All Chapters of Empire of Deception: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

*Adrian*I left Amelia in the living room and took the elevator down to the lobby to wait on the food. How did she come up with the idea of us taking the night off tonight? I had worked tirelessly on this case for what felt like forever, and I couldn't afford to let up until it was over. Amelia had been working tirelessly as well, and she felt we both could just have dinner before finishing the night this time, without going through more documents.I wanted to fuck her, of course, but it was more than that. There was something about her that felt familiar to me, and if I was sappy or spiritual, I'd say I'd known her in a past life. We were polar opposites, but somehow that only made me enjoy her company more.A few minutes later, a delivery person arrived with the food. He had two large bags full of Thai takeout. We exchanged pleasantries, and I handed him a hundred-dollar bill, Amelia's insistence that I tip him well still ringing in my ears. I rode the elevator back upstairs an

*Amelia*"Knock, knock," Evelyn said as she walked through my office door, "Are you ready? Sorry, I'm a few minutes early. Mr. Arrogant had to leave to meet with someone, so I snuck out."I laughed at her nickname for Adrian and motioned for her to come in, "Yeah, I can be ready in two minutes. Let me send an email, then I'll grab my stuff."I watched Evelyn out of the side of my eye as she walked around my office and looked at some of the photos I had set out. There was one of my mother and me from right after we found out the cancer had come back. Her hair had grown out some from the first round of treatment, and it was the last photo we had taken where she looked healthy. The others are of Nina and me."She was beautiful," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. "Yeah, she was. She passed away a few weeks after that photo was taken.""I'm so sorry, Amelia," Evelyn said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder."It's okay

*Amelia’s POV*“Don’t be deceived, Amelia. You only like me because we’re standing on the same side of this case. I am a villain. It would do you well to remember that.”Adrian's words echoed in my head as I tried to sleep last night and all through the following workday. I had no idea if I could trust him, and with everything that was going on, it had left me unsure if he had my best interest in mind. Last night, he had left his cell phone on the counter in the kitchen while he took a shower. I managed to sneak in and send myself the picture of the men that followed Evelyn and me.Now, I wanted to speak with someone impartial to MID and Adrian, and there was only one person that came to mind: James Callahan.I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. Anxiety coursed through me because I knew he'd be intensely concerned for my safety. Not only because of MID and their henchmen that were following me around, but also the proximity the case had caused between Adrian and me

*Amelia’s POV* I worked through reading client testimonies and tried to make sure I was prepared for the next day's juror selection. I had the facts memorized, I knew they were responsible for the injury, but I still worried about the outcome. Law was always unpredictable like that.The first thing I learned when I began working was that you had to prepare for the unexpected. There wasn’t a single case that would come without surprises, and even the most straight-forward case would have twists and turns.I put the paperwork I needed for later that night into my bag, then tidied up my desk and looked out the window. The sun was still up, and there were people milling around the sidewalk. I liked to try and picture what they were here for, some for court dates because they were criminals, others were innocent people like my clients waiting to hear the fate of their cases.My mom and I had always loved ‘people watching’ together. We used to sit in the mall and make up silly stori

*Amelia’s POV*My heart raced as I waited for what was going to happen next - surely whatever was about to occur wasn't good.The hand over my mouth tightened, and then a familiar voice whispered in my ear, "Shh, Amelia. It's me."My head spun with relief when I heard his voice, but then he let go of me, stepping away from me so that he could look at me properly."What the fuck is wrong with you?" I asked sternly. "You shouldn't have followed me and snuck up on me like that. You know everything that's going on, I thought I was going to be killed."James straightened and gave me a serious look, "I'm sorry. But I don't trust Adrian and his men. I wanted time to talk with you without them breathing down the back of our necks. I have something to show you.""You couldn't have texted me and warned me?" I quizzed him.He shook his head, and his hair fell into his eyes highlighting the handsome boyish charm that exuded from his every gesture, "No. I don't know who’s reading your