Xavier~
"Damm it," I kicked the car's door to vent my frustration on it. I wasn't prepared for that kind of encounter with Jordan Lucas. I am well aware of his dangerous side. For this reason, I repeatedly asked Bella to keep quiet, but despite my repeated warnings, she ignored me.
The more I tried to keep her away from Jordan Lucas, the more Bella dragged herself into this murder case. She has already challenged him, and I am confident that he will take all necessary steps to ensure she loses this court case. I am entirely to blame for this. If I already knew that Jordan Lucas was involved in this case, then I would never have asked her to defend me.
I'm torn between wanting to close this murder case and wanting to protect her from Jordan. Today, I saw a vengeance fire in Jordan's eyes, and I do not doubt that he will no longer be silent.
She glared at me before sitting in the passenger seat. I softly started the car's engine. My mind was consumed by the potential trouble she had brought into our lives by tampering with Jordan Lucas. She is only my lawyer; therefore, even though I would like to scold her for her ignorance, I have no authority to do so.
The uncomfortable silence made me think even more, so I shifted into high gear in the car to take my mind off of my inner conflict. Even when I saw the trucks approaching in the opposite direction, I didn't slow down. The events of today played out before me like a movie, and all I wanted to do was forget about Jordan Lucas's warnings.
"What are you doing, Mr. Thompson?" She turned the steering wheel to the other side to avoid the truck that was coming up.
My thoughts quickly returned to reality, but not before I lost my balance while operating the steering wheel. Bella did a wonderful job of balancing the steering wheel to keep us from running into the traffic barrier. I grabbed the steering wheel and violently jerked her hand away.
"What's wrong with you?" She looked at me with confusion. I tried not to get frustrated at her, but even though I did my best to calm down by speeding up the car, it was becoming harder and harder for me to keep my temper in check.
"You want us both dead, so why don't we at least perish in the car crash together? That way, Jordan Lucas's torture will spare us both." In a fit of rage, I clutched the steering wheel.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Her casual response increased my anger even more.
"Do you think this is all nonsense? Tell me how many times you have already interacted with Jordan." I halted the car and stared at her.
"Mr. Thompson, let me do my work. I am determined to bring justice, regardless of Jordan's level of danger. Don't make a fuss about such a minor meeting." She gave me a cold look and referred to me as Mr. Thompson in an attempt to remind me of my boundaries.
"Bella, I need to have a clear conversation with you because I'm tired of enduring this pain. You showed concern for me, but you kept calling me Mr. Thompson reminds me of our boundaries. It irritates me when you refer to me by my surname." In front of her, I let out all of my pent-up frustrations and resentment.
"What exactly do you want to discuss, Mr. Thompson?" She appears unfazed by my rage and indifferent to my distress.
"I would like a few things from you: first, that you address me by my name; second, that you defend my case in the manner that I specify; and third, that you refrain from associating with Jordan Lucas under any circumstances." I made it quite obvious to her what I wanted from her.
"That isn't feasible; I am your attorney, and I will handle your case as it suits me. Furthermore, I emphasized during our initial meeting that our connection is solely based on this murder case, so don't expect a miracle." Her cold voice broke my heart, but I'm determined not to let her back into this case—even if it means spending the rest of my life behind bars since I can't afford a strong defense attorney who fights against Jordan Lucas.
"Fine, if you have already made a decision, Bella, please pay close attention to my words; I no longer permit you to defend this murder case." I informed her of my decision and restarted the car.
"No, Mr. Thompson, that is not possible for you. You have already signed a contract that expressly states that you can not withdraw this case from me until the court renders a decision in the murder case."
"Bella, who the hell uses such brutal blackmail tactics on her clients?" I violently punched the dashboard of my car.
"When clients are as obstinate as you are, we must take action. Now, focus on driving." She gave me a shoulder shrug before glancing out the car window.
I have no idea how she will prove my innocence in this murder case, and even if she does succeed in doing so, I have no idea how she will establish Jordan Lucas' connection to the case.
By delving further into this murder investigation, she is only making more enemies. By bringing up the contract we signed, she bound my hands and left me with no choice but to hand over the murder case to her.
"Mama, I have missed you." Alan stood at her home's main gate, waiting for her to arrive.
"Alan, Mama missed you too." She got out of the car and hugged him tightly. Upon seeing his warm smile, all my stress dissipated, and I stepped out of the car to greet him.
"How are you doing, Alan?" When they heard my voice, they broke their hug.
"I am good, Uncle; how are you doing?" When he saw me, his blue eyes gleamed.
Bella didn't look happy seeing me talking to her son, and she asked him to go inside the house, but then she reminded me about her promise to me, so she allowed me to talk with him for a few minutes before taking him inside the house.
"Mama, why didn't you pick up Daddy's call? You know he was very angry with you." Alan's eyes grew wide when he spoke of his dad.
"Who told you this?" She gave him a perplexed expression.
"I watched him call you, but you didn't answer, so he destroyed his phone out of rage." As he described his father's rage, fear filled his eyes.
"What? Did he return home?" When Bella heard Alan, a wave of panic swept through her.
"Yes, Mama, Dad is waiting for you inside the house." He gestured toward the house's enormous window.
As I followed Alan's finger, I noticed a large figure staring at us. It was already nighttime, so I couldn't see his face, but when I saw Bella running around the house frantically, I felt compelled to leave. I got the feeling that I should go right away to avoid causing her any more problems in her life. After bidding farewell to Alan, I went back to my hotel room full of unresolved concerns regarding both Bella's life and this murder investigation.