A post-hangover treat for everyone who drank themselves to death this Halloween, those who decided to stay in and scare themselves by watching tons of scary movies and ended up sleeping with the lights on, and those who didn't do either of that because we're too lazy.
Thanks for the unwavering love, you guys :)
- Brittany's POV –
"This is such a fun way to start our week. Am I right, ladies?" Laura starts off, smiling from ear to ear.
I look down and subtly avoid her gaze as I slowly feel uneasy in my seat even if we've only sat down in the conference room not more than two minutes ago. From an outsider's point of view, we probably look composed and collected like assassins waiting for the kill, almost reaching a point of serenity with our calm stances, legs crossed, and stares all directed at the common enemy in front of us but deep inside, we know better. I glance at Santana on my left and notice how visibly tense she is which Quinn alarmingly mirrors on my right, all of which is something that's only obvious to us.
I admit that I'm a bit nervous. We've already covered everything there is to cover, questions that Laura may or may not ask, and all the possible under-handed comments she may throw to derail us off our game. It's quite nerve-wracking. Seeing that everything will be on the record, professionalism must be observed. At least to a certain extent knowing how these three usually exchange banters. Being highly aware that I'm the last person who'll run out of patience and the first one to break up a probable fist fight adds stress to that. Momentarily, I clear my throat in the hopes of alleviating the state of agitation in the room.
"Whatever makes you sleep at night, Laura." I comment sheepishly.
"The thought of you certainly helps. Or maybe not. Thinking of you actually gets me-"
"Finish that sentence and I'm calling security, you creep." Quinn cuts in bitingly.
Laura fixes her attention on Quinn with a smirk on her face. "Aww… Are you a little jealous that I'm not talking about your pint-sized Funny Girl? She's not really my type, you know. I'm not into that endangered species kind of look she's going for."
"Don't talk about her like that, you fu-" Santana scoffs back only for me to cut her off, much to Laura's pleasure.
"Guys, enough." I say calmly even if I so want to slap the redhead badly for insulting Rachel. "Can we get this started? Please?"
The three women hold their gazes for a few seconds but ultimately oblige to my demand. Laura nods and motions to the court reporter at the other side of the table. "State your full name for the record."
"Brittany Susan Lopez-Pierce."
"Are you aware of the charges brought against you?"
"Yes."
"Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?"
"Yes."
Laura nods. "At present, what is your relation to Santana Lopez-Pierce, who is manifested as the basis for the malpractice suit against you in this proceeding?"
"Santana and I are married."
"Has it always been like that, Brittany?"
"Objection. Question is vague." Santana interjects with a disapproving look.
Laura raises an eyebrow. "What's so vague about that? I only asked what her relationship is with you for the record."
"What you're asking her transcends the time from when the subject of her malpractice suit takes place to the present time at hand." Santana responds.
"So, you're saying that you and Brittany weren't in a relationship at the time of your fraud?" Laura stares back incredulously.
"Objection! Calls for a conclusion." Quinn cuts in with a monotonous tone, throwing Santana a warning glance. "This isn't Santana's deposition, Laura. Why don't you rephrase your question for Brittany and maybe if it's acceptable enough then we'd let her answer?"
"Sure. Although you should tell your little Hispanic Pitbull here to back off from her wife so we can actually do our jobs here." Laura teases.
"Off the record." Santana addresses the court reporter then looks back at Laura. "Maybe if you try to be a little professional then I wouldn't have to resort to protecting our client from your sleazy, buzzing tactics, Jolli-freaking-bee."
"Ah, this is nice, isn't it?" Laura grins, leaning forward. "We're all gathered here today to have a little girl talk about your fraud and how you dragged your friends and family down to the gutter with you. Should be killing you inside, JLo."
"The only thing killing me inside is how I can't stab your eyeba-"
"Santana." Quinn warningly cuts her off with a cold stare. Santana glances at her for a quick moment then resorts to backing down as she takes a deep breath.
Laura grins mockingly. "How sweet. I didn't know they had you on a leash, Lopez. Here I was, enjoying the freedom of contemptuously wounding every fiber of your being right in front of your wife and best friend. Maybe that little office of yours managed to downsize your thinking capacity down to the dirt that you always have been."
Santana's fists ball up, her patience becoming paper thin by the second. I grab her arm for a quick second and give her a calming look which somehow comes through when she nods slightly, slowly relaxing against her seat. I sigh and look back at Laura.
"Santana and I are married now. We were broken up during that time this malpractice suit is based on, to answer your question." I say.
Laura's eyebrows raise in a curious manner. "That's interesting. Guess the world's greatest couple aren't that great, huh? Who broke up with whom? How long were you broken up then?"
"I don't see how that's relevant to the case, Castle." Santana comments wryly.
"Oh, I know. I just want to get in the scoop. Perhaps someone cheated? My money's on Lopez. You're amazing and all anyone could wish for Brittany but come on, this is New York. Sure. Back in Harvard you're probably a big fish in a small pond among the girls there but women like you are dime a many out here."
"Irrelevant." Quinn objects calmly, sneaking a glance at me.
Laura chuckles, taking a peek of the document in front of her. "Anyway, can you tell me where you were staying approximately three years ago during that time Lopez here went on her month-long 'business trip'?" She adds, making air quotes out of the last two words for emphasis.
I sigh, trying not to let her get to me. "I was staying in London, England."
"And what business did you have in England exactly?"
"I was working as the interim Managing Director for the London sector of Pierce Industries under Mrs. Jones' tutelage for almost a year then."
"Oh yeah, I think I remember seeing you on the news every so and so back when I was working in Manchester." Laura mutters. "If only I knew you were single during that time then I certainly would have paid you a visit. I'm sure things would have been quite interesting. Don't you think so?"
"God, you are way in over your head. I heard one of Grams' bodyguard handed you his psychiatrist's card. Good guy that one. You should follow up on that." Santana cuts in with a mocking laugh.
"Ah, Meryl freaking Streep's twin without the Oscars." Laura seethes. "She's charming and quite hard to sway, I must admit. Although I can't say the same thing about your Anti-TayTay Squad. Boy, were they scared out of their wits. Oh, and the beautiful British doctor? Oh wow, that woman. She could have been Mrs. Lopez-Dawson and you'll get your happy ending every day, if you know what I mean. How are all of them, by the way?" Laura adds with fake concern.
Santana immediately shares a look with Quinn. I decide to get the discussion back on track.
"Do you have other questions or are we done here?" I raise an eyebrow as a gesture.
"Oh, we are far from done. In fact, we're only getting started, Brittany." She replies. "I don't want this deposition to be a little too heated so how about we talk numbers first since I heard that's your forte?"
"She's not going to settle, Laura." Quinn chimes in.
"Oh, I know. I'm actually talking about Brittany's money and in the spirit of honesty, everyone else's. Let's start with Brittany, shall we?" Laura smirks and glances down on the document in front of her with astonishment then back at me. "Holy crap! I knew you were rich but damn, you can buy a few countries with this kind of dough."
"Where did you get that?" I say warily.
"Google. It's probably not that accurate but you and your pretty little sister are on every list of richest heirs and heiresses." She responds as I look at her quizzically. "So, a little background here says that your mother is the youngest daughter of an investment magnate in which your uncle took over the business for that. And then, Bonnie Pierce aka Meryl Streep's doppelganger took over her father's real estate developing business that is known today as Pierce Industries while your father, as an only child, is running it along with her and your mother as of now. Your parents probably met on some millionaire's boring club party. Rich on both sides, I'm not surprised about that." She comments then goes back to reading. "Pierce Industries grew from a 400 million dollar company into a 21 billion dollar corporation all within almost two decades. I think it's safe to say that your sister, Brianna, would be the one taking over the business someday instead of you. Your trust fund must be half a billion or probably more than a billion, isn't it?"
I stare hard at her and decide not to comment. Thankfully, Quinn clears her throat and cuts in. "What does that have to do with anything?!"
"A lot but we'll get to that later. Let's talk about you, Lucy." Laura grins then goes back to reading again. "Ah… Lucy Quinn Fabray. Only child of a well-known investment banker and a socialite mother whose wealth comes from old money and a massive tobacco business ran by family. Oh, it says here that your uncle married a Rothschild too." Laura nods her head approvingly. "And since we're on you, let's talk briefly about your wife. Rachel Berry is the only child of hotel and restaurant tycoons, with five star destinations in at least 15 countries around the world. Must be handy when travelling, right?"
Quinn and I look at each other questioningly, foreheads creasing. Laura points at Santana without looking at her and proceeds to read once again.
"Santana Lopez." She says with her attention on the paper in front of her. "Born in New York and only child to a globally recognized surgeon father and Columbia grad famous lawyer Maribel Lopez who owns one of the biggest law firms today. Unlike the three of you, Lopez's parents actually worked hard to where they are today. Respect." Laura remarks nonchalantly. "Known for partying with Quinn Fabray during their teenage years, married Brittany Pierce, blah blah blah… You're not really that interesting, Lopez." She adds with a sly smile at Santana, closing the document in front of her.
Santana sighs. "I fail to see the essence of you stalking us through Google. What does it have to do with Brittany's case?"
"Not that much. I just think it's interesting that you trust fund babies have your own little millionaire's club, secrets must be going around that circle like crazy. Imagine how the jury's going to react when they hear all that and your past reputation of being the staple trust fund brats with Fabray." She smiles wickedly. "I could even go for a billion in settlement and no one would bat an eyelid in this table. You guys must have grown up with a platinum spoon brimmed with gold and diamond stones around it in your mouths."
"Why is it always about money with you, Laura? If this is about a settlement, then we have nothing to talk about." I speak up.
"Yeah, maybe. By the way, I have a few general questions here that I'll need you to answer. Just procedural stuff. First, I heard that your sister is a Junior in Columbia. What's she taking?"
"Laura, you googled us like you said, right? Why do you need to ask me that?" I sigh, relaxing against my seat.
"I want to personally get to know your family. I think it's a little too claustrophobic to have only met Lopez and your grandmother. I have no one good enough to compare to, you see."
"Brittany doesn't need to answer that." Quinn remarks coldly.
"Shame. I must say that Brianna is gorgeous though and turned 21 not too long ago. Good genes are certainly in your family, Brittany. Hmm… It says here that she's last seen with that new movie star kid. Handsome boy but bet ya I can make her gay." Laura chuckles, throwing a wink. "Maybe I'll visit your hot sister and ask her the questions I need to know about her myself. You know, like an after sex conversation in bed. Maybe she's the Pierce I'll get to wrap around my finger. Or fingers." Laura smiles wickedly.
I grit my teeth while trying to remain calm. She's trying to rile us up on purpose and I can't let her get to me. "Next question?" I mutter, eyes trained on her.
She stalls for a second, returning my stare and smiling wickedly at me. "I guess I'm a little curious why you had to stay in London for such a long time. I mean, a quarter of a billion dollars is literally no big deal to your family's wealth. Maybe you were trying to distance yourself from what Lopez did? Maybe like I said, you weren't enough of a woman for Lopez here. Lopez didn't want baggage located thousands of miles away from her so she cheated on you repeatedly? Or maybe it was you who found someone new in London? I lived for a few years in England and you must admit that the accent is pretty sexy, right? Is that what happened?"
"What?!" I snap back. "My father's then best friend stole money from him and drove the London sector to the ground. Because of that, my father had a heart attack and the family needed someone they can trust to take over in the UK. That's what happened."
"I see. And why not this Mrs. Jones I keep reading about?"
"Because they needed someone to manage the London sector full time. Mrs. Jones was mentoring me in England while also part-time overseeing the Pierce Industries' divisions in Asia where she's originally in charge of."
Laura nods, writing on her little notebook. "And what has become of Mrs. Jones now? Is she still in charge of the Asia sectors?"
"She's now the Managing Director of Pierce Industries in the UK and oversees the Asia sectors with my mother." I look at Santana for a moment before continuing. "What's so vital about that information?"
"It's just for formality. In case I needed to ask her a few questions at least I know where to find sweet, 'ol Mrs. Jones." Laura grins devilishly.
"You're worse than the fool I think you are if you think she knows anything about the fraud you came up with in your imagination." Santana mentions.
"You say that but we all know I'm getting closer to the truth." Laura disregards her and points at me with her pen. "In fact, you being in London piques my curiosity because if we're going by the facts and what I discovered during Lopez's deposition, she was also in London at that same exact time frame. A little coincidental, don't you think?" She smirks. "And if my assumptions are correct, you were freshly broken up along that same month which means that she went after you to beg you to take her back but decided against it at the last minute for some reason and ended up staying there because she's probably too broken-hearted to come back, correct?"
"Objection. Calls for speculation." Quinn objects once again. "One more question like that and you're out of here, Laura."
"I don't really care." She utters nonchalantly then turns her attention on me again. "So, Brittany, let's get to the good stuff. Did you know Lopez was going after you in London?"
"No. I did not." I say confidently. Technically speaking, it's the truth.
Laura raises an eyebrow. "Surely Lopez here went to check up on you or made efforts to contact you during that time, did she not?"
"No. She did not."
"And you expect me to believe that?" She scoffs.
"Laura, I was here when you served Santana her papers. You concluded, or rather, told us yourself that I didn't know about it so how do you expect me to know all these information?" I reason out. She thinks about my words for a moment, knowing full well that I'm right and somehow I got her in a bind. Santana and Quinn relax against their seats, waiting for the redhead's next move.
"For all I know, it was all an act. If I didn't know any better, maybe Lopez told you about the whole story one way or another after I served the papers. There is always a hole and I'm here to find that."
"Even if Santana confided Colonel Sanders' KFC secret recipe after you served her papers, you can't force Brittany to speak up about it because she's protected by the spousal privilege. Any information relayed after their wedding is off-limits." Quinn refutes.
"Oh yes, spousal privilege. Good thing this deposition has nothing to do about that but everything to do with what happened three years ago when they were not only not married but were also separated. I have spectacular timing, don't I?" Laura grins devilishly.
"Castle, we can go around in circles but you'll only end up wasting your time. Brittany doesn't know a damn thing about this so-called 'fraud' of mine you're talking about because there is no 'fraud' to talk about. There can be no malpractice suit to start with because she didn't know batshit about anything to report to the ethics board much like the people you've somehow involved in this mess." Santana interjects dryly.
Instead of taking my wife's words, Laura smirks instead as she relaxes against her seat. "Well then, let's dig a little deeper and try to find something, shall we? Were you the one who personally asked for Lopez to come to London on your demand to see her?"
"No." I say, acting like I wasn't taken aback.
"Did you have a conversation with Lopez prior to her month-long absence?"
"Yes, I did."
"And what was it about?"
"I don't think that's any of your concern, Laura. That's personal." I say, not missing a beat.
"Sure, sure. I just think it would be interesting when you say that in front of the jury and how you'll lie your ass off about that conversation. Remember that you're under oath when you go to court. Perjury is a tricky subject for liars." Laura chuckles wryly. "Isn't it true then that you initiated breaking up with Lopez during that time?"
I stare intensely at her for a few seconds, contemplating on whether this has any implication at all but eventually decide against speaking.
"Well, well, well… I did not expect that." Laura trails off, smirking.
Santana worriedly glances at me then back at Laura. "She doesn't need to answer that."
"Maybe, maybe not. Let's go back further in time then." Laura starts. "Brittany, remember that time I was in your apartment during that one, faithful night where sparks between us were everywhere?"
"Oh, you mean during that time you forcefully kissed my wife, half-naked, and without her permission?" Santana interjects sarcastically.
"Good memory." Laura smiles and points to Santana. "So, if I'm not mistaken, you also broke up that night, did you not? And if we're going to unearth that pretty little son of a bitch, you broke up because Lopez here couldn't fully commit to you in the way you wanted to. She didn't want to move in with you. You were afraid that she'd stray with her reputation of being a lothario back in Harvard. It scared you that she slept with so many women in campus that you couldn't even dare to count them with your hands and feet combined not being enough. It terrified you that maybe you're just a disposable notch in her bedpost which let's be honest, you were."
"Utter conjecture!" Quinn angrily answers for me.
"Oh, please. You won't answer my questions anyway so what makes you think that everything I will say won't be pure conjecture?"
"You're right, everything will be utter speculation because you have no basis for all your arguments and therefore, no case at all against Brittany." Quinn seethes.
I blink a few times and try not to act fazed as I maintain my stare on Laura. From my peripheral vision, I can see Santana staring back at me looking all helpless as she tries to contain how angry she is.
"Don't get too excited, Fabray. This is Brittany's deposition, not yours. We'll get to your own much brutal one in a few days." Laura jeers. "So, back to you, Brittany. Let's fast forward to the present. Sure, you managed to get Lopez to settle down with you but what makes you think she's not going back to her old ways? Do you honestly think she would ever do Sunday barbecues with you and future little annoying brats? Move to Long Island to give up everything that only the Manhattan lifestyle offers? If so, well, I'm not the one who's over my head here, Brittany."
"That's it! We're done here!" Santana exclaims with a hard tone.
"No, we're not!" Laura interjects. "Brittany, a malpractice suit is no joke! If I prove that you are involved in Lopez's fraud, your license to practice law will be the first to go! Now, answer this question, do you think Lopez would drop everything she has back here in New York to follow you to London after your break up?"
"Don't answer that." Quinn chimes in.
"Is Lopez susceptible to reckless behavior and in the process dragging your innocent name into her mess given your intimate connection?"
"Don't answer that." Quinn cuts in again.
Laura chuckles bitterly, her stare burning a hole on my face. "You know what, don't answer anything. Just listen." She trails off. I hold off her gaze, trying to maintain my composure.
"Lopez committed fraud and malpractice and we have Lopez Hayward's records to prove that. I know that you're never going to give her up but the thing is, I don't care. You will lose and I will do everything in my power to make sure I ruin Lopez even if it means ruining everyone else's lives too. You think going after your friends is evil? Well, baby, wait until I go after your sister and everyone else you care about and then you'll see what I mean."
"That's it! You are out of here!" Santana interjects furiously, standing up.
"Okay, okay!" Laura holds up both her hands in defense. "Before I go though, I want you to hear about my proposal. Just hear it out and then I'll go."
"We don't want to hear it, Laura. You don't have any concrete piece of evidence aside from company records some of which won't hold up in court." Quinn utters as she stands up, anger laced in her tone. "Brittany's not going to say anything anymore."
"Oh, Fabray. We all know I have a case here and all of you are desperate anyway. You might want to hear it just for the sake of having manners." Laura suggests, leaning back on her chair. The three of us remain motionless, gaze on Laura. Santana takes her seat again followed by Quinn.
Laura smiles. "I don't give a shit about the money. I'm willing to drop all the lawsuits I brought upon the three of you, Lopez Hayward, your friends, and the coming ones against a few more people on two conditions." She trails off. "One, Lopez gets disbarred. And two, I want Brittany to become my personal counsel."
"No! Absolutely not!" Santana immediately answers. "Are you delusional?! There is no way in hell that is going to happen!"
"Even if we agreed to that, there would be a conflict on interest since you also sued Brittany." Quinn chimes in.
"Not really." Laura grins. "Smith and Mayer is the general counsel for the lawsuits against all of you involving Harris Electronics not me, per se. I'm confident that there's no conflict of interest. Don't you think it's exciting, Brittany?"
"No! The answer is and will always be 'no'!" Santana interposes, glancing worriedly at me.
"This deposition is over, Castle." Quinn utters calmly.
We stay silent while Laura looks one by one at us, slowly scrutinizing every feature that could probably give away anything that could make her case. Finally, she smiles widely at me then gathers her belongings.
"By the way, congratulations on the ADA offer. You really should accept that, Brittany. I know you and your wife, Bitchy Bitch, are hella rich until the end of time but one of you might need a job in about two weeks just for the sake of being employed." Laura comments wryly as she stands up. She then glances at Quinn with a wide grin. "Tell your tiny wife that I'll see her on Thursday for her deposition. I saw her last month in Broadway and she was amazing. Can't wait to see how I'll personally make her cry in front of me."
Quinn decides against speaking much to Laura's amusement. Laura sighs in satisfaction and turns to look at Santana.
"I'm amazed at how you can still show your face to the people you care about when you know damn well that you're the reason why they're in this hell hole in the first place. Don't blame me for going after you or using Brittany to get through you. We all know that this is just the beginning and it's about to get so much worse. It's time to accept that you're only human. It's not my fault you fucked up, Lopez. It's your fault why you fucked up."
"Get. Out." Santana utters coldly.
Laura nods once. "Then you leave me no choice." She voices out. "Lopez. Pierce. Fabray." She addresses us then finally leaves the room.
- Santana's POV –
"Calling the case of Harris Electronics versus Lopez-Pierce. Counsel for the plaintiff, Harris Electronics, is Sebastian Smythe. Counsel for the defendant, Brittany Lopez-Pierce, is Santana Lopez-Pierce. Are both sides ready?"
Putting together a mock trial was never supposed to be an option for us. Given the circumstances on how Castle won't quit trying to ruin our lives and no hint at all on stopping anytime soon, a mock trial wouldn't hurt for anyone just in case we all eventually end up in court. And seeing that she's got her crosshair pointed at my wife, we're doing everything we can to make sure she won't succeed in her evil plan. Even if that means sacrificing myself if it's what it would take.
The courtroom is filled to the brim with people, all eager to watch us clash with Sebastian who's sitting comfortably at his side on our left. I draw a deep breath as we finish going on the usual shenanigans at the beginning of a mock trial, mostly watching Sebastian blurt out lies. Soon, I take my seat again beside Brittany after delivering an opening statement myself.
"The counsel for the plaintiff may call their first witness." Mother exclaims, motioning for Sebastian to take over.
Sebastian stands up to respond. "I call Santana Lopez-Pierce to the stand, Your Honor."
"Objection! That's highly irregular, Your Honor." I stand and motion to him on my left.
"Hardly. If I'm not mistaken, you've pulled off this maneuver in a mock trial before under the guise of a 'special nature'."
"Yes. But there's no 'special nature' at all and further, I'm bound not only by attorney-client privilege but also spousal privilege as regards my relationship with the defendant."
"Spousal privilege?" Sebastian repeats with a fake tone only a newborn won't catch up on. "Your Honor, I must be mistaken." Sebastian adds, the warning bells going off in my head. "I thought the defendant, or rather, defendants in this case were ready."
Mother looks quizzically at Sebastian, squinting her eyes even. "What are you talking about, Mr. Smythe?"
"I have a joinder, which as you know, brings one or more parties or claims to the lawsuit." Sebastian picks up the document in front of him and walks towards Mother to hand it then goes back to his place.
"I'm well aware of what a joinder is." Mother utters, raising an eyebrow at Sebastian who cowers a bit.
"O-Of course, Your Honor." He replies warily, clearing his throat after.
"What I have no idea of, Mr. Smythe, is what exactly are your intentions in presenting this document."
"M-My intentions are clear, Your Honor. As we all know in this case, another party has a role and is heavily involved in the lawsuit along with additional claims assailed by Harris Electronics. Rule 20 of the Federal Rules of Civil of Procedure permits the joinder of parties when the claims arise out of the same events and they involve the same legal questions." He pauses and turns to look at me with a smirk on his face.
"Your Honor, Harris Electronics wishes to sue and include Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez-Pierce, and Lopez Hayward in the malpractice suit against Brittany Lopez-Pierce and to file a motion to disqualify Santana Lopez-Pierce as counsel in this case."
A slight murmur is heard around the courtroom. I grit my teeth and ball up my fists. This was his plan all along. Shit.
"Your Honor, permission to approach the bench." I exclaim almost immediately. Mother nods and motion for us towards her.
"This is fun, Lopez." Sebastian whispers, something I ignore, as we walk side by side towards Mother.
"Your Honor, this is ridiculous. This isn't what was agreed upon!" I cry out and glare at Sebastian. "Our agreement was only for Brittany's trial, not the whole goddamn country. There were no talks of a joinder and I'm very much entitled to represent my wife in this proceeding."
"No, you're not." Sebastian chuckles. "There's an obvious conflict of interest with you previously representing Harris Electronics and the present case of you being married to the defendant. And I hate to burst your bubble but I don't answer to you and I'm entitled to do whatever I want in this case. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little challenge?"
"That's not our deal!"
Sebastian chuckles bitterly. "Please. A part of our agreement consisted of me playing, acting, and thinking like Laura Castle. Did you actually think that Laura would go easy on you or at the very least, be fair? I know her and that girl's core is as sketchy as a Picasso painting! Pulling off an irregular move like this is normal and should be expected from her. It's probably the first thing that she'll do!"
"Enough! The both of you!" Mother cuts us off. We hold off our stares but nonetheless maintain our defensive stances as we wait for Mami to speak yet again.
"I agree with Miss Lopez that this is highly irregular, Mr. Smythe." She remarks. "But seeing that the main reason we have this mock trial today is for preventive circumstances regarding Laura Castle's actions against us, I'll allow it."
My eyebrows shoot up just as I see a flash of smirk on Sebastian's face. "Your Honor, this is-"
"Not one word more, Miss Lopez." Mother interjects with an eyebrow raised then turns to Sebastian. "I'll allow Mr. Smythe's motions provided that there are no more irregular and improper etiquette shown in Court today."
"Of course, Your Honor." Sebastian almost instantly answers.
"Yes, Your Honor." I grit my teeth and take a deep breath. "Although due to the surprising turn of events and if you'll allow me, I'd like to ask for a ten-minute break to gather all I need to proceed in this trial. I believe a little briefing with the new counsel and first chair taking over this case, Quinn Fabray, and the co-defendant turned second chair, Brittany Lopez-Pierce. Unless of course, I'm not allowed to bring them in."
Mother contemplates it for a brief second then turns to Sebastian as if to silently ask him if he has any objections.
"If you ever feel the need for help then be my guest." Sebastian shrugs.
Mother turns to me again. "You have three minutes, Miss Lopez." She utters before addressing the whole courtroom. "This is now a consolidated case. Harris Electronics versus Lopez Hayward, et. Al. Let's take a three-minute break." She adds then slams the gavel in front of her.
I shake my head in disbelief as we proceed to walk back to our respective sides. From afar, I motion for a surprised Quinn to come towards me.
"I'm glad you're not a coward. I was starting to get bored, you know." Sebastian comments from his side.
I grit my teeth and walk the few steps towards him. "What are you trying to achieve with this little show of yours, huh? What happened to beating me for everyone to see like you always wanted since the day you met me?"
"Oh, Lopez. Are you that naïve to actually think I'd go for something as simple as winning a mock trial? Where's the fun in that?" He chuckles bitterly. "Why would I go for just a win when I can put you in the stand and humiliate or badger the hell out of you for everyone to see? And by actually recusing you from this trial, I could do the same to your wife and whoever the fuck I want for that matter or worse. Come to think of it, I'll make Pierce my target today when I'm done with you on the stand just so I can see you suffer."
I ball my fists up. "And that's your strategy?"
"No. I don't have a strategy, Lopez. What I have is a plan to shame your reputation in front of everyone who works here and if I'm lucky, do something worse to your wife since that always gets you riled up. I get to do all that and beat Fabray in court. Win, win, win." He whispers, smirking.
I breathe deeply, glancing behind me to see Quinn going through a few documents on our table. "Well, lucky for you, we expected that you'd pull shit like this which is why we're not only prepared, but we're all ready to embarrass you enough that you'd quit after this."
Sebastian's smile falters but he nods nonetheless. "Not everything is as they seem, Lopez." He utters and proceeds to walk away from me. I shake my head in disbelief and head to where Quinn and Brittany are.
"Uhmm… San, what's happening?" Brittany speaks up as soon as I reach our table.
"Well, turns out I'm not representing you anymore. We're going directly to Plan B, Britt." I sigh and face my wife. "You and Quinn will be the ones representing me."
"How are you today, Miss Lopez? I can call you 'Miss Lopez' to avoid confusion what with your wife being included in the lawsuit as well, right?" Sebastian utters as he walks towards the witness stand where I'm seated.
After going through the initial panic of changing gears and briefing each other on how to approach the case without my assistance, Brittany, Quinn, and I finally arrive at a strategy to hopefully win this one. As expected after the break, Sebastian calls for me as his first witness, a hostile witness, as expected.
I roll my eyes and sigh. "Sure."
"Wonderful. I don't want to waste time so how about we just get down to the nitty-gritty." Sebastian smirks and fixes his suit prior to speaking. "Did you or did you not abandon Harris Electronics in your own accord?"
"I decline to answer in pursuant to my fifth amendment rights." I answer confidently, crossing my legs and leaning back on my chair to make myself comfortable.
"Did you or did you not leave Harris Electronics in the middle of proceedings to have an unaccounted month-long absence in London?"
"I decline to answer in pursuant to my fifth amendment rights."
Sebastian grins devilishly and gives me a long, hard stare. "You know, we can go all day with this and that's all you're going to say. Makes anyone think that you're truly hiding something, does it?"
I chortle. "How's this for an answer? 'No'."
"Look at that, you can answer after all. An answer that goes against every piece of evidence that we have since Lopez Hayward's records speaks for itself when it comes to your workings around the firm."
"Objection! Is there a question?" Quinn chimes in impatiently.
"If Miss Lopez ever answers my questions then yes." Sebastian counters.
"Sustained. Mr. Smythe, rephrase or better yet, ask a question." Mother warns.
Sebastian nods and turns to me again. "So, Miss Lopez, where were you during that time Harris Electronics filed for bankruptcy?"
"I was in England. London, to be exact."
"And what business did you have in London when you should be in New York taking care of the proceedings for Harris Electronics?"
"Business."
"How about you expound on what this 'business' is, Miss Lopez?"
"I decline to answer in pursuant to my fifth amendment rights." I answer instant, slight smirk in place.
Sebastian remains unfazed and mirrors my smile. "Permission to approach the witness, Your Honor."
Mother glances at me then nods at Sebastian. He grabs a piece of paper and walks toward me. "Miss Lopez, isn't it that when someone in Lopez Hayward has business to take care of overseas their superior and that someone needs to sign off on a document allowing them to do so?"
My smile falters just as my heart starts beating fast. He's most likely talking about the HR report that somehow managed to randomly include itself on the list of evidence we sent out to Laura. Shit.
"Objection! Calls for speculation!" Quinn interjects.
"It's a perfectly reasonable question with this document that's part of evidence as the basis of my inquiry, Your Honor." Sebastian counters.
"Overruled, Miss Fabray." Mother utters. "Miss Lopez, answer the question."
Sebastian smiles and turns back to me while Brittany and Quinn have a silent conversation behind him. I sigh in disbelief and prepare for the incoming backlash.
"Yes. As a formality." I say.
"And who is your superior?"
"Maribel Lopez."
"And say, what kind of legal affairs would it call upon someone to go away for a month?"
"Maybe a merger or anything that would require the counsel to pursue a client who's staying overseas."
"And would the plane, hotel, or any other expenses be covered by Lopez Hayward during their time overseas?"
"It depends."
"Yes or no, please!" Sebastian exclaims loud enough to rattle me a little in my seat.
"Y-Yes."
"And this is all stipulated in the document?"
"Yes."
"What happens when they go away without signing the document then?"
"Objection! Irrelevant!" Quinn voices out.
"Overruled, counsel." Mother responds and motions for me to answer.
I subtly bite my lip for a second. "Nothing serious unless they maliciously refused to sign it in the first place. Other than that, they would be called upon by their superior and Human Resources to undergo investigation regarding the matter if a reasonable explanation isn't given for their absence."
Sebastian nods. "So, if someone or anyone in Lopez Hayward is set to go away for a day or month overseas under the circumstances you've given, a standard document should be signed off by their superior and them detailing such business, correct?"
I sigh. "Yes. That's what I just said."
"What you said. Alright then." He repeats with a sly smile. "You told us that you went away for a month on 'business'. So, refresh our minds, did you or did you not sign such a document before going to London?"
"Objection! Question is inflammatory and would cause prejudice to my client, Your Honor!" Quinn cries out.
"Overruled."
I swallow dryly and glance at Brittany and Quinn. This is it. There's no escape from answering my kiss of death. "No. I did not."
"Oh, you didn't?" Sebastian grins widely. "That's a little curious, don't you think?"
"Well, not really-"
"Okay, Miss Lopez. Let me make this easy for you, alright? Let me read a paragraph from the document in my hand." He cuts me off. "'Ms. Lopez, it has been observed that you have proceeded on leave without prior permission of your superior or/and the concerned authorities, resulting in willful insubordination and gross negligence'…" He stops and scrutinizes the document a little closer. "Here it is, 'absenting yourself from duties without prior notification is a misconduct for which you are liable for necessary action'."
"Objection! The said document concludes an incomplete part of the report, Your Honor!" Quinn cries out.
"Overruled. Sit down, Miss Fabray." Mother answers dryly.
"Answer this, Miss Lopez. If your business overseas was accounted for, then why would Lopez Hayward's own Human Resources department have such a report on you?" Sebastian jeers.
"Objection! Inflammatory!" Quinn exclaims.
"Where is the document you signed off and an HR report absolving you of such misconduct instead of this document detailing the wrongdoing you're accused of?"
"I-I-"
"Where is the proof that you even had 'business' in London other than your own personal affairs?
"Badgering, Your Honor!" Quinn shouts.
"There was no 'business' to start with, Miss Lopez. You were there on your own accord and there's nothing to prove to the contrary! You went MIA for an entire month and this document proves it! You knowingly and deliberately committed an act of misconduct by abandoning Harris Electronics in the middle of proceedings and therefore should be held accountable, correct?" Sebastian seethes.
"Badgering!" Quinn cries out.
I stare sharply at Sebastian and decide to speak before Mother answers Quinn. "No. I did not."
Sebastian chuckles bitterly, shaking his head disbelief with his eyes on me. "No further questions, Your Honor."
Mother takes a deep breath and turns her attention on Quinn just as Sebastian walks back to his seat. "Does the defense have any questions?"
"Yes, Your Honor." Quinn responds, standing up. "Miss Lopez, can you state for the record how long you've been working for Lopez Hayward as of today?"
"Four years, give or take." I answer.
"What was your position in Lopez Hayward during the assailed time in the lawsuit against you?"
"I was a Junior Associate to Maribel Lopez."
"And how long have you been working for Lopez Hayward up until that so-called HR report was filed?"
"Approximately a year and three months, if I'm not mistaken."
"Have you ever gone out of town or the country for business within your first year as an associate in the firm?"
"Yes, I have."
"Can you remember some of those places you've been to for official business?"
I subtly raise an eyebrow at her. Is she implicating me? "I can't exactly name them all since it's been a few years and they're so many but for starters, I've been to Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, London, Barcelona, and a few more in Asia and Europe."
"I see. Why would you have legal matters to pursue there?"
"Often times it's because of the client we're representing. Whenever they aren't in the US and something needs to be taken care of immediately like a merger among other things, we have to go to them ourselves. Or plainly because our job calls for us to go overseas."
"Do all Junior Associates have the privilege to handle business overseas like you had?"
Oh. That's what she's banking on. I smile subtly at her. "No. Not really."
Quinn squints her eyes at me. "Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it a little above your pay grade as a Junior Associate to handle international matters or simply handling cases and clients in such far away places?"
"Yes. I suppose so."
"So, can you enlighten us why a Junior Associate like yourself back then even had business overseas in the first place?"
"Because Maribel Lopez, as Managing Partner of Lopez Hayward, has a vast assortment of clients and also handles most of the firm's international cases which means that she constantly travels around the globe to take care of legal matters. Since I work as one of only two associates for her, Maribel Lopez often entrusts us to take care business on her behalf whenever she can't go herself. Hence, my co-associate and I go wherever it is that she asks us to take care of things for her or sometimes to merely accompany her, be it out of town or the country."
Quinn grins, nodding. I look behind her to see Sebastian looking displeased. "I see. So, as regards to the document needed to be signed whenever an employee leaves New York for business, why isn't there any proof that you signed one before leaving for London?"
"Because there isn't one."
"I'm confused. You're set to leave for a month for London then and yet you have no proof that you went away for business. That's unusual, don't you think?" Quinn raises an eyebrow.
"Not really."
"And why is that?"
"Because I go out of town a lot, often abruptly at that. And since that document is for formality only, I sometimes simply forget to sign one. It's not like I won't be coming back anyway." I shrug.
"Have you ever not signed the document prior to handling business outside of New York?"
"Yes. A few times."
"And has an HR report been filed against you during those few times?"
"No."
Quinn's forehead creases. "So, are you saying that because you work for the Managing Partner, you can disregard the protocol or the formality of signing one?"
"No." I say with a stern tone. "What I'm saying is that just because I forgot to sign a piece of document before I left for London doesn't mean that I planned to commit malpractice while I was overseas for a month."
"Objection! Non-responsive answer!" Sebastian calls out for the first time since Quinn started to examine me.
"Sustained. Miss Lopez refrain from unnecessary comments." Mother warns and I nod in a defeated manner.
"But disregarding the protocol seems to be the issue here since an HR report was filed against you during that month-long trip. How do you explain that?" Quinn asks.
"It's an error."
"An error? Based on what?"
"Objection! Speculative!"
"Overruled, counsel." Mother responds then looks back at me.
I direct my stare on Sebastian and give out a small smile. "Because if you closely examine the report, you can see that it was filed before I got back from London and there was no follow-up or a full incident report on the matter after my business trip." I reason out. "As I told you, they had no basis for my absences up until the report was filed because I failed to sign the document. However, after we cleared things out with HR, the charges were dropped and no further reports were filed."
"Do you have any proof to support your statement?"
"Yes. Like I said a while ago, if there was no reasonable explanation given for the absences, HR would closely probe the employee and the matter." I smile confidently. "There was no internal investigation report filed against me to start with, wasn't there?"
Quinn conceals her amusement. "No further questions, Your Honor." She exclaims, taking her seat.
Mother looks at Sebastian. "Mr. Smythe, re-direct?"
"The plaintiff wishes to conduct a re-direct examination of the witness, Your Honor." Sebastian answers, standing up. Mother nods.
"Miss Lopez, you said awhile ago that some chosen or high-ranking employees are given an expense account by Lopez Hayward, correct?" He starts off.
"Yes."
"Were you given one by the firm before you went on your month-long business trip to London?"
"Yes."
He feigns a confused expression. "Then why is it that there's no proof that you used it during your stay there? Why is it that you stayed at such a pricey hotel in London for a complete month but gathered no bill for that in your expense account? Why is it that there's a certain 'reasonable explanation' given to HR for your absence that did not merit an internal investigation but such explanation can't seem to support any of your statements of handling official business overseas at all?"
"Objection! Compounded question, Your Honor!" Quinn exclaims.
"Sustained. One at a time, counsel." Mother addresses Sebastian.
Sebastian sighs. "Miss Lopez, can you explain to the jury why there is no follow up HR report on absolving you from your alleged misconduct based on your 'forgetfulness' of signing the going-away document?"
My forehead creases. "Why don't you ask them? I don't work in HR." I answer in a sarcastic tone.
Sebastian looks at Mother in disbelief. "Your Honor, please?"
"Answer the question, Miss Lopez." She warns.
I breathe deeply and stare coldly at Sebastian. "I don't know."
"You don't know." He repeats in disbelief. "I'll tell you what I know, Miss Lopez. I think that you've been lying about everything you've said so far. Everything that could prove you committed malpractice isn't what's written in as evidence or statement in your case. Ironically, what's not said or put in as evidence in this case is your downfall." He pauses. "Lopez Hayward's HR actually follows up on all the reports they filed within the company but the thing is, there isn't a follow-up for their report against you which suggests that this document could be fabricated or better yet, the follow up report has been concealed."
"Objection! Counsel is testifying!" Quinn cries out.
Sebastian ignores her and concentrates his attention on me. "And if we were to believe you, why did HR accept your 'reasonable explanation' but such explanation cannot corroborate your statements that you were in England because of anything but for your own personal affairs?"
"I told you, I was-"
"Why can't your company expense account verify your stay there as for business? In fact, there's no record of you using it for business at all."
"Objection! Calls for speculation!"
"Why is there no proof or evidence that suggests in even the slightest that you conducted any legal business at all during that specific month in London and only there?!" Sebastian presses.
"Objection! Counsel is assuming facts not in evidence-" Quinn objects but Sebastian cuts her off.
"Because you're lying, Miss Lopez! You abandoned Harris Electronics because you were a lovesick little puppy who can't handle being rejected. You knowingly committed malpractice and fraud all while endangering those you love and even letting them take the fall just because you're too immature to take responsibility for your actions!" Sebastian seethes.
"Badgering!" Quinn exclaims, anger evident in her tone.
"Mr. Smythe!" Mother responds, staring hard at Sebastian.
"Withdrawn." Sebastian counters, throwing me a subtle wink and smirk. "No further questions, Your Honor." He adds then takes his seat.
I blink a few times. This must be how shaken all the witnesses I've examined feel after I grill them like Sebastian did to me. This is all happening too fast, too sudden for me.
"Re-cross?" Mother asks, attention directed on Quinn.
"Yes, Your Honor." Quinn exclaims, standing up. "Permission to approach the witness, Your Honor." She adds. Mother nods and motions for her to take over.
"Miss Lopez, you said you've been working in Lopez Hayward for approximately four years now, correct?"
"Yes." I answer.
"And during those four years, how many times have you gone out of town or the country for official business? A ballpark, maybe?"
"Objection! Calls for speculation!" Sebastian exclaims as he stands up.
"Mr. Smythe, unless you know the exact number of times you've gone to court yourself in your entire career on command then by all means, I'll retract my question." She retorts, subtly rolling her eyes.
"Miss Fabray." Mother utters with a warning tone that Quinn returns with a split-second smile. I bite my lip to refrain from chuckling. "Overruled, Mr. Smythe. Miss Lopez, please answer the question." Mami adds, irking Sebastian in the background.
"I go out of town at least one or twice every two weeks, maybe more depending on the client and case I'm handling. Sometimes it coincides when I have to go out of the country for the same reasons." I respond confidently.
"I see. Have you ever, let's say, gone out of New York for a week or more than a week on business?"
"Yes, I have." I say, finally realizing where she's going with this.
"Can you divulge to the Court such instances?"
"Objection! Counsel is calling for a narrative statement!"
"Overruled, Mr. Smythe." Mother utters. Quinn smiles at me, motioning for me to answer her question.
"U-Uh… A recent instance would be when I went to Boston for a multiple day deposition. I believe I stayed there for a week. Another is when I went to London to take care of a minor matter that took at least a day or two with the Managing Director of Pierce Industries UK for my boss, Maribel Lopez."
Quinn nods. "Do you have any witness or proof to support such statement, Miss Lopez?"
"Of course. You can always check with the firm I had the depositions in Boston and they'll tell you everything about it. As for my business in London, you can check in with the Managing Director herself and she'll tell you the same."
"So, it's safe to say that you regularly fly out of New York to attend to legal matters?"
"Yes."
"And if I check all Lopez Hayward records, there would be proof of all these allegations? Plane, lodging expenses, and the like?"
"Not everything." I shrug. "Sometimes I pay for all the expenses myself, depending on the nature of my stay."
Quinn raises an eyebrow. "Can you expound on that matter and help the jury to understand the vagueness of that answer?"
"Objection, Your Honor! This is all irrelevant!" Sebastian jeers.
"Your Honor, if we are to understand how Lopez Hayward's records directly affect Miss Lopez's standing in the company based on a few documents alone that Mr. Smythe has been depending his life on in this case then we need to expound on just how thorough these files are like what he was assailing awhile ago with the report he presented." Quinn argues flawlessly. I glance at the jury on my left and see them nodding subtly.
"Overruled, Mr. Smythe." Mother sighs.
I nod and direct half my attention on Quinn and the other on the jury. "Unlike the Partners or other high-ranking Associates in the firm who are given expense accounts, I don't usually use it because I never felt I needed to. Hence, no statement or bill." I pause. "Other instances include when I'm flying overseas at the last minute in which I may or may have used my frequent flyer miles or used a family friend's private jet instead. Another would be when instead of staying at a nearby hotel like we all usually do, I stayed at a friend's apartment just because I haven't seen him or her for quite a while." I utter. "So, yes, I don't always use the resources Lopez Hayward has intended for me and yes, it is not always on the record because it doesn't have to be."
"Why is there no record of you using your expense account during that assailed specific time?"
"Because the expense account allotted for me back then was too small. I used my own money for everything instead."
Quinn nods, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "Why can't you divulge what exactly is the business you handled in London back then to the court?"
"Because I'm bound by attorney-client privilege and the case I handled has a confidentiality clause that even I can't discuss."
"Why is there an HR report filed against you for your absences but not one asking for an internal investigation?"
"Because there really isn't anything to investigate at all."
Quinn addresses Mother. "No further questions, Your Honor."
Mother nods in understanding. "Witness is excused. Bailiff, please escort the witness back to her seat."
As I wait for Gergerpal to reach me and guide me back to Quinn's table, I glance on my right to see my mother's secretary, Greta, approach him and whisper something. Gergerpal nods subtly and goes on to walk towards Mother, relaying the information that seems to have surprised her.
"Let's have a short interval. Court will convene in two hours and proceed with the plaintiff's second witness." Mother announces, slamming her gavel.
I look curiously at Quinn and wonder what caused for the sudden break which everyone seems to be thankful for. I catch Mother exiting the courtroom with Gergerpal and Greta in a haste just as I reach Quinn and Brittany's side.
"Any idea what that's about?" I say to no one in particular.
"Something about Sue Sylvester and Maribel having an urgent meeting about a case between our firm and theirs, I think." Brittany responds. "You okay, babe?" She adds softly.
"Yeah. I anticipated Sebastian going all out like that on us. Don't worry about it." I say and give out a small smile.
"What we have to worry about is you, Britt. I'm betting a month's salary that Sebastian's going to call you next." Quinn chimes in. I nod, sighing. What Sebastian did up there to me was a lot to handle, what more with my wife who seems to be the favorite target for today.
"I never thought I'd say this but you're quite a worthy adversary, Fabray." Sebastian interjects from behind us. We all turn to look at him as he approaches us.
"I'm starving, angry, and haven't slept since yesterday. Don't try me or you'll see what brutal really means, Smythe." Quinn warns.
Sebastian laughs mockingly. "'Brutal', huh? Funny because I guarantee you 'brutal' is exactly what I will be when I put Pierce to the stand later. I don't care if I'll be held in contempt but I assure you that begging me to stop won't get me to back down."
"I can take it." Brittany interposes nonchalantly.
"I know." Sebastian answers quickly. "But Lopez can't, that I'm absolutely sure of. Just saying." He adds, smirking at me.
"I don't need your advice, Sebastian." I retort sharply and turn my back on Sebastian, motioning for Brittany and Quinn to lead in front of me among the people exiting the courtroom. However, it doesn't take two steps when Sebastian grabs me by the arm and stops me in my tracks.
"That's not an advice. That's a fact, Lopez." Sebastian mutters bitingly. "You want my advice? Don't go to court. The Castle you know back in Harvard is different from the Castle you know now. If you want to protect Brittany or your loved ones, end this by settling with her. Do it for them or Laura will never stop using Brittany against you in every evil way imaginable and you know it. Own up to your mistakes, just for once, will you?" He huffs as he lets go of me then proceeds to walk away without another word.
"How about a restraining order?" Quinn points out on her white board, offering another suggestion on how to keep Castle away for us and finding a loophole in our mess.
We've been brainstorming for the past hour while waiting for the mock trial to resume. The three of us have covered countless laws and somewhere along the road, even extradition out of desperation.
"I told you, we can't do that. The more we try to shut her out, the more she'll think we're hiding something." I groan, relaxing my back against the chair.
Quinn sighs and crosses out the words 'restraining order' on the board with her marker. "Okay. There's only one solution left."
"Q, we are not hiring a hitman to take her out. It's too suspicious."
Quinn rolls her eyes and sits back down on a chair. "It was just an option. I'm not really serious about that. I mean, at first."
I give her an amused look and chuckle to myself. "How about we hire an outside counsel? We can't really go around representing each other all the way with the conflict of interest among other things."
"I thought about that. The question is who shall we get?"
"We could ask Miss Wright or Carl Howell." I suggest. Quinn nods and stands up again to write on her white board just as Brittany enters the conference room with food and coffee in hand.
"Ah, my savior!" I exclaim with a big grin on my face.
"I take it that's code for 'I hope my wife bought me a medium rare cheeseburger and those to-die-for fries that I've been craving for since last night' in which case I did. One for you and a medium well order for Quinn." Brittany mentions coyly.
"I love you, Britt." Quinn comments nonchalantly, writing the words 'Get Cassie July in cases of ultimate desperation or danger of death' on the board as she does so.
"Thank you, babe. I knew I married the right woman." I tease, big grin in place. Brittany smiles and leans in to give me a quick kiss on the lips.
"Women, what did we talk about when I'm the only one around the both of you? No PDA!" Quinn remarks, surveying her work on the board with her back still towards us.
"Sorry." Brittany mutters, giggling.
I make a face and turn towards my wife again. "Don't mind her, she's just stressed with coming up solutions to our dilemma."
"Is that why the words 'murder', 'kidnapping', 'accidental automobile death', 'unknown dude with sensible rates' are written on the board?" Brittany makes air quotes for the last one while taking out food from the bag.
I turn to glance at Quinn who's groaning out loud and covering her face with both hands while shaking her head then back at Brittany with an exasperated look. "Like I said, she's stressed." I state with a chuckle. Shortly, we proceed to eat lunch with some light conversation in between bites of our food.
"We've come up with a few solutions to our problem." Quinn speaks up as soon as we're finished eating.
"Alright. Any solution that isn't illegal or committed through illegal means?" Brittany responds innocently.
Quinn and I share a look then glance back at our food. "In that case, we've come up with nothing." I voice out with a sigh.
"By the way, where's the boss? The interval's almost up and I haven't seen her come back from that meeting with Sue yet." Quinn chimes in.
"Let's be thankful that Sue didn't go here or we'll have that constant, maddening job offer again like an annoying relative who always asks when you're having kids everytime you see them." Brittany chimes in, making us all chuckle.
"I tried to call Mother but there's no answer. She probably got held up in traffic or worse, won't make it back in time. Maybe we'll have a mistrial, after all." I retort with a shrug.
"That's kind of a relief, if ever. I lied to Sebastian back in the court room. I'm honestly afraid of the incoming badgering he'll give me on the witness stand later." Brittany voices out warily.
I glance worriedly at my wife. "Look, we all know why Castle's after everyone else and I don't think she'll stop anytime soon. It's all probably going to be worse! I don't know if I can take that much with all the badgering and harassment that's sure to come. What if we just come up with a neutral deal with her-"
"No!" Quinn and Brittany exclaim at the same time.
"The moment we do that we admit defeat. Sure, there's double jeopardy but what if she comes up with another thing to accuse you of? What's going to happen with your deal then?" Quinn reasons out.
She's right. Knowing how sleazy Castle is, she won't stop until my head's served on a silver platter.
"Fine. But can we please do something about-" I say but get cut off by someone knocking on the door.
We all turn to see who it is and immediately are greeted by three men with unfamiliar faces. One in a suit and the other two in uniforms of some kind.
"Yes?" Quinn speaks.
"I apologize for cutting your lunchtime short, ladies." Suit Guy answers and enters the room with the other two men. "We're from the U.S. Attorney's office and we'd like to invite Quinn Fabray and Brittany Lopez-Pierce to talk."
My senses go into overload upon hearing him say the words that I never thought I'd get to hear. "I-I'm sorry. What? You're arresting them? Why?""
"No. We're not arresting them, ma'am. We're only inviting them for a little talk about a lawsuit recently filed regarding a certain collusion."
"And that's a matter the U.S. Attorney is interested in? It's basically an arrest if you're going to hold them!" I sneer.
"Ma'am, this isn't a negotiation nor is it optional." He responds then motions for the other two men to take Brittany and Quinn.
"W-Woah! Don't-" Quinn counters, holding up both of her hands as a gesture for them not to touch her.
"W-Wait!" Brittany cries out, mirroring Quinn's stance.
"Don't touch her!" I exclaim angrily, making my way towards the man approaching Brittany but Quinn holds me back by the arm.
"Alright! We'll go with you!" Quinn shouts angrily, her words instantaneously frighten the three men who freeze in their spots. "We'll come willingly."
Suit Guy sighs and nods. "We'll wait for you outside then." He voices out then walks away with his companions.
We stay still, speechless and dumbfounded, for a moment. The priceless look we're all wearing clearly mirrors how shaken we all feel. This isn't mere child's play anymore. Castle has just crossed the line to make sure that she gets through me by using my loved ones as leverage.
"We have to go." Brittany mutters, breaking us out of our trance.
"You can't go! They have nothing to-" I cut myself off. "L-Let me come with, I can help-"
"No! You have to stay here, S. You're the last person who should be in there." Quinn orders in a tone that I've never heard before. She grabs my phone, speed dialing Mother's number then hands it to me. "Britt and I can handle this. Stay here. Talk to Maribel and tell her what happened so she can get us out of there ASAP. Tell her it's an emergency." She adds, gesturing for Brittany to leave.
"San, it's going to be okay. It'll be fine." Brittany says nervously while they're being ushered out.
For what must be the first time in my life, I'm finally admitting that I don't know what to do anymore. I'm utterly helpless.
Call it karmic retribution for all the bad things I've done but nothing comes close to how heavy and desperate I am right now. I'm going out of my mind! In the course of one day, I have seen my nemesis torment my wife to a pulp and attack her very being, my work enemy badger me in front of everyone and threaten to do worse on my wife, and as a cherry on top, my wife and best friend were taken away in front of me.
It's been five hours and I still haven't gotten a call back from Mother or heard anything at all after I told her everything that happened. Like Quinn, she told me stay away while rushing to get to them as fast as she can but I couldn't bear to go home knowing that my wife and best friend are undergoing interrogation for something I did.
Sebastian and Castle were right. This is all going to be worse by the day, with every proceeding directed on attacking Brittany. Quinn was right when she said Castle knows that the best way to get me to settle is through my wife. It may be Brittany's deposition but I know quite well that she was only using it as a means to get under my skin.
So, here I am, waiting for the elevator to reach a specific floor at this unfamiliar building. I've wrestled with the few options I have and after careful consideration, I've finally made a conscious decision to do the right thing. Laura's never going to back down and if I don't put a stop to do this now, an arrest would surely be an irrelevant thing compared to what's about to come.
Shortly, I alight from the elevator and find the specific office I came for in Smith & Mayer. It doesn't take long until I arrive at my destination, making my presence known immediately when my nemesis looks up from her seat.
"Lopez." Castle utters, surprised and amused judging by the smirk on her face. "Came by to spy or can't get enough of me?"
I try to keep my composure and enter her office without an invitation. "No."
"Aww… Which one? I've never seen you so despondent." She responds, feigning confusion then breaking out into a wide grin. "So, how's Brittany and Quinn doing in the U.S. Attorney's office? I heard they're giving them a hard time after putting them in separate rooms and your mother had just arrived there for the rescue. You must be going crazy, huh?" She jeers.
"Since you're here, let me walk you through the few things in my office." She continues, waving a hand in disregard then pointing to a small tower of documents. "This pile, is Fabray and Brittany's incoming lawsuits and I think I'll even have a warrant of arrest by tomorrow for the both of them. I'll have it rushed, don't worry." She chuckles, pointing to another pile. "This one is for all your friends, the British doctor I will bring to court, Lopez Hayward, and Brittany's family. You should be happy to know that I'm going to drop my lawsuit against you tomorrow since I'll need to make time for all of these lawsuits. I'm not interested in you anymore, I guess. Feel free to look at the files while you're here though."
"W-Why are you doing this?" I say, fear coursing through me.
"Because I can and I want to. I don't need a reason for being myself now, do I?" She answers almost instantly. "How does it feel to be human, huh? You finally come to the conclusion that you're not as invincible as you think? That you're susceptible to fucking up like the rest of us?" She smirks, resting her back against her seat. "Anyway, enough with the lecture. Enlighten me, Lopez. What brings you to my office at this time of the night?"
I take a deep breath and swallow the huge lump in my throat. I need to do this alone and with no one to stop me for everyone else's sake.
"I have a counter-proposal for you, Castle. I'm ready to settle."
Last 2 chapters. Will update soon :)
I'm debating on whether or not I should make this story into a trilogy. Lemme know if you're still interested in reading a final follow-up to this sequel.