Larissa's POV
The courtroom was so quiet, you didn’t even need to pay attention to hear a pin drop. Time seemed to stretch out for an eternity as I waited for the judge to deliver his verdict. My heart was beating away wildly in my chest I feared the whole courtroom could hear it and that it was going to burst out of my chest. I felt nauseous and anxious; I gripped the edge of the table, willing my trembling hands to remain steady. “…the court finds sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.” The judge announced. “Bail will be granted under strict conditions which is to include electronic monitoring until trial. Do you understand?” I only fully processed his words when he slammed the gavel down decisively. A wave of relief crashed over me and I nearly collapsed back into my seat. I was so excited I could have hugged the judge but I kept my cool and nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Your Honor.” I said with a respectful bow. “Court is adjourned.” The judge announced with another sharp bang of his gavel. The courtroom erupted into hushed murmurs and whispers, but all I could focus on was the weight that seemed to lift off my shoulders. The prosecutor muttered something under his breath as he packed up, clearly displeased with the judge’s decision but I couldn’t bring myself to care. For the first time, I felt hopeful about the outcome of my trial. Mr. Carter leaned in. “You’ve got one leg out, Larissa. But this is only the first step; we have to move quickly. I’ll start preparing the defense immediately.” “Thank you. Thank you so much.” I whispered. This was the most happiness I’d felt since the beginning of the shit storm that was now my life. “Don't thank me yet, this isn't over” he said. “Mr. Patterson is waiting for you at his estate.” “Oh,” was all I could mutter, because at this point, I didn’t have much of a choice. In some crazy turn of events, it seemed that Brayden was my only ally in this mess. As the officers approached to escort me out of the courtroom, I spotted Benjamin and Londyn seated together. They were all over each other, holding hands and whispering hushed words. Seeing them together was like a knife twisting in my chest. I had sacrificed everything, everything, for Benjamin and this was how he chose to repay me? As I left the courtroom, Benjamin caught me looking and just stared as if I was no different from every other random stranger in the courtroom. I’d never wanted to slap someone more in my entire life. “Larissa!” I froze at the sound of my name, the voice all too familiar. I looked in the direction of the voice, and saw her– my mum. Her face was pale, and her cheeks stained with tears and more streaming down her cheeks. “Mum?” I choked out as I realized how much I've missed her. I couldn't stop the years that streamed down my cheeks at this point. “Oh, my baby,” she threw her hands around me so tightly I could barely breathe. “We just got back! What's going on? What happened? Why didn't you call us?” “I–I didn't want to ruin your vacation,” I muttered. “We need to go,” the officer said. “Please don't worry. I'll come see you at home and explain everything,” I said, as the officer gently pulled me away. ………… After what felt like an eternity of signing paperwork and being fitted with an electronic monitoring, I was eventually allowed to leave. Mr. Carter was already waiting by his car, so I just got in and we drove straight to Brayden's estate. We eventually arrived at Brayden's estate, and Mr. Carter led me to the grand foyer where Brayden was waiting. I had to restrain myself from snorting. He was wearing a tailored suit and reading the paper. No non-pretentious person does that. I didn’t even know they still printed newspapers. He peered at us from the top of the pages, eyes lingering on me for an uncomfortable second before he folded the paper and cleared his throat. But he didn’t say anything so an uncomfortable silence stretched out. I shuffled anxiously on my feet. “I’ll leave you two to talk.” Mr. Carter said. He gave me a small nod before disappearing out of the door. At that, Brayden wordlessly gestured for me to follow him, and I reluctantly trailed behind him. He led me through a series of winding corridors. I expected them to be dark and brooding, just like Brayden, but I was pleasantly surprised when they weren’t. The corridors were well-lit by natural and artificial lighting from various sources, and the walls were lined with various framed paintings. Finally, we came to what appeared to be a study, judging by the large oak desk and imposing bookshelves lining the walls. Brayden took a seat at the office chair behind the desk and then gestured to one of the chairs opposite him. “Sit.” He instructed, leaving no room for argument. Only when I sat did I realize that the chairs on my side of the desk were significantly shorter than the one that Brayden was sitting on. I knew without anyone telling me that it was some form of psychological intimidation tactic. I sat up straighter in my smaller chair to try not to appear as small, but that did nothing to help my situation. “I’m sensing you have questions concerning everything that has happened so far. Now’s your chance to ask them.” He started. “Why are you doing all this? Why are you helping me?” I asked, my voice coming out a bit more high-pitched than I intended. “I already told you, I can’t stand aside and watch someone else pay the price for Benjamin’s deeds. He needs to be held accountable for his actions. You’re just collateral damage in his wicked game, Larissa.” He fixed his gaze on me. “But you don’t have to be.” “Yeah, well, I didn’t believe you then, and I don’t believe you now.” I said petulantly. “You’re doing this because of some moral compass you have? That you’re helping me out of the goodness of your heart?” “Not entirely.” He admitted. “I have my other reasons. Let’s just say Benjamin and I have unfinished business.” His tone made it clear that he wasn’t going to answer any other questions I asked about that matter so I decided to ask about something else. “How do I know that I can trust you?” “You don’t.” He said bluntly. “But right now, I am your best – no, your only – shot at proving your innocence and making Benjamin pay for his crimes. So you have two options: work with me and let me help you untangle the mess my brother made or go back to that cell and hope for a miracle. Though I hear it’s not all that bad in prison: inmates get radio privileges, how exciting.” He said sarcastically. I hated how logical he sounded; easily he reduced my choices to nothing. Because when he put it like that, what other option did I have than accepting his help? As much as I despised him and the idea of relying on him, I needed to face reality and the reality was that I needed his help. “Fine.” I said through gritted teeth. “Glad to see you have some sense in that head of yours. Now, let’s talk about the ground rules.” “Ground rules?” “Yes.” He said, his tone businesslike. “This is a partnership, not a friendship. We work together until we prove your innocence, take Benjamin down, and when it’s over, we go our separate ways. You can go back to glaring at me and I can go back to pretending that I don’t notice you glaring at me. Are we clear?” I nodded. He frowned and leaned forward in his chair. “When I ask a question, Larissa, I expect a verbal confirmation. Now once again, are we clear?” “Crystal.” I answered through gritted teeth.Larissa's POVThe ride back to the house was mostly silent. Not because there wasn’t anything to say. It was quite the opposite. There was just too much to say and neither of us knew where to begin.Benjamin had had a child with Lara. One that was more than a year old. And I had been dating him but knew absolutely nothing about his other life. Considering that I had been the one to source whatever gift Benjamin wanted to buy for people, there was a possibility that I had aided in buying a gift for the child without ever even meeting her.No one ever mentioned a sister or a child at trial. From what Margaret said, Stephanie might be the one currently caring for Claire. But if she hadn’t been seen in a while, that meant either she was in hiding or something had happened to her too.My mind raced as we sped through the street. Where were they now? Margaret had mentioned that she thought Lara had an apartment somewhere else. Which was given, seeing as the one we had just visited looked ba
Brayden's POVLarissa recovered first. “Lara had a daughter?”Nobody mentioned a child. Not in the trial. Not in the reports. Not in the police statement.The media had painted Lara as a young, professional woman who had been cut down in her prime. There had never been any talk of a child. It was like someone had gone to great lengths to make sure that no one knew about Lara’s kid. The question was why, and who?Margaret didn’t seem to notice the shock and confusion on our faces. She nodded as she stirred her tea, the soft clinking of the spoon against porcelain filling the silence. “Oh, yes. She had a little girl named Claire. She was the most adorable kid you’d ever meet, and so polite too.“Like her mum, she wasn’t around much in that house so I suspect that Lara had another apartment somewhere else. They used to take walks in the evenings whenever the weather was nice. There’s a lovely park they were quite fond of in the neighborhood.”“Do you have any idea where Claire is now?” I
Brayden's POVLara’s house was more like a showroom. It looked too pristine, too doll-like, too well put together to be the place that she came back to after a day of hard work. Something definitely wasn’t adding up.Larissa and I spent the next half hour searching, opening drawers, checking behind bookshelves, and feeling along the edges of furniture for any hidden compartments. Anything that could give us more information about Lara and the circumstances of her death. We found nothing.“We should go.” I said finally after Larissa searched the same drawer for the third time.“Yeah.” She said, finally closing the drawer shut and stepping away.I made my way to the front door, opened it and let Larissa step through first back outside into the warm morning air. I inhaled deeply, trying to shake off the cold, sterile feeling of Lara’s house as I locked the door and put the spare key back in its compartment.“That was weird.” I said, straightening.“Tell me about it.” Larissa mumbled. The
Larissa's POV The cardboard box in my lap felt heavier than it should have. I ran my fingers along the edges of the box, tracing the old tape sealing it shut. It had been sitting in Patterson Financial’s storage room for over a month. A collection of everything I had left behind. Office supplies. Old notes. Photos. Little trinkets.Brayden drove in silence, his eyes fixed on the road ahead of him, the smooth drawl of the song on the radio filling the space between us.“I can’t believe you threatened to take the matter to her supervisor.” I said, remembering how the receptionist’s face had frozen in a mixture of disbelief and fear. Instantly, all traces of hesitation had been wiped from her continence, and she had gone to get the box of my things.“I don’t make threats, Larissa. I make promises.”I scoffed. “Schematics. Either way, that was a very Karen thing to do.”“What?”“You know Karen? A typical middle-aged white woman who usually asks to see the manager or reports employees to
Larissa's POV It took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize where we were going. Hint: It wasn’t Lara’s house.A familiar, towering skyscraper, all reflective glass and steel, stood imposing in the distance. It was one of the most prestigious firms in the city. Employees, executives, and clients streamed in and out of the building dressed in sharp suits and crisp dresses. Some clutched coffee cups or briefcases. Others walked briskly as they chatted amongst themselves or into the phones pressed against their ears. The Patterson Financial Group tower.I wasn’t just where I had worked. It was where Lara had died. And where I had confessed to her murder.I looked at Brayden but he paid me no mind. He pulled into the underground parking garage the light dimming slightly as he maneuvered into his reserved spot. The second the engine shut off, the “What are we doing here?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “I thought we were going to Lara’s place.”“We are. We are he
Larissa's POV The next time I saw Brayden, he was back in formal wear. It was the next morning when I trudged into the kitchen looking for something to eat.A crisp white dress shirt, polished shoes, tailored navy slacks with the matching suit jacket hanging off one of the chairs in the kitchen – the picture of effortless sophistication.And he wasn’t alone.Gwen stood in front of him, her hands expertly working on the fabric of the tie, looping it into an intricate knot. She looked like she had stepped straight out of the 70s dressed in a sunflower print pinafore mini dress and white gogo boots. Gwen was chattering animatedly as she worked on his tie. Brayden responded with quiet grunts and hums and he stared down at her.I stopped short in the doorway not sure if I should step in or just head back upstairs. There was something about this scene that made me feel like I didn’t belong here. There was a sort of easy camaraderie between the two of them.Brayden was the first to notice m