De Jure
Summary: It wasn't that public defender Kate Sharma hated Anthony Bridgerton. She merely found him to be intolerable with his aggravating smile and quick wit that could sway a jury in an instant. Tasked with the case of her career, Kate is determined to win and if it meant taking down Anthony's perfect record with her, then all the better. AKA, the rival lawyers au I couldn't get out of my head.
"I still can't believe you got the Sophie Beckett case. I've been following the entire thing on the news and it's absolutely riveting! You have Araminta, a major movie star and her stepdaughter, Sophie who's accused of potential jewel theft. You'll have to tell me everything, Kate."
"It's certainly the most high-profile case I've had to deal with before," Kate replies, "But you should know by now that I can't discuss the details of my cases, no matter how much I love you, Edwina."
Edwina rolls her eyes playfully, "Fine, well, the least you can do is tell me all about that gorgeous prosecutor you're up against. Anthony Bridgerton, isn't it? Is he really that perfect in-person?"
"He's perfectly irritating," Kate retorts, with the shake of her head, "He hasn't lost a single case this year and I refuse to hand him another victory. I have to do right by Sophie."
"You'll be great, Kate," Edwina promises, "You're an incredible lawyer and I know you'll make sure justice is served…all I'm saying is that if you want to fraternize with the opposing counsel, then I one hundred percent, fully support it."
"Over my dead body," Kate replies, flatly, "Besides, isn't your lunch break over by now? Don't you have some papers to grade? Or some organic chemistry lab to prep for?"
Edwina laughs, pressing a quick kiss to her sister's cheek before swinging her handbag over her shoulder, "Good luck, Kate! I'll see you this weekend, or maybe on TV."
…
"You look nice, Sophie. The blazer fits you well."
"Thanks, I really wouldn't have had anything to wear, if not for you," Sophie says, gratefully.
Kate smiles, "Don't mention it. As much as it shouldn't matter, appearances are everything in court and seeing as I owe far more blazers than I care to admit, I'm always happy to share when I can. Are you feeling okay about everything? There's still time to accept a deal if you've changed your mind about going to trial…"
Sophie shakes her head, "I refuse to admit to a crime I didn't commit. I swear on my life that I didn't steal any of Araminta's jewelry. She's always hated me and this is just her last ditch attempt to smear my name."
Kate rests a reassuring hand on Sophie's shoulder, "I believe you, Sophie. I am here to fight for you and I promise to stand by your side throughout this entire process."
Sophie smiles, "Thanks, Kate. Shall we head into the courtroom?"
Kate is about to nod when she catches sight of an all-too-familiar face heading her way. "You go ahead, I'll be with you in a second."
Sophie nods and heads inside. Not a moment sooner does Kate come face-to-face with a certain chestnut-haired prosecutor, in all his Bridgerton glory.
"Miss Sharma," he greets, an easy smile forming on his lips, "It's a pleasure to see you again, although it's a shame it has to be under such adversarial circumstances."
"Oh, I wouldn't consider it 'adversarial circumstances', at all, Mr. Bridgerton," Kate replies, "Seeing as I stand firmly on the side of justice, it would be my hope that you do not stand in direct opposition to that."
Anthony chuckles lowly, "While I do admire your way with words, Miss Sharma, I recommend you save some of it for court. Although, there's still time to accept my deal– a misdemeanor and 5 months of jail time, is very generous. You of all people should know it wouldn't be wise to risk going to trial against me."
"As much as we appreciate your generosity, I think I'll take my chances. You could always drop the charges, altogether, if you're scared I'll finally ruin that perfect record of yours?"
"Not a chance, Sharma."
God, he was annoying. In Kate's experience, negotiating with Anthony was much akin to negotiating with a brick wall.
"Why not?" Kate decides to press, "I heard that District Attorney Hastings is looking to promote someone in your office to Assistant District Attorney. Play your cards right with this case and that could be you."
"When will you learn that I always play my cards right?" Anthony replies with the shake of his head. "I'll see you in court, Katherine." Somehow, hearing him say her name like that made her stomach flip in a way that Kate did not care to admit to.
Shoving down whatever odd thing he had suddenly stirred in her, Kate straightened her shoulders, matching his gaze, "Good luck, Anthony. You'll be the one needing it."
…
As far as arraignments went, Sophie's hadn't been a total disaster. It had started simple enough with the entering of a "not guilty" plea, but somehow ended with Anthony Bridgerton convincing the judge to set bail at $100,000. Kate would have been impressed, if not for the fact that the number was ridiculous and frankly, entirely excessive.
It was classic show-boating if she had ever seen it.
Still, after some major social media fundraising help from Edwina and two very large anonymous donations, Kate had managed to pull together the bail in its entirety. While Kate suspected one of the large donations had come from one of Sophie's stepsisters, Posy, the other remained a total mystery.
Glancing at the clock, Kate realizes it's past midnight when a knock comes at her cubicle.
"Come in," Kate calls, unable to tear her eyes away from her work, assuming the cleaning staff had simply arrived to empty her recycling bin.
"I knew you'd still be here," comes the voice.
Swiveling her chair around Kate can't help but be surprised when she's greeted by a man in a well-tailored suit, who most certainly is not the cleaning staff.
"Anthony?" she asks, too caught off guard for anything more clever.
"I saw you raised all the bail money today. $100,000 in two days is very impressive, even for you, Sharma," Anthony compliments, as he casually leans against the wall of her cube. He somehow manages to make his presence appear effortless, alluring even, and Kate hates herself for noticing.
"Well, I wouldn't have had to raise so much if you hadn't requested such a ridiculously inflated number," Kate responds warily, "But thanks."
"I'm just doing my job, that I happen to be very good at," Anthony shrugs, "Speaking of which, we need to talk about the Beckett case."
"We're talking right now," Kate replies, bluntly, "With all due respect, can you get to your point so I can finish up for the evening? I'm starving and I haven't eaten dinner yet."
"Seriously, Kate? It's past midnight." Anthony says sternly, crossing his arms. "Get up, we're leaving. We'll talk over dinner and don't even think about arguing because if our record is any indication, I've won just about every single time."
"How is it possible that you're absolutely insufferable, even when you're attempting to do something vaguely nice?" Kate replies, although she gathers her laptop, purse, and coat without protest.
"Is that your way of saying 'thank you for saving me from starvation'?"
"No," Kate replies, offering him the most pressed-on smile she could muster.
Anthony laughs, "I suppose I should expect nothing less."
A quick walk around the courthouse revealed that there was, in fact, nothing open, save the 24/7 gas station convenience store that Kate preferred to avoid at all costs. Sitting side-by-side on the plastic benches, nibbling her less than appetizing turkey on rye, Kate can't help but find the situation rather amusing. Even in her state of ravenous hunger, she couldn't bring herself to fully commit to the sandwich. Perhaps, this was Anthony's way of trying to weaken his opponent.
"You know, my sister is going to be so disappointed when I tell her that I ate dinner with you, but it was at a gas station."
"Why? Does hatred for prosecutors run in the family?" Anthony scoffs, light-heartedly.
"Quite the opposite," Kate confesses, "She rather likes to watch you on television. She'll just be disappointed that a Bridgerton couldn't do better than a sandwich that may or may not be a week old," Kate teases, although she takes a second bite. Upon second thought, perhaps the sandwich wasn't so bad, not that she would dare admit that now.
"And what exactly do you mean by 'a Bridgerton'?"
"Oh come on Anthony, you know exactly what I mean," Kate laughs, "You've got one brother that's a celebrated artist, another that's a New York Times bestseller, one of your sisters is an award-winning journalist, and I could go on. Not only do you Bridgertons come from money, you're all great talents and successful too."
"Is that why you don't like me? Because I come from money?"
"What?" Kate chuckles, taking another bite from her sandwich, "I don't care about your money. I don't like you because you play fast and loose with the law. Instead of building a truly strong case, you just go and dazzle the judge, you captivate the jury with these lavish narratives, and somehow you always win. It's frustrating as hell."
"You know doing all of that is part of creating a strong case, right?" Anthony counters, "Part of being a good lawyer is telling a story in a way a jury can follow."
"I know that," Kate replies, "But it's the charm that kills me every time. It's impossible to beat the sheer magnetism you possess the moment you step foot into the courtroom."
"So, you find me charming, then?" Anthony asks, his gaze suddenly more serious and intent, causing Kate to freeze as they locked eyes. He lifts his hand to her face, dabbing away the hint of mustard sitting at the corner of her lip. In the darkness, his eyes seem to glint, as Edwina's past words about Anthony's attractiveness jolted to the forefront of her mind. Suddenly, the prospect of fraternization had become jarringly appealing.
Cursing those awfully intrusive thoughts, Kate pulls away from his touch.
"I find you about as charming as a garden rake," Kate says flatly, tearing her eyes away from him, as she felt her face warming up, "But anyways, this is supposed to be a business meeting. Apologies for getting sidetracked…what did you want to discuss about the Beckett case?"
"Right…" Anthony says, nodding, though Kate can't help but note the unmistakable look of disappointment in his eyes. "Uh– shoe clips."
"Shoe clips?" Kate echoes, brow furrowed, "What the hell are shoe clips?"
"They're like brooches…for shoes…" Anthony elaborates, "Anyways, I was prepping Araminta for the trial and she claims that Sophie Beckett didn't just steal her jewelry and wedding ring, but her shoe clips, as well. We're going to push charges up to second degree, instead of third degree felony theft. I wanted to give you heads up."
"Shit, Anthony," Kate curses, furiously, resisting the mild urge to throw the remainder of her sandwich at his head, "That could easily be five years in jail, if Sophie is convicted."
"You should have taken my deal when I offered it, Kate."
"I think we're done here," Kate mutters, standing up from the table, and collecting her things, "I'll see you in court, Bridgerton."
…
The court is abuzz with press and cameras, after all, it isn't every day an A-list movie star was set to testify in court. As the prosecution's star witness Araminta, was eating up the attention, causing Kate to grit her teeth.
Looking to her left, she sees Anthony preparing to begin his line of questioning. Much to her annoyance, he catches her eye, offering her a small smile, causing Kate to avert her eyes immediately. Had she replayed the brief moment they shared in her mind over and over again? Yes. But whatever had transpired between them did little to quell the annoyance she felt towards him regarding their case. Anthony may have gotten one over her with the shoe clip surprise, but questioning witnesses was Kate's bread and butter and she refused to allow the Bridgerton boy, to best her at her own game.
"Kate, I'm scared," Sophie whispers, softly. "I don't want to go to jail."
"Soph, you have to trust me," Kate replies, "I'm not going to let that happen."
Sophie nods, "Alright, just remember Araminta is an actress and a good one at that. She will do whatever it takes to make me out to be a villain to that jury."
Kate swallows, "We have the truth on our side, Soph. I just have to make the jury see it."
"Order, order," Judge Danbury calls, as the room settles down, "Prosecution, you may call your first witness."
Anthony nods, "Thank you, your honor. The prosecution calls Araminta Penwood to the stand."
As Araminta takes her seat, she dabs a handkerchief at the corner of her eye. It was certainly all Anthony's idea if Kate had to guess, after all, only he would go for something so pandering. Not to mention, the self-satisfied smirk resting on his face only served to make Kate roll her eyes.
"Miss Penwood," Anthony begins, tossing a glance at Kate before returning his attention to Araminta, "Why don't you take us to the beginning of this story?"
"Well, I suppose it begins with Sophie's father, a man I loved very dearly. After we were married, I took Sophie in as one of my own, clothing her, caring for her, and paying for her education amongst so much more. I loved her very dearly, making her betrayal all the more heartbreaking."
To her right, Kate notices Sophie tense up at what she knows are certainly lies, no matter how convincingly Araminta delivers them.
"So, Miss Penwood, essentially you would characterize your relationship with Miss Beckett as a very loving one? A caring one?"
Kate stands to her feet, promptly, "Objection. Leading the witness, your honor."
Judge Danbury nods, "Sustained. Move on, counsel."
Anthony nods, taking the minor loss in stride. It was always like this with them, a fierce battle of objections and testimony whenever one of their witnesses took the stand. "Very well then, Miss Penwood, please take us through the day when you realized some of your most precious items were missing."
"Well, you see, I went to open my jewelry box to retrieve my wedding ring as I do so every morning and to my absolute surprise one morning, it was empty, my wedding ring was gone, my necklaces were missing, and worst of all, my antique shoe clips had been taken," Araminta relays, dramatically, "I was absolutely shocked. No one had entered the house and yet, when I awoke, I realized my stepdaughter was all but missing, leading to the natural conclusion that she had stolen my jewelry and ran away in the middle of the night."
"Objection, speculation!" Kate calls out, "Such a conclusion cannot be naturally drawn from the presented testimony."
"I think it's a more than fair conclusion to reach," Anthony counters, immediately.
"Objection, sustained," Judge Danbury says, "The witness's final statement will be struck from the record."
"You honor–" Anthony attempts to argue.
"This is my court, Mr. Bridgerton," Judge Danbury cuts him off, firmly, "There will be no arguing of my rulings."
At this, Kate smiles victoriously, tossing Anthony a rather delighted look, when he visibly deflates. Judge Danbury was tough, but fair, and Kate was feeling rather grateful to be in her courtroom. Despite his momentary loss, Anthony charges on, "Miss Penwood, who would know where you keep your jewelry? Would any other house staff have access to these boxes?"
Araminta shakes her head, "My daughters, Rosamund, Posy, and Sophie are the only ones who know the location of both the boxes. However, Sophie, who primarily maintained the upkeep of my master bedroom, is the only one with access to my room key. She is the only one with both the knowledge and access required to steal my jewels. Furthermore, Sophie is the only one who would know the exact whereabouts of my jewels at any given time. There is simply no one else that could have taken them."
"Based on Miss Penwood's testimony presented here today, it becomes clear that Miss Beckett is in fact the only person capable of this crime. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you are logical, critical thinkers and the facts have shown that Miss Beckett must be guilty. The prosecution rests," Anthony states a little too proudly for Kate's taste. Anthony had always been good at crafting these airtight narratives, so to win this case, she needed to beat him at his own game. Surely, Kate had her work cut out for her now.
"Does the defense wish to cross-examine the witness?" Judge Danbury asks, as Kate rises.
"We do," Kate nods, before giving Sophie a reassuring smile. "Miss Penwood, you stated earlier that you had taken in Miss Beckett as your daughter? Correct? And yet you also mentioned that Miss Beckett was in charge of cleaning your bedroom. Were all your daughters assigned such cleaning tasks?"
"Well, no," Araminta admits, "But a little cleaning was the least Sophie could do to repay my kindness."
"Do you not maintain a cleaning staff, then?" Kate presses, "Surely, someone of your stature must have a cleaning staff?"
"Objection, leading the witness!" Anthony calls out, folding his arms, as Kate purses her lips in irritation.
"Sustained," Judge Danbury rules, much to Kate's displeasure. She supposed it was only a matter of time before Anthony attempted to push her buttons.
"I'll move on," Kate nods, not wishing to give Anthony the satisfaction of throwing her off her game, "Miss Penwood, how do you reconcile the fact that you "loved" Sophie like your own daughter and yet treated her so differently than your own children? What made Sophie so different?"
"Unlike my own daughters, Sophie has always been an ungrateful brat," Araminta spits, furiously, "Truth be told, I should have never brought her into my home to begin with."
"Miss Penwood, it would appear that your relationship with Miss Beckett is much more akin to one of resentment, then one of love. Do you envy her in any way?"
"Of course I don't envy the child, I merely despise her. I always have," Araminta argues back, causing a broad grin to form on Kate's lips, as whispers seem to flood through the gallery.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," Kate says, turning her attention away from Araminta, "As you can see, the relationship between Miss Penwood and Miss Beckett is far more complex than what meets the eye. On the surface, the prosecution has told you a story, a single story where there is only one possible explanation for this crime. However, as established by Miss Penwood's testistomy, every story has two sides. Miss Penwood has maintained clear disdain for Miss Beckett over a long period of time, suggesting that she would indeed have motive to lie upon the stand today. After all, we've seen Miss Penwood paint two very contrary narratives on the stand today. In the wake of this revelation, the defense would like to call Miss Penwood's daughter, Posy Reiling, to the stand, your honor."
Judge Danbury nods, hitting her gavel, "Let's break for lunch and when we adjourn Miss Reiling will take the stand."
Kate smiles to herself, because she knows she has the jury now. She may not have told the better story, but she certainly poked enough holes in Anthony's to cause doubt. Now, it was just a matter of time before the rest of his story came crumbling down.
…
As far as witnesses went, Posy Reiling was a star, if Kate had anything to say about it. From bringing to light Araminta secret hiding spot for her other jewelry boxes to admitting to stealing the shoe clips on the stand, Kate was sure Anthony Bridgerton hadn't known what had hit him.
Thus, when the jury returns with the verdict and Sophie is acquitted of all charges, Kate can't help but feel a little smug as she returns to her cubicle, readying herself to take on her next case. It wasn't often she had such a major, public win and she was feeling pretty unstoppable. What Kate doesn't expect, however, is to see one, Anthony Bridgerton, sitting in her swiveling office chair.
"You know, this thing is far more comfy than it looks…" Anthony muses.
"Is there a reason you're sitting in my chair?" Kate asks, "Come to lick your wounds? Wallow in your first loss of the year?"
"Not at all. Actually, I came to congratulate you," Anthony replies.
"Really?" Kate questions with a doubtful brow raise.
"I really did come to congratulate you," Anthony says, "but I also had to know how you knew to talk to Posy. She was so quiet, I hadn't even considered her for a moment."
Kate sighs, "Truthfully, I wouldn't have even talked to her if not for you…"
"How so?"
"You warned me about shoe clips," Kate explains, "It was such an odd thing to steal and I knew there had to be more to the story. I started researching the value of the shoe clips and then realized there had been an anonymous donation to Sophie's bail fund of that exact amount. Needless to say, all signs pointed to Posy. So, I suppose in some ways, I owe my win to you."
"Well, Araminta isn't pressing charges against Posy," Anthony informs, "I guess you could say that justice has been served."
"So you're not mad about losing?"
"I'm not going to lie to you, it stings a bit, but it's far more important to me that the truth came out," Anthony replies, "Besides, if I had to lose, I suppose I couldn't have selected a more worthy opponent."
At the compliment, Kate can't help but flush. "Uh, so what's next for you? I heard DA Hastings still offered you the promotion. I imagine that next time I'll see you, you'll be ADA Bridgerton."
Anthony chuckles, "I actually haven't accepted the offer yet. I was actually hoping I could talk it through with you over dinner? A proper dinner, that is. No gas station sandwiches."
"With me?" Kate asks, appearing mildly flabbergasted, "Like a date?"
"Yes, like a date, Kate," Anthony confirms.
"Uh, sure. I suppose I could take an early night."
And when Kate's so-called 'early night' turns into a rather late one, with future ADA Bridgerton pressing a series of rather filthy kisses against her lips, then she supposes that perhaps Edwina was right all along. Perhaps, fraternizing with the opposing counsel wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Author's Note: So that's the first fic I've written after AGES! Hopefully you enjoyed seeing Kate and Anthony in action. As you might have guessed, I'm not exactly a lawyer, but hopefully my legal jargon isn't totally out of left field. I swear I attempted to research lol. But either way, I would love to hear what you think!