A/N: I know this is late and I apologize. It's my fault. My best friends mother is very sick and they gave her a few weeks to live so I've been spending a lot of time trying to hold her together.
Sorry I don't have an awesome authors note this time. I'm kind of bla but I do want to thank my Besties for reviewing this story. They really help to keep me going. So thank you so much for taking the time to review.
Well that's all I have. I hope you enjoy it. Its long and kind of a filler. I'm not going to go into much detail about court just the stuff that is needed and I want to thank CARTER WISE for being there for me and writing the opening statements and giving me the insight I need. Carter it's truly because of you that this story is still going so thank you!
Chapter 10: Broken
BPOV
"Bella this is the opposing counsel Mr. Carlisle Cullen. He is defending Edward Masen, the owner of EEM investments." I looked up and shook Mr. Cullen's hand. I then glanced over to his client and nearly fainted. My face, I was sure, turned white as a ghost. Staring up at me on the opposing counsel, the client that I was attempting to convict of fraud sat Tony.
My hand found its balance on the table. I felt the wind knock out of me when I looked up and saw Tony sitting in that chair. He immediately looked away and grabbed a fist full of hair.
"Bella, Bella, are you alright?" I heard Mr. Smith say.
"Bella you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you okay?" I was still frozen in shock. I could hear Mr. Smith, but I couldn't speak. My mouth was open but the words weren't coming out. I shook my head. Maybe it was a dream. I closed my eyes just to open them and see him still sitting there.
"Bella please are you okay?" Mr. Smith sounded more scared and I finally regained myself and looked over at him.
"Sorry Mr. Smith, I'm fine. I just got a little dizzy." I leaned in to him so only he could hear me. "It must be the nerves."
He chuckled a little and I watched as Carlisle walked back to Tony and sat next to him. I couldn't help but glance over his way. He and Carlisle were talking and I wondered if it was about me. Was Carlisle going to bring up our indiscretions? I started to panic. My hands started to get sweaty and I could feel my stomach flipping. The feeling was unbearable. I glanced over to Mr. Smith, "Can I take a quick minute to compose myself?" I asked.
"Sure we still have about 10 minutes." He replied.
I walked out of the courtroom and sprinted to the bathroom. Once inside, I locked myself in a stall, put my head between my legs, and took deep breaths.
After a few minutes of that, I stood up and walked out to face myself in the mirror. "This is your damn career Bella, hold it together. You can do this. You had no clue who he was. Go out there and dominate this case. You have this, you know you do."
I splashed a little water on my face, composed myself and walked out back into the courtroom. I walked in and glanced over to where Tony was sitting.
He was still talking to Carlisle and he caught a glimpse of me out of the corner of his eye. His face turned red and I could see a little bit of perspiration build up on his forehead. I looked away quickly and made my way back to my seat.
I went to sit but I heard the door creek and as if things couldn't get worse, in came Alice . She went and sat behind Tony. Edward! Oh my god that's why she left; her best friend Edward. This is just getting more and more fucked up. What if this was all a cruel joke? Oh my god this was a joke to him. He wanted me to feel bad for him, to fall for his dazzling smile and then schmooze me in so I would ruin my career to help him.
Then he would take his girlfriend, who is probably laughing at me now, and the millions he stole and go to a tropical island and live happily ever after. What and idiot I am. I fell for it and Alice is probably just as much in on this as he is. But why would she open up to me and ask me to meet her best friend Edward? This was getting worse and worse and I fought the urge to run like hell and just go to Forks and hide in my room.
Mr. Smith stood up and pulled the chair out for me. We talked for a moment about the case and he looked over my opening statement once again. After a few minutes of grueling silence and the feeling of eyes watching me, we were asked to stand for the judge.
The next few hours consisted of choosing the jury. The courtroom filled with prospective jurors. The judge thanked the jurors for being there and doing their civic duty. He then explained the nature of jury service and the jury selection process that would take. He then asked the jurors the general question such as "Is anyone personally acquainted with the judge, the defendant, or any of the lawyers in this case?" Then Carlisle started his questions, which were followed by mine. After much deliberation and questions, the jurors that were stricken for cause were asked to leave and we approached the judge and chose our final 12 jurors and 2 alternates.
The jury was dismissed and sent to the jury room so they could go over the pre-trial motions and select the jury foreman. We took a 30-minute recess. I sat at the table with Mr. Smith afraid to get up and leave or bump into Alice or Tony.
After the recess, court reconvened and the jurors were sworn in. It was my turn for my opening statement. I took a deep breath, stood up and made my way to the jurors.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I would first like to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of the prosecution for taking the time out of your busy days to do your civic duty by being here and serving as a juror in this case. You are performing an invaluable service to your country.
"We are here today for the trial of the defendant, Edward Masen, who has been indicted on multiple counts of tax evasion, embezzlement and racketeering. Mr. Masen has been accused of concocting and carrying out one of the most heinous investment scams to hit the Seattle area, or for that matter, the country, in many, many years. The evidence we present will show that Mr. Masen, through his company EEM Investments, stole countless sums from his clients.
"For those of you who keep up with the business section of the local paper, you may already know Mr. Masen is the heir to the investment empire created by his father, Edward, Sr., who was a well respected businessman in the Seattle area prior to his death. During the reign of Edward, Sr., EEM Investments was considered one of the most prestigious brokerage houses on the west coast. The defendant, Edward Masen, was the only child of Edward, Sr., and was groomed to take over the family business. He was sent to a prestigious business school and handed a large book of business and clients, which was the product of his father's life's work.
"However, evidence will show, through the testimony of a longtime girlfriend and acquaintance of the defendant, Lauren Mallory, that the defendant Edward Masen, was never worthy of the privilege of running the family business; especially a business which he managed the financial welfare of so many businesses and individuals in the Seattle area. Ms. Mallory will testify that the defendant has a long and sordid history of general mischief and troublemaking and irresponsible behavior from the time he was a teenager on up through today. Ms. Mallory's testimony will paint a picture for you of a privileged young man who was blindly loved by his parents and who was simultaneously so undeserving of their trust, and of the trust of EEM Investments' clients.
"Ladies and gentleman, over the next few days we will be presenting you with exhaustive evidence of Mr. Masen's criminal acts. We will call Laurent Comacasi of C&C Enterprises who will testify about how he hired Mr. Masen's company to invest its capital in low-risk investments for the benefit of their shareholders. C&C Enterprises entrusted Mr. Masen's company with $92 million, which has now disappeared. We will also be calling several other victims of Mr. Masen's schemes, which will illustrate an ongoing pattern of conduct similar to the embezzlement of funds from C&C Enterprises. All said these victims will testify to a total lump sum of $250, million, which was stolen from these individuals and companies in a complicated, and sophisticated investment scheme, which only someone with Mr. Masen's education, experience, and contacts could carry out.
"We will also be calling a special witness, a lead financial analyst from the FBI who will testify about and illustrate for you the complicated web of transactions which was the basis of Mr. Masen's investment schemes. This same analyst will present you with evidence proving that the embezzlement dates from the time the defendant, Edward Masen, took over his father's company and ran it into the ground.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you, that at the close of the evidence in this case, there will be only one conclusion for you to reach. That conclusion is to find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant, Edward Masen, is guilty on all counts, as charged. Thank you."
The words hurt. I didn't want to believe them. I was speaking them, but they weren't about Tony, he couldn't have done this. The Tony I knew and started to fall for was not capable of this. Yes, he spoke about his adolescent and mentioned stupid things he used to do but this wasn't him. He wasn't capable of this. Was he?
I made my way back to my seat and Carlisle got up and started his statement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to echo Ms. Swan's statement of gratitude for your service as jurors here today on behalf of myself and my client, Edward Masen. Your participation in this trial is an integral part of ensuring that justice is done in this courtroom.
"Now, you have had a chance for Ms. Swan to tell you the prosecution's version of the facts in this case. I would like to take this opportunity now to give you a very different version of this case that will be borne out by the evidence we will present in this case.
"My client, Edward Masen, is indeed the only child of Elizabeth and Edward Masen, Sr., and heir to EEM Investments upon their deaths, as Ms. Swan told you. It is also true that C&C Enterprises and others contracted with EEM Investments virtually lost all of their money. However, that is where the similarities between the truth and Ms. Swan's story. Not only is my client not guilty of the crimes alleged against him, he is in fact a victim of the very schemes he is accused of carrying out.
"When my client was so unfortunate to lose both of his parents, and his only immediate family, he was thrust into the unwelcome position of CEO of an established and prestigious brokerage company. Edward Masen was just out of business school and had little experience in running a company as large as EEM Investments. At that point, Edward did the only thing any prudent person would do in that same situation. He hired a person who did have the appropriate experience to run the day-to-day business of EEM Investments until such time that Edward was ready to take over the company himself.
"This person Edward hired was a man named Tyler Crowley. He was a long-term acquaintance of the Masen family and had years more experience in the business world than Edward had. It was, in fact, Tyler Crowley who orchestrated the investment scheme that embezzled not only the millions of dollars in client funds, but also the entire inheritance left to Edward by his parents. Ladies and gentlemen, I can assure you, Edward is now just as penniless as every other victim of Tyler Crowley's investment scheme, if not more so.
"You may be asking yourself that if what I say is true, why is Edward Masen on trial and not Tyler Crowley? That would be an excellent question. The truth of the matter is that Tyler Crowley has disappeared as well…presumably to the same place the money has disappeared to. Meanwhile, the prosecutor's office is so desperate for a conviction in this case that they are willing to accuse my client of the crimes committed by Tyler Crowley purely as a scapegoat, without stopping to ask if he had any actual involvement in the investment schemes. Rather, the only thing my client might be guilty of is trusting people too easily.
"The evidence in this case will show you that Edward Masen took and passed a lie detector test regarding the facts surrounding this case. We will also be presenting our own character witness who has known Mr. Masen far longer than Lauren Mallory and who will be able to attest that Ms. Mallory is a jilted ex-girlfriend who is vindictively misrepresenting the truth in an effort to lash out at my client for events in their personal relationship.
"Lastly, I would like to remind each and every one of you of one of the cornerstone premises of our justice system. Every defendant is considered innocent unless and until the prosecution has proven that he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. It is the duty of you, the jury, to ensure that the prosecution meets that burden of proof and that you look at the evidence with an open and critical eye. Do not be swayed by their arguments that my client had the opportunity to commit these crimes, but rather examine their evidence for proof that Edward Masen was in fact personally involved in these alleged schemes. If you do that, I trust that you will also come to the conclusion that Edward Masen is innocent of all charges."
I sat there and listened as Carlisle spoke and his words hit my heart. That was the Tony I knew. He portrayed him just as Tony was when we were together. Tony didn't get into detail about his parents and we only spoke a little about his past, but it all made sense now. The look he would get when he would speak of his mother or father or the sadness in his eyes when we would talk about friends, family and trust. He had none of that; he only had Alice . I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to run to him, hold him, and tell him it was going to be okay. I looked over at him and wanted to cry. How could I do this? How the hell could I convince the jury that he was guilty when I was falling in love with him?
EPOV
Alice 's words hit me like a ton of bricks and I fell to the floor. I have never fainted before in my life, but at that moment when Alice asked me if I was Tony, I knew it. I knew it. My heart stopped beating and the oxygen left my lungs. I fell to the ground. I was abruptly woken up by Esme screeching and yelling for my uncle. I sat up slowly and my uncle ran in asking what the matter was. I told him that I tripped getting up from the stool while talking to Alice . My aunt ran and grabbed me ice for my head. After I assured them both I was fine, I got up and sat on the couch and called Alice back.
"Edward what the hell happened to you?"
"Nothing I just tripped." I lied.
"E-edward, are you Tony?" She stuttered out.
" Alice , please do me a favor and forget that name…Please. I need to think about what I'm going to do."
"Do you like her Edward? Please be honest."
I paused. I had answered that question in my mind over and over and the answer was always the same. But could I tell Alice that I was falling for her? Could I open up to her and not worry that she would betray me?
" Alice it's complicated." I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes.
"Edward Anthony Masen. We have been through a shit-load of stuff together. You can trust me, and I don't even want you to think that you can't. I'm not turning my back on you regardless of the relationship I built with Bella."
"I know Alice , I'm sorry that I even thought about the fact that I couldn't trust you. It's just…everything is so fucked up and now with Lauren going against me. I just don't know what to do."
"Wait Lauren, what about Lauren?" She asked shocked.
I explained that Lauren has become a key witness with the prosecution and that she was going to dig up my past to show that I never wanted anything to do with my dad's company. After a round of 'I'll kill her' was done, she got back to the original question.
"Edward, do you like Bella?" she asked again.
I sighed. "Yes, Alice , I like her, more than I should. I'm not sure what it is, but she has this tug on my heart. Like when I'm not with her, I feel incomplete, but when she walks into the room, her brown eyes light up my life and I feel truly happy. She's so sweet and compassionate. She's smart and funny. She blushes this perfect crimson red and she's clumsy as hell, but I love it. She cooks great and talks my ear off about the stupidest, cutest things. She is so beautiful and she makes me smile from the inside. She has a genuine smile that melts my heart and when I'm with her physically, it's like my insides melt right into her. Alice , it's like she's the missing puzzle piece; she fits in my arms perfectly and I love just holding her and feeling her close to me. She's everything I never knew I always wanted and I now I have no clue what to do."
"Oh Edward, I'm so sorry, so very sorry. You're not going to like what I'm about to say to you but here it goes. You need to tell Bella the truth. Then you need to break it off with her until this is over. Edward she likes you just as much, but this is her lifelong dream and I know I've only known her for a week, but I can tell that this is something that she's wanted, strived and worked so hard for and she won't give it up for anything. Edward she doesn't think she is worthy of you. Hell, she doesn't think she is worthy of anyone so I know that she's thinking you and I planned this and that this is a big scheme. So you really need to tell her, you can't blind side her Edward, it's not fair."
"Dammit Alice dammit…I can't do that. I can't tell her. Alice I have to go. I have to think. Please just don't get in touch with her and please don't tell Jasper that I'm Tony."
"I won't Edward. Please be careful and I love you."
"I know Pixie. I love you too."
I hung up the phone and let my head fall back. My uncle came walking in and sat down next to me.
"Uncle, that was Alice . She was the secretary for a week for Bella Swan, the prosecutor for my case." I cringed when I said her name and prosecutor in the same sentence. "Before you go any further, Bella had just been handed the case and did not disclose any information to Alice 'until just last week and when Alice looked at it, she got up and walked out."
"Hmm…okay. Well thank you, I'm going to go make some phone calls." He got up and walked out of the room. I was once again left with my thoughts of what the else could go on in my life.
"Edward?" I heard Esme whisper.
I turned to her slowly trying to fight back the tears that I did not want to shed especially in front of my aunt.
She sat next to me and put her hands on mine. "Edward, please listen to me for just a moment. I was not spying on you, I was coming into to check on you and I well I heard a little of your conversation. I walked away but I did hear some of how this girl makes you feel and Edward if you feel this away about this girl then what ever it is you need to tell her, you can. Love conquers everything and I can see that you are falling in love with her."
"You don't get it Esme. I can't. It's not possible for us to be together."
"I'm not going to pry or push you to talk to me; but I'm here if you need me and you know I love your uncle but whatever you tell me will stay with me. That's a promise." She leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Dinner is almost done."
"Thanks." I murmured.
I sat in the darkness of my dad's study and thought about what I was going to do. I decided, well the selfish boy in me decided, that I was going to tell Bella I was going out of town and give myself time to think. So I called her and told her that I was leaving town for a few days in hopes of a potential job and would call when I got back.
The next few days I hung low at my house with my aunt and uncle. I pretty much moped around the house like a lost puppy. I contemplated over and over in my mind if I was going to call her and tell her I was home like I said I would. I wanted to see her so bad. My heart ached to see her again. Court started tomorrow and I wanted to see her after it was over, so I decided to call her and tell I was home. I was secretly hoping that when court was over, she would show up at the hotel and we could talk. I'm not sure what would come out of it but I'm going to try. She of course agreed to meet me tomorrow night at the hotel. Now I'll just have to wait and see if after she finds out who I truly am, if she'll come here.
I tossed and turned all night. My mind was constantly going back to Bella and the time we shared together. Every time I tried to close my eyes, her face was there. The beautiful rose color rising to her cheeks or those brown eyes looking right into my soul.
I woke up with the worst feeling in the pit of stomach. I was sure if I tried, I would be able to throw up. I slowly rolled out of bed and made my way to the shower. I let the hot water run down my body. I put my hands to my face to wipe away the water, as I started to rub my eyes, I realized that it wasn't the water that was running down my face, it was my own tears. I swallowed hard, trying to suppress the feeling that had been building up in my chest but the swallow did work.
I let my hands rest on over my eyes and I just let myself cry. I had no clue what to expect today. Things are so messed up right now and I can't even fathom how I'm going to get through this. How am I going to be able to see her today? I'm going to see the hatred in her eyes and I'm not sure if I can handle that. I knew I wasn't right for her. I knew that I should've just let it be but she's like my drug, she's my own personal heroine and I've waited all my life for a girl to walk in my life and make me feel the way that she does. But now what? She's the prosecuting lawyer against my case and all I can do is sit back and watch as the girl who could steal my heart prosecute me. I decided to let all of these thoughts sit in the back of my mind.
BPOV
Court had finally let out. I stood there for a few minutes talking to Mr. Smith and James about the progression we made today. I had presented my evidence and my list of witnesses and Carlisle did the same. Mr. Smith was sure that I was going to be able to bring this one home. Little did he know that I know doubted my ability to be a lawyer and I have had amazing sex with the defendant.
After we were done, I gathered my things quickly and ran out the door. Alice , Carlisle and Edward were still there talking. I glanced at Alice and she gave me an apologetic smile. My mind was racing trying piece all the pieces of this puzzle together. As much as I hated to think about it or even do it, I had decided that I was going to the hotel and get some answers. I actually think I decided that when I first saw Tony or should I say Edward, sitting there this morning.
I got home and did my normal routine of cooking and cleaning. I avoided Jaspers phone calls and knocks on the door. I wanted to talk to him, but right now wasn't the time. I needed to see Tony without anyone's view on the situation. I'm not sure if Jasper even knows.
I left my apartment around 8:30 and made my way to the hotel. My palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding out of my chest. I turned the corner into the hotel parking lot and into a spot. My hands were trembling as I reached for the doorknob to get out of the car. I finally found, somewhere deep inside, the courage to open the door and get out of the car.
I took that same courage that I mustered up and made my way up to Tony's room, the room I had come to love to go to. I closed my eyes for a second and seriously fought with myself about turning around. Just as I was about to turn around and nix this whole confrontation, the door swung open and there stood Tony. He still had his suit on but the top 4 buttons where undone. His hair of course was messy, perfect, and sexy as hell. His eyes were darker than normal and held no emotion whatsoever in them. I took a step into the room and he shut the door behind me.
We stood there in awkward silence just staring at one another. I couldn't take the silence anymore so I decided to break it.
"So are you going to talk or did I come here just to stare at you?"
He let out a loud sigh, ran is hands through his hair, and stayed silent for a few more minutes. He didn't look at me again and walked over towards the window and looked out.
"Well I guess I came here for nothing." I turned to walk away.
"Dammit Bella what do you want from me?" He spat. I whipped around my blood was boiling.
"How about the truth, Tony, Edward whatever your name is, I think I deserve at least that." I yelled.
"The truth, you want the truth? Well you are not going to like it." He walked to his bed and stood at the edge of it faced away from me. I walked towards him stopping a few inches behind him. I fought the urge to reach out to him. I remembering hearing Carlisle 's words and for a split second I believed them. That's that Tony I know, dammit, that's that the Tony I want.
"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" I replied. He turned around and faced me. I could see the sweat start to build on his forehead. He wiped it away and sat on the bed. I stayed standing and folded my hands across my chest.
"Listen Bella, I have lived my life recklessly and I never allowed anyone, including my parents, to break the barrier that I spent years building. For the last two years, I lived with the burden of my parent's death on my hands. I've let two people into my life and one of those two people took everything I had, everything my parents built and ran. He made it look like I'm a crook and now because of him the woman that makes me feel something I have never felt before is prosecuting me. I'm broken Bella, don't you see how damaged I truly am? I was barely hanging on to begin with. Then you walk into my life and I feel like I finally have a reason to live. I feel like maybe I do have purpose. Maybe my mother was right; there was someone out there who would tame me. And you did come, you're right here, right here in front of me. And when Alice called me, I put the pieces together and I freaked, I didn't know what to do, so I lied. Then when I saw your face when you saw me sitting there, I knew that it was just too good to be true. I knew that I would be left alone now. I knew that we could never be. And I'm back to falling apart. I can't do this, I can't pretend like I don't want this, like I don't want us, because I do." He looked over at me and I could see the tears brimming at the bottom of his eyes. I closed my eyes and took the breath I had been holding.
I turned towards him and reached up to touch his face. I let my hand snuggle on his cheek and I leaned in and brushed my lips to his. My mind was reeling, my heart racing, my stomach churning.
Our lips met lightly, neither of us deepened the kiss or moved away we rested their both our eyes shut. I could hear my heart in my ears and I knew his was beating just as fast.
I forgot all about the fact that I was trying to put this man in prison. I forgot that my career counted on this case. All I cared about was him and me.
I traced his bottom lip with my tongue and my hands found their way into his hair. I hadn't realized my own tears had started to fall until I felt the salty taste of one. He reached his hands up and brushed the tears away. The touch of his palm against my cheek sent a shiver through me almost like a shockwave and my mind finally registered what I was doing. I pulled away from him.
"Edward, I can't, I'm sorry, I just can't." I stood up and walked out of the hotel room leaving my heart behind.
Thanks so much for reading, now go hit that little review button and leave me some love. PWEASE *gives puppy dog eyes* I need the smile!
And no chapter would be complete without saying thanks to HOPE4MORE-TwiDi-Laurajaexo......
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CM & LauraJae