A lie doesn't become truth,
wrong doesn't become right,
and evil doesn't become good
just because it's
accepted by the majority
-
Booker T. Washington

____________________

I look up at Daniel through my lashes and find him staring at me. He's looking at me like I'm someone worthy. The feeling thaws my heart, and I hate that it somehow validates me. That, for the first time in a long time, I feel good about myself.

I want to look away.

I should look away.

But I can't.

It's his eyes. His blue orbs. When I look in them, I see the man in pain. It makes me wonder whether he had suffered. But my longing turns into anger immediately.

"What in the world is he doing here?" I shout at the top of my voice.

Woah! Chill girl.

"He's my guest. Behave properly," Judge orders. My eyes widens, I stand up in shock.

"I don't like him. Ask him to get out," I tell Judge who rolls his eyes in return.

"Stop shouting."

I glare at Judge. "You're the meanest guy I have ever met in my life," I snap, spinning on my heels and moving to the guest room.

In my room, I take a seat on my bed, and it creaks with the weight. My back sinks into the quilt as my muscles twinge in discomfort from standing on my feet all day. The whole room is designed using grey and black color since that matches my eyes and hair. I fought with Judge for three weeks to get him to agree to let me change the paint of just this room.

Raising my hands over my head, I let out a stretch as I close my eyes. I move towards the walk in closet. I change into a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved top. I have my own set of clothes here since I stay here every Sunday. I swoop my hair up into a claw clip and look at my reflection in the mirror. My long black hair definitely need a hair cut. My usually glowing face is covered with bruises and tiredness.

With the shake of my head, I force those thoughts to the back of my mind. I stroll towards the room and lets out a surprised shriek when I catch the sight of Daniel.

"Daniel," I whisper, because that's all I can manage. 

"Allison," he whispers, matching my tone.

Oh for God's sake, snap out of it. You're angry at him.

Oh yeah, right!

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't waste your precious time with a no-work-and-responsiblity-woman like me," I snap.

He gazes at me for a moment, bewildered. "You're angry," he states as he takes a step towards me.

I lean against the grey wall and look at his gorgeous eyes. "Don't I have the right to be angry after my chauvinist fiancé shouted at me in front of all the customers for asking him to select the wedding favors for our wedding?" I ask him as I fold my chest against my chest.

"I deserve that," he mutters. "Allison, listen to me, it's no-"

"I don't want to hear it, Daniel." I wave my hand dismissively.

He sighs. "Anna texted me and I lost my control. I was damn angry and then you came asked about favors and I just...lost it."

My eyes widens. "Anna? You mean Annabelle? That Anaconda who blackmails you?"

His mouth drops open probably seeing my expression. "Yes."

Within seconds, I'm near him, my hands pulling his collar. "How dare you?" I shout, glaring at him. He stares at me blankly, his face frozen. "You shouted at me because you were angry at her? You got to be kidding, Mister."

"All-"

"Listen to me because I'm not gonna repeat it again. First, when she disturbs you, you should shout at her and not me. Second, I want a proper wedding. You hear me? I want a proper wedding, I don't want the wedding planner to select the things for me. Got it? Third, I hate you. Fourth, I love kissing you."

Woah! That's one hell of a speech.

His lips twitch. "Okay," he whispers, giving me a small smile. His expression changes when his eyes falls on the purple bruise near my temple. He leans in and places a soft kiss on the bruise causing me to wince. He pulls away, stares at me with concern and panic. His one arm comes around me, pulling me towards him, while the other tucks my loose strands behind my ear. I inhale sharply. I hold his burning gaze and feels twinkling all over me. His thumb moves over my cheek, and butterflies starts their program in my stomach.

"I'm sorry," he mutters before pulling me for a hug with so much of passion, burying his nose in my hair. I was shamelessly aware of how sexy he was. Yes, physically, but even his touch, the way he held me, his presence. My arms instinctively went around his neck and I breathed him in deep, the traces of cologne. He didn't squeeze hard but the feel of his arms around me, he had me swooning.

After a few seconds, I leaned away, but didn't leave his embrace. My eyes naturally wandered to find his, but, as fate would have it, I slowly placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "I forgive you, hubby," I whisper before stepping away from him.

"Now show me the text she has sent you," I order, holding out my hand.

He raises his eyebrows but doesn't say anything. He pulls out his phone from the back pocket and passes it to me. She has sent two pictures.

Pictures were of Daniel sleeping and she was sitting beside him, half-naked, smiling at the camera. The first must have been taken in some hotel. He was in an unfamiliar bedroom that looked feminine, with floral sheets and white rustic furniture. He was lying on his stomach, half-naked with his arms slightly above his head, his face obstructed by the pillow, but there was no doubt it was him.

The second was taken in Daniel's bedroom. He was on his back, one arm flung over his head and the other on his stomach, the sheet barely covering his lower body. The picture had been taken from the other side of the bed.

I immediately send the pictures to my e-mail through his phone and then passes the phone to him.

"She's good looking," I comment, turning towards Daniel.

Daniel rolls his eyes. "You look more beautiful." A chill passes down my spine. I give him a small smile as I sit down on the bed. I pat my right side, asking him silently to join me. He hesitates for a moment before joining me in the bed. He looks tense, anxious and perplexed.

"I want to know three things about Annabelle from you," I declare, turning towards him, leaning on my elbow. "Why her?"

Daniel refuses to look at me. He stares at the wall. "We met at a party and had mutual friends. It just worked out."

I bite my lip. "Have you had sex with anybody else while you were with Annabelle?"

He shakes his head. "No. There was no need for it. Anna was more comfortable, she didn't ask questions. We never discussed anything other than our schedules. It was just sex and I was happy with that."

"Why did you end it?"

"She started wanting more. First, she wanted money and then more time from me. I was getting tired with her demands. I stopped giving her money and she started blackmailing me with few photos. Things started getting worse when she realized that my parents were forcing me for marriage. She wanted to be my wife so that she gets my whole money."

I sigh. "Do you have any house other than the penthouse?"

He nods. "Four more in this city."

Four? Don't you think that's too much?

"Did Annabelle visit any of them?"

"Except one," he mutters, turning his head towards me.

"We're moving to that house as soon as we get married. Trust me when I say this, I'm a very possessive girl. If you cheat then I'm gonna kill you and bury you in woods."

Daniel stares at me blankly for a moment before laughing. Laughing! The sound of his laugh rings in my ears and I find myself grinning widely. "You're something," he mutters. He cups my chin, leans in so that we gaze intently into each other's eyes. "You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen," he whispers, gazing at me darkly. I get that always! My eyes is one of the attractive things about me.

My breathe hitches. Why does he always have this effect on me? It's like I forget about the outside world when I'm with him. With great difficulty, I ignore and suppress my overwhelming urge to kiss him. I lean forward and reward him with a kiss on his cheek. Putting my arms around him, I smile at him. "You need to leave now. I have a early day tomorrow, I need my beauty sleep."

He nods his head. "Can we meet tomorrow for selecting the favors?" he asks, his arms coming around me, clasping me towards him.

My cheeks heat up. "I can't tomorrow. I have a discussion tomorrow and other works."

He frowns. "You told me you've cancelled all your cases." He pulls me into his lap, holding me close. He grabs hold of my hair strands and twirls it with his finger.

"Yeah but there's two more cases now. It's emergency, I can't get out of it," I tell him. He tucks the strand behind my ear.

"So when can we meet?" He asks expectantly. His eyes roaming all over my face.

I purse my lips, thinking. "How about day after tomorrow which is Friday, is that okay?"

He raises his eyebrows. "What about Amanda's case? You have a court hearing that day, right?"

I smile at the thought of him memorizing my schedule. "It's in the morning. We can meet for lunch."

After a moment, he nods. I give him a small smile before pulling away from him. Rising to my feet, I adjust my dress and tilts my head towards the door. He nods, rising to his feet, following me to the living hall. I beam when I find Judge and Liam sitting on the couch, Liam is enjoying it, and my Judge looks unbelievably relaxed given he hates talking.

Liam stands up when he sees us, he had my bag with him. He gives me a small nod before passing the bag to me. "It's nice to meet you again, Allison."

I nod my head at him. He turns towards Judge, nods at him before walking out of the room.

"Mr. Johnson, it's a pleasure to meet you." Daniel says warmly. He holds out his hand to Judge who takes with a smile.

Judge likes him.

Well, I don't.

Daniel turns towards me. "Walk with me," he orders. I nod my head before following him outside. Once we reach the front door, I stop. Daniel steps outside, spins around to face, cups my face, and places a soft kiss on my forehead. "Sleep tight," he whispers.

I grin at him. His face softens, his expression turns into an unreadable one, and his blue eyes sparks. His grabs my hand gently and places other kiss near my engagement ring. After a moment of staring at me, he turns, gets into his car and starts his journey.

No matter how much time it takes, I'll give him the happiness he deserve. Now, that's one of my top priority.

So.. You like him?

No! I hate him. My inner mind rolls her eyes at me.

The next day at morning, Hope knocks on my office door and then sticks her ponytailed head inside. When she sees me on the phone and starts to back out, I wave her in. I'm almost done with my call, and I want to get started on the case I gave to Hope last night after I returned from dinner.

"Merlin, can we meet tomorrow?" I ask Merlin. The one about whom Judge told me yesterday.

There follows a short silence. Then Merlin says, "You know, I.. I can't pay you well."

I snort. "My aim is to help you. You can pay me when you get the money."

She sighs. "Okay."

"Just trust the process. Prepare yourself and evaluate the questions."

"You're not even going to give me a hint?"

I laugh. "Not even a little one. I have complete faith in your ability to work this out. I know everything is going to be fine."

"Thanks, Allison. I'll come and meet you tomorrow."

"I'll text you the address. Bye."

"Good-bye."

I set the phone in the cradle and look up to find Hope gazing at me with a wry smile.

She says, "I'm sure this is gonna be one hell of a week for you."

I smile, leaning back in my chair. "I know that, Hope. Three cases within two days. How did I even get here?" I shake my head. "I might loose."

"You think you'll loose?"

Hope seems surprised, which surprises me. "Maybe. You don't think so?"

"You never failed."

I raise my brows. "And?"

"And all this cases are taken up on special request."

“You're right. All the three are important and needs my full attention. Two of them were started by other attorneys and Amanda's case doesn't have any improvement. "

Tabby smiles. "There's no one born yet to defeat the great Allison in a case. That's just impossible." I grin widely because Hope knows what to do to boost up my confidence.

"Did I tell you how much I'm happy to have you as my assistant?"

"Maybe."

"Exactly. Now enough chatter. Sit down and tell me what you found."

Dutifully, Hope flops into the chair across from my desk. She flips open the iPad she's carrying, taps the screen, and then begins to read aloud.

"We'll start with the difficult and lengthy one which is Merlin's case. Garin Jameson, age thirty-four. American restauranteur, owner of over twenty restaurants in the US, including his late—"

"Does he know how to make a coffee?"

Hope laughs, swiping at her bangs. "I'm not really sure about that but I have something interesting for you." Sobering, she pauses. Then she looks up and meets my eyes. "He has threatened many of Merlin's friends, forbidden them from meeting her, and forced Merlin to cut all the ties with her family and friends. He has abused her —physically and mentally —for years. His son is scared of him. Merlin didn't report anything about Garin hitting the boy but anyway his behavior towards his wife is more than enough to hurt the boy. "

A knot of pain appears beneath my sternum. Like a flower under the sun, it begins slowly to bloom.

Unable to sit any longer or meet Hope's gaze, I stand and move to the windows that form the east wall of the room. In the glass, my reflection is as pale as a ghost. Hope continues reading. If she notices my sudden pallor, she's tactful enough not to mention it. I had a difficult childhood and she knows everything about it. She's only one other than Judge who knows about what has happened in my life. Cassy knows about few things but not the main details.

"Born in Texas, to Max Jameson Maxwell, and his wife, Gina, a homemaker."

"Any witness ?" I ask, turning towards Hope.

"Plenty but not enough. He has money and I'm sure not even one would be ready to give testimony."

I close my eyes and wrap my arms around myself. "Find out who is ready to be the witness and prepare a list. Also get the details from the boy's school."

Hope frowns. "School?"

I nod. "Like how many times his father visited the school or about the behavior about the child. Anything. But don't miss out something." She nods in approval. "Collect a detailed report from the doctor who checked her. I'm sure the doctor has something to say about the marks."

"Can I move to the next?"

"Go ahead."

Hope smiles. "Next is Sienna's case. I mean Jacob's. This is the easiest one. You can easily prove that Sienna was not raped, whatever happened was consensual. Gabby, Jacob's housekeeper has witnessed Sienna walking out of the house happily."

I frown. "Doctor's report?"

Hope scowls, shifting in her seat. "That is a bit confusing. Doctor has reported that there's definitely chance of rape since you know they had sex within twenty hours. To spice up things, there were bruises all over Sienna's body which was not seen in the CCTV when she walked out of Jacob's house."

I bite my lip. "Call Sam, ask him to do a search on Sienna. I don't want anything old, just something that has happened recently that can bring her financial crisis."

"You think she's doing this for money?"

I nod my head. "Money and desperation. There's no other reason for a sweet girl like Sienna to accuse the guy she loves about rape. Moreover, someone must be forcing or helping her."

Some crooked bastard.

"Excuse me?" Hope says.

I realize that last thought was spoken aloud. I wave my hand. "Nothing. Sorry. Go on."

Hope hesitates for a moment before continuing. "The last one is Amanda's. There's no hope yet. Marco hadn't contacted yet so that means he didn't get any proof yet.

I roll my eyes at the window. "Idiot."

I hear an amused laugh. I turn to find Hope grinning at me, her head cocked so her bangs fall to the side and her bright green eyes, for once, are clearly visible.

She clears her throat. "Angel, your wedding planner has given you few choices for the favors. There's no time for waiting till tomorrow so it's better if you and Daniel choose separately and then we select one from them." I nod my head. "Your wedding arrangements are going well. The venue is booked, your wedding dress is ready, cake has been booked, florists have been arranged and invitations are sent out. Boards and signs are almost done. Just few more touch up is required. Angel has done a wonderful work." I nod my head. "Just one or maybe two days and half of the work is almost done, that's great."

"Anything else to discuss before I go to court?" I ask.

Hope nods her head. "I have asked Raine to come. You need a hair cut."

I grin at her. "Thank God, you're the best. I keep forgetting about them."

A satisfied smile spreads over Hope's face. "Great! Now tell me about your interest in Daniel. It's not just about the custody or helping him anymore. It's more personal, isn't it?"

I wink at her. "Later, I have some work," I mutter, walking out of the room with a grin plastered on my face. I chuckle when I hear the groan from Hope.

You can't keep running!