"I can't believe how low they are willing to go."
Amy's irritation could be heard in her voice as she stood right behind Olivia as they made their way out of the courtroom. "Those people are really evil, how can they try to turn the story around like that? To make it seem like the accident was self inflicted, like your father was responsible for what happened."

Olivia let out a weak exhale, listening to all the things Amy said was even more exhausting and frustrating than the hours she had spent inside the room. She was trying so hard to forget what she had just heard and hearing Amy repeat the events to her all over again wasn't making things better.

But Amy was right. She might have underestimated how desperate and powerful Randal was to even twist the truth. She couldn't believe that they were suddenly trying to make the death of her parents into a common accident rather than murder. What happened the night with her parents wasn't a random accident, it was planned, Randal did it and she knew it, they all knew it.

"We can't keep stalling, at this rate, they are going to push their agenda of turning the case around to make Randal the victim." She could remember Victoria's words to her during the conversation they had while the break in the middle of trial went on. She could still remember how tensed they all were, especially Rafael as he paced around the room.

The situation they were in was a dire one and she knew how intense it was, how they all tried to find their way out of it.

"They are baiting us, baiting you into discrediting your confession. They are going to try to make the court believe that the accident didn't happen, that it wasn't murder, that none of this happened and in the end, we might be sued for defamation." Victoria scoffed. "They are going to make you pay for a crime that they committed. How low."

"P-pay? They can do that?"

Olivia remembered how she was extremely confused by the words Victoria had said. How was it possible? How were they going to make her into a liar just from questioning her? What happened to all the evidence that they had?

"I don't think they stand a chance if we use all evidence in our possession." Kingsley suggested. "We still have the tapes, we can use them-"

"We can't-" Victoria added. "We didn't turn the tapes in as evidence yet-"

"But we can do that before the next trial-"

"We can't turn the tapes in without also turning the truck in. They are interconnected."

"And we can't turn the truck in without Mrs Okonkwo being identified as a suspect in this case. It's in her name." Kingsley scoffed in disbelief. "He really calculated this well. It's all going to favor him in the end. Wow!"

Rafael stoped pacing. He turned to them immediately, raising his hands to his hips and leaving it there.

"Any words from our team in Lagos?" He wasn't asking any of them in particular but they both shook their heads.

"We were told we'd get a call if any news arises." Kingsley added. "There has been nothing yet."

Olivia got up from her seat immediately. She could feel how her hands had suddenly gone wet. They were going to be back in the courtroom in a moment and she wasn't ready yet, especially not after all the things she had just heard. Was it possible that everything could turn to bite her in the ass later on? Could Randal really make it possible? Could he really turn the case around to make it look like her parents really died in an accident and then get money off her from it? She was worried, and she was scared.

Rafael noticed when he slowly turned to her. He could see how uneasy she was, how terrified she was. He exhaled and found his way to her immediately.

"Hey-"

She turned to him quickly, taking her finger away from her mouth so she didn't bite it anymore.

"Is it true?" Her eyes beseeched him desperately. "Is-is it true what they said? Can he really win the case this way?"

"He's not going to push on with this agenda." Rafael told her.

"You don't know that." She whispered to him.

"It's what he wants, he's trying to instill fear in you, to terrify you and make you withdraw from the case, to make you doubt what you know, and your evidence. You can't play his game."

Olivia shut her eyes, she didn't know what to believe anymore. She didn't know what to think. How was she going to get herself away from all of it? How was she going to prove her father's innocence in all of this? How was she going to prove the unjust death of her parents like that?

"You trust me don't you?"

Rafael's voice brought her back to reality as she raised her head to him. Somehow, she got the assurance that she needed. Trusting Rafael was all she ever knew. If there was one person in the world that she could trust, it was him.

Her thinking process got cut short when she felt Amy's hands grab her arm quickly, as she whispered the words "sister" from behind her, her voice trembling like she had just seen a ghost.

Olivia could understand the reason for Amy's sudden fright, she felt the exam same way as she watched Randal approach them, one step after the other, his walking stick taking the lead all the way, the huge frown on his face still remaining. He had his eyes glued on her with men in suits walking right behind him.

Olivia rubbed Amy's hand gently, encouraging her not to be frightened by him or his entourage. He couldn't possibly hurt them or do anything bad to them in a highly secured building like the courthouse. She was frightened but not so much, she knew she had to take courage, she couldn't give him something to gloat about.

"Hello Olivia." His stern voice left chills passing through her spine. Olivia looked around them, there was barely anyone else in the hallway. She could feel her belly stiffen as her legs started to tremble on their own without her even knowing. She swallowed hard and slowly managed to pull her gaze back to him. She watched how he looked at her through his thick glasses, while a smirk formed on his lips.

"It's nice to meet you like this again."

She wished she felt the same way, but after knowing the kind of man he was, and what he was capable of, she knew that she was never going to go back to being a tad bit comfortable about it.

Randal drew a sharp breath and looked around the room.

"Although, the last time we met, I was really of the idea that you had put our last conversation into consideration. Looks like I was wrong."

"Why are you doing this?" She managed to ask him, channeling all the strength and courage she could summon inside of her. "My parents, all those people you killed- they didn't do anything wrong to you. Why won't you take responsibility for what you've done? For hurting them?"

"Olivia," Amy whispered to her. "You can't say that to him-"

Amy was right. Victoria had warned them against speaking to anyone about the case. She knew how delicate words were at that point, and from what happened back in the courtroom, she was sure it was what Randal and his legal team had hoped for, for her to say something incriminating.

She let out a frustrated exhale. She didn't care, she couldn't. He was there, standing right there and pretending to be a saint. She couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't let him be a saint in a story where he was clearly the villain. She had a lot to say to him, and maybe if she told him to his face, it could make a difference.

She was never going to let him have the last laugh. She took a step towards him, folding her fist even tighter when she felt a larger hand engulf hers slowly, followed by the scent of his cologne. She could feel her chest tighten when she felt him, when she saw him standing right beside her, holding on firmly to her hand. She made sure to take all of him in slowly, starting with his shiny black leather shoes. She raised her gaze till it settled on his face.

If looks could kill, there was no way Randal was still going to be alive with the way Rafael glared at him, stress lines engulfing the sides of his head, and his chiseled jaw visibly stiffening at the sight of his father. The godmark at the corner of his almond shaped eyes looked like they darkened each time his temporal bones moved as his jaw stiffened.

He pulled Olivia behind him gently but as fast as he could, broadening his shoulders and leaving his gaze to remain on his father, not bothering to blink for a second.

"I'm beginning to see it," Randy broke the awkward silence, tilting his head to the side so he could find Olivia's gaze. She raised her eyes to him from where she stood. Rafael turned his head halfway to her direction, watching her briefly from the corner of his eyes.

"Why my son likes you so much, why he sees the need to save you all the time. You're like the Azaleas, beautiful and fragile, very delicate in fact on the outside, but on the inside-" he inhaled sharply and let his smile grow wider. "Now that I think of it, you look a lot like her, Adaora, that was your mother's name wasn't it?"

Olivia could feel a bile rise up her throat at the mention of her mother's name especially from him. To say she was irritated was an understatement. Rafael grabbed on tighter, hoping to calm her.

"She was such a beautiful woman." Randal continued. "I fell in love with her the moment I set my eyes on her."

Rafael let out a disgusted exhale. To think that Randal did not care to sugarcoat his words in front of him made him extremely disgusted, but that was how it was with his father. He didn't care much about how he felt, he didn't when he was a child, and he was not about to start now.

"She was very dedicated, hardworking too. She was very fragile, delicate, just like you," he chuckled, "and you know how we men are around delicate women." He raised his eyes so it could meet Rafael's glare.

"It's one thing we Okonkwo men have in common, although my son's wife was quite the opposite."

"What-" Rafael drew a deep breath, he tried to keep calm throughout the situation. "Do you want?"

Randal shrugged his shoulders.

"What's wrong with wanting to have a conversation with my son's fiancée? Especially when she's with my grandchild."

Olivia grabbed on to Rafael's suit jacket tightly with her other hand, she could feel her heart start to race immediately.

"If you care so much, how about you ask your errand boy to stop following her around. Do we have to get a restraining order too?" He turned to Randal's lawyer.

"I don't think your client is allowed to be in contact with mine while we have a case still on in court. I would be sure to remember whatever it is he says from this point onwards for our next trial." He lowered his gaze back to Randal. "Whatever he says."

Chike took a step closer to Randal.

"Mr Okonkwo." He whispered into Randal's ear and then a few words followed. The smirk on Randal's face brightened right before he cleared his throat and turned back to them, holding on firmly to the lion head shaped handle of his walking stick.

Then it came, just like a sudden hurricane; reporters, in their numbers, running towards them with their cameras flashing and their microphones stuck out and ready for an interview.

She watched how the detectives and lawyers ran to them immediately to stop them from causing a scene. Olivia turned to them while their camera lights flickered in her eyes, dimming her vision.

"How did the trial go Ms Kalu."

"Ms Kalu, can you tell us about today's trial?"

"Is it true that your parents were arguing on the night of the accident?"

"Mr Okonkwo, there are rumors that you and Ms Kalu are still together, could this be a reason why you're in court today? To show her your support?"

Olivia swallowed hard as she lowered her gaze to their joined hands. She hadn't even noticed that he was still holding on to her and now, their faces were going to be on every paper, blogs and station from the next day. So much for wanting to reduce the public's speculation. She and Rafael had fought hard for months to stay away from one another, to give the public less to talk about just so she didn't get blamed for his decisions to go after his father. All that fighting for nothing, it was going into flames now. She slowly shifted her gaze to Randal, she could see how he had a huge smile on his face, almost like he had planned it all along.

"Are you still planning to fight your father in court as trial proceeds?"

"Ms Kalu, what is your relationship status with Mr Okonkwo? Would the marriage still hold?"

"Is there a possibility for a wedding in the nearest future?"

Olivia was numb, she couldn't move, she just watched how everything went in slow motion and she could barely breathe with all those flash lights and loud voices. Her heart was beating really slowly as her breath started to get ragged and their voices started to get replaced with a really loud static noise.

She was back to it again, back to 2013, back to being treated like a criminal. The de ja vu frightened her. She started to hear loud footsteps, they sounded just like Victoria Silver's. It was a panic attack, it had to be. The air was thinning and the walls were caving in on her. She shut her eyes, clenching on her chest with one hand while the other lessened it's firmness in his hold.

"Olivia," Amy's concerned voice caused Rafael to turn to her to see if she was okay. She clearly wasn't. She was traumatized and had barely healed from what happened to her before. It was not easy being in the same position again, she was terrified and he knew he had to get her out of there as soon as he could.

He didn't care, he couldn't care about anything anymore. He tightened his grip on her while the noise got even louder. He pulled her away, far away from everyone, far from everything.