excusing himself from the crowd. Patrick looked back to see Sarah facing the same difficulty as she tried to handle the media for the first time. He wanted to help her, but the rational part of his brain told him to just stay put and wait because Sarah was more than capable of handling them. Plus, he didn’t want to add more fuel into the fire.
Sarah managed to get away after a few moments and headed inside with Patrick. They were still stiff with each other, not joking about the reporters as they would have if they didn’t have this wedge of silence between them now.
Diana came after them and so did Golden Dome and their team. Shunsuke stayed at home. His presence would only bring more media and crowd control difficulty.
Patrick settled down at their table in the courtroom, prepared for what he knew would be a long process. This case wouldn’t be solved in a day; it could drag on and on for a long time.
Sarah had the opening statement. Those little mumbles he spotted her doing whenever she thought she was alone finally paid off. She was perfect, never even glanced at her notes. No stumbling, no forgotten words. She appeared calm and friendly even under the pressure of the crowd and media. Patrick found himself admiring her even more. Perhaps she even handled it better than Patrick himself.
Their first day was nothing but a boring session of bringing up evidence and introducing it to the court. Patrick and Sarah took turns and fell back into their normal professional relationship. They were a team, like two gears that turned each other. Every moment in court was flawless. But the moment the judge dropped his gavel to recess them for the day, the cold walls came back up, and the silence became awkward again.
Patrick started to feel that it was Sarah who was in charge here instead of him. She seemed to radiate an aura he remembered only one person having. His sister.
With everyone else, she was her normal self, laughing and chatting with her usual charm. She even seemed comfortable around Henry; it was as if nothing had changed between them at all. As Patrick watched them together he was baffled, not understanding how they could be so normal.
In Patrick’s experience, when people were angry with each other they just left. It had certainly happened with his parents. Not many people Patrick knew were capable of staying friends with someone they had once dated. Usually, after the relationship fell apart, they would stay away from each other. It was if they couldn’t get past the nostalgic memory. Or they couldn’t get past the hurt.
Sarah and Henry did none of that. In fact, they seemed to be drawing closer. They hung out together more on their breaks and laughed together like they used to. Patrick found himself being jealous. As they grew together, they withdrew farther from him.
Patrick already knew why Sarah was so angry with him. She thought he was just playing with her that night. Leaving her alone the next morning without even saying why was a low move. Being defensive in this situation would not help him, not when he knew that he was the one at fault.
“Patrick, ” Sarah interrupted his thoughts. “Diana just phoned. She just had a meeting with an old employee of Golden Dome. He quit a few months ago and used to be one of the people who were responsible for handling Daisuke’s house. She said she left new evidence with Shunsuke. Can you pick it up or do you want me to do it?”
Even though Sarah looked clearly excited at the possibility of a breakthrough in the case, she didn’t meet his eyes as she told him. Patrick sighed; he missed how easy things used to be between them. Because he needed some fresh air, he agreed to go.
Shunsuke came out to greet him in his usual formal manner before ushering him inside to take a seat. He disappeared into his father’s workroom to get his things and left him alone in the living room with a china set filled with hot chamomile tea. Patrick breathed in relief,
Sarah managed to get away after a few moments and headed inside with Patrick. They were still stiff with each other, not joking about the reporters as they would have if they didn’t have this wedge of silence between them now.
Diana came after them and so did Golden Dome and their team. Shunsuke stayed at home. His presence would only bring more media and crowd control difficulty.
Patrick settled down at their table in the courtroom, prepared for what he knew would be a long process. This case wouldn’t be solved in a day; it could drag on and on for a long time.
Sarah had the opening statement. Those little mumbles he spotted her doing whenever she thought she was alone finally paid off. She was perfect, never even glanced at her notes. No stumbling, no forgotten words. She appeared calm and friendly even under the pressure of the crowd and media. Patrick found himself admiring her even more. Perhaps she even handled it better than Patrick himself.
Their first day was nothing but a boring session of bringing up evidence and introducing it to the court. Patrick and Sarah took turns and fell back into their normal professional relationship. They were a team, like two gears that turned each other. Every moment in court was flawless. But the moment the judge dropped his gavel to recess them for the day, the cold walls came back up, and the silence became awkward again.
Patrick started to feel that it was Sarah who was in charge here instead of him. She seemed to radiate an aura he remembered only one person having. His sister.
With everyone else, she was her normal self, laughing and chatting with her usual charm. She even seemed comfortable around Henry; it was as if nothing had changed between them at all. As Patrick watched them together he was baffled, not understanding how they could be so normal.
In Patrick’s experience, when people were angry with each other they just left. It had certainly happened with his parents. Not many people Patrick knew were capable of staying friends with someone they had once dated. Usually, after the relationship fell apart, they would stay away from each other. It was if they couldn’t get past the nostalgic memory. Or they couldn’t get past the hurt.
Sarah and Henry did none of that. In fact, they seemed to be drawing closer. They hung out together more on their breaks and laughed together like they used to. Patrick found himself being jealous. As they grew together, they withdrew farther from him.
Patrick already knew why Sarah was so angry with him. She thought he was just playing with her that night. Leaving her alone the next morning without even saying why was a low move. Being defensive in this situation would not help him, not when he knew that he was the one at fault.
“Patrick, ” Sarah interrupted his thoughts. “Diana just phoned. She just had a meeting with an old employee of Golden Dome. He quit a few months ago and used to be one of the people who were responsible for handling Daisuke’s house. She said she left new evidence with Shunsuke. Can you pick it up or do you want me to do it?”
Even though Sarah looked clearly excited at the possibility of a breakthrough in the case, she didn’t meet his eyes as she told him. Patrick sighed; he missed how easy things used to be between them. Because he needed some fresh air, he agreed to go.
Shunsuke came out to greet him in his usual formal manner before ushering him inside to take a seat. He disappeared into his father’s workroom to get his things and left him alone in the living room with a china set filled with hot chamomile tea. Patrick breathed in relief,
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