd been wrong.

........................

After the court session ended for the day, Thorne made a beeline for a certain witness who'd just testified against him. As he stormed to her position, the way cleared for him.

Maybe it was his bad reputation. Maybe it was the rage prominent in his eyes that screamed, "I will kill anyone who gets in my way". Who could possibly know at this point?

He stopped just foot from Behind Cress. She was standing by a closed door, her eyes glued to the screen in her hand.

She only turned around when she noticed the shadow engulfing her.

When she saw him, she wasn't scared. Not in the slightest. But she did not speak a word. She met his eyes, unashamed of what she'd done. But her eyes, it almost looked like she was holding back tears.

Thorne tried to reason why she of all people would be upset. Did she take offense to Kaito's insinuations? Was she scared of Thorne now?

Was she in danger from something else?

Her bottom lip quivered, and Thorne felt his resolve beginning to crumble. Rather than interrogate her for ratting him out and for information on how she discovered his arsenal, he considered scooping her up and taking her to somewhere nothing could harm her.