Dave immediately got up to cross-examine Trish. "Ms. Stratigias, was the defendant upset when she made that remark?"
"Yes, she was." Trish spoke softly.
"And why was the defendant upset?"
"Because Randy was making fun of her weight gain." She replied.
"No further questions at this time, your honor."
Judge Garcia looked at Trish. "You may step down. Court is adjourned for the day." She slammed her gable down and exited the courtroom.
Once again fighting their way through the media blitz and paparazzi, Lisa and Dave headed towards their awaiting limo. Inside, Dave rubbed his temple and closed his eyes. He knew it was going to be a cakewalk for John the moment he put Trish on the stand. Nevertheless, Dave was happy with his decision.
Now only if the jury could remember the last thing Trish said after John's cross-examination.
"Have plans for the weekend?" Lisa asked, hoping to break the tension.
"No, I don't. And neither do you." He replied flatly.
"Geez, I'm just asking a question, Dave. You don't have to get all…"
"Serious? No, Lisa, I do. I have to get 'all serious' with you. The moment this case is done and you're free to do whatever you want, then we'll have fun."
Lisa looked over at her attorney. There was something cold and heartless in his tone that reminded her too much of Randy. "You don't like me, do you?"
"You're my client, Lisa."
"That wasn't my question."
"And that's my answer. Deal with it."
"I'm paying you a lot of money, Dave. You can be a bit nicer to me."
"An anonymous donor is paying me a lot of money, Lisa. You should be grateful."
Lisa slumped back into her seat. After a few moments, she looked over at him again and smiled. "I like you, David."
"I'm sure you do."
----------------------------------------
After dropping Lisa off at her townhome, Dave was headed home. His house was considerably nice, yet modest. It was a four bedroom, three bathroom home with high-vaulted ceilings and two fireplaces. The living room was decked out in the finest marble and two Mercedes were parked in the driveway. Windows surrounded the sprawling home and a bedroom was converted to a private gym.
While no one second-guessed that Dave's salary afforded the home, many didn't know the true secret of his fortune. His late wife, Elizabeth, was very business-keen and invested in many stocks and bonds. Elizabeth helped support Dave through law school and build his firm. When she died suddenly three years ago, her share immediately transferred to Dave—in a grand sum of ten million dollars.
But no one knew. And Dave made sure no one needed to know.
Entering his home, Dave yawned as the smell of meatloaf tickled his senses. Way too loud ska music didn't flirt with his ears, however. He walked towards the kitchen and found Meredith dancing away to Sublime. He turned off the music so his daughter would know that someone was in the house. "Good evening, Princess."
Meredith turned around and gave her dad a hug. "Daddy! How was court?"
"Long." He replied.
"Good!" She smiled. "I made dinner and nope, I didn't burn it this time!"
Dave grinned. "Thank you."
"Not a problem." Meredith took off Dave's jacket and poured him a glass of wine. "Now you just relax. Dinner is just about ready."
For the past three years, Meredith took care of her dad. While Dave encouraged her to go out and get new hobbies, she was more focused on seeing her dad remain sane. She also wanted to make sure that he was concentrating on court and not some flimsy bimbo.
"Wanna go see a movie with me and Janna tonight? We're going to see Snakes on a Plane."
"I'll pass, but thanks, Baby." Dave said as he ate. "I have documents to prepare for on Monday."
Meredith dropped her fork. "You need a life, Dad."
"And you need to hurry up and finish dinner so you won't be late for your movie." He changed the subject.
"Alright, alright." She got up and headed towards the kitchen. "But I'm just letting you know the offer is still up."
"Thanks, Princess." Dave smiled.
"Welcome, Daddy." She smiled back. She then began clearing her throat. "Um…um…um.."
Dave knew what Meredith was getting at. It was the universal sign of 'I want money now.' "How much do you need?"
"Ten." She smiled.
Dave rolled his eyes. He knew the drill. Meredith will start out with the lowest figure possible and before he knew it, Dave was forking over a hundred dollars. "Here's sixty. And please start spending your allowance."
"Why? Spending your money is more fun." Meredith smiled before she heard a honking from the driveway. She gave Dave a quick kiss. "Bye Daddy!"
"Bye!" Dave waved as she headed out the door.
Finishing up his dinner and cleaning the dishes, Dave headed to his home office to look over some more documentation. The next people on the list were Lisa's former coworkers from Purrrfection. The girls weren't on the best of terms with Lisa but they were crucial in determining her state of mind when she was with Randy. This should be interesting.
His thoughts were interrupted by a surprise phone call. He recognized the number on the caller ID and didn't think twice to answer it. "Hello?"
"Good, you're home. I was hoping to catch you." The voice said.
"What can I do for you?"
"I want to give you kudos on a terrific cross-examination today. Very impressive work."
"Thank you. Was there anything else?"
"No, that was all. I'll be in touch." The line went dead.
Dave stared at his phone before hanging it up. He tried to go back to his paperwork but his thoughts were totally out of focused.
Lisa had various supporters and many of them offered to pay her legal defense bills. That part, Dave didn't care one way or another as long as he got paid.
What disturbed him was the thought Vince McMahon was paying for her entire defense. And why Lisa could not have any knowledge of it.