Chapter 5 Veronica Luis

Xavier~

"I asked you not to get involved in Mr. Johnson's case; why did you accept to take it on, Xavier?" I was reviewing Mr. Johnson's case file while seated in my office. That's when Alicia entered my office. I looked up from the paperwork to see her red, irate face.

"Sorry, Alicia; I can't say no to him because he is our old client and my dad's best friend." I took her hand and ran a thumb over it to soothe her rage.

"Xavier, how could you ignore my decision? Did my opinion not matter to you?" Her eyes beamed with dissatisfaction.

"It's not like that, my love; I value your opinions greatly, but I must handle this case on my own to strengthen our finances due to the firm's financial situation." I begged her to give me her permission to handle this case.

"Xavier, I don't know anything; if you don't say no to him in this case, then I will never talk to you again." With rage, she jerked my hand.

"But darling, it's an important case for this firm since we are running out of finances and nearly bankrupt." I made one last attempt to convince her.

"You have to decide between this company and me, Xavier. I'm sick of this company because, in all these six years, it hasn't helped us in any way." In her fit of rage, she sprang from her chair, causing it to topple over into the floor.

"Alicia, that's enough. Lower your voice. That's not our house where you can shout at me; it's my office, so show some respect to me." These days, I find it harder and harder to contain my wrath.

I've seen her true colors over the past six years. I never knew she was a wolf under sheep's skin. Her love so captivated me that I ignored her stubbornness and complied with all her demands, but now I find myself unsure of how to handle her manipulation. Because of her counsel, my company is on the verge of bankruptcy. My family members left me alone because Alicia never allowed me to contact any of them in all these years. I've tried to control my anger, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to control myself.

"Do you think that I'm to blame for everything that happened, Xavier? Everyone is aware that your shortcomings and inabilities are the reason this entire situation occurred."

"Alicia, mind your tongue." Her words hurt my ego so deeply that I raised my hand to slap her.

"Xavier Thompson, don't dare use your power over me; I am not Isabella, who bears your physical abuse and mental torture silently. I will sue in court in case of domestic violence." She held my hand in the air and threatened me.

"You're correct-you can never be as kind-hearted as Isabella is, so you can not be her." My heart pinged with regret at remembering Isabella.

I only came to understand her value, her affection, and her care for me after she departed my life. After discovering the truth, I felt bad about every wrong thing I did with her. She didn't leave her education in the middle of her own will; Isabella had to do that because of Alicia so that she could finish her law degree.

Over the past six years, I have learned about the cruel side of Alicia and her mother. I not only saw their evil faces but also came to know how Alicia's dad got killed under the pretext of a heart attack. Even though I looked for her desperately, I was never able to locate her.

I wish I could see her again in my lifetime to ask for her forgiveness and tell her the truth about her dad's passing. Since I never heard anything about her from anyone after our divorce, I am concerned that she has passed away by now.

"Alicia, you crossed all your limits today. Now, I will file a divorce with you." My office staff is peeking through the glass window to see what's going on inside my office.

She has no right to insult me in front of my staff.

"What have you just said? Do you want a divorce from me? Do you not remember that I was the only one who supported you when everyone else abandoned you?" Her anger grew even more when she learned about the divorce.

"That's all happened because of you; if I saw your true colors earlier, then I never divorced Isabella."

She opened her mouth to argue with me further, but her phone rang, and she silently left my office. When she noticed her phone ringing, her expression of wrath turned to terror.

I frequently observed that when someone called her, she would either leave the house or lock herself in the room for a while. Her altered behavior only heightened my suspicions about her.

After finishing my work, I made my way to the house, where, as usual, we fought over money and ownership of the company. She insisted that I sell the company and seek employment with another organization, which led to numerous disputes between us.

I didn't argue much with her today because I was so exhausted, but instead, I went outside to enjoy some peace and some fresh air.

After two hours, I went back home and rang the doorbell, but Alicia didn't answer. This is her old habit of taking her revenge on me by not opening the house door after our argument, so, like always, I entered the house through the window.

As I stepped into the house today, a heaviness settled in my chest, a reminder of an unresolved issue within me. My steps froze when I saw blood flowing out of my bedroom.

"Alicia? What kind of joke is this?" I opened my room door, and I was shocked to see her dead body covered in blood lying on the floor. My stomach twisted as I stepped closer, my eyes locked on Alicia's pale, lifeless face. Her skin was cold, death already settled in, and the sight of the crimson pool beneath her sent a chill down my spine.

I dropped to my knees beside her, the reality of what had happened crashing over me in waves. I touched her body to wake her, but she was dead. Someone had stabbed her with a knife. I took the knife out of her body, and within a few minutes, the police arrested me for the murder of my wife.

The overwhelming evidence against me completely changed my life, as no attorney was willing to take my case. I am also a criminal lawyer, but I feel helpless at this moment because I was not prepared for this unexpected turn in my life.

Who will now defend me against this unfounded murder accusation? One of my acquaintances recommended that I meet with Veronica Luis, the top criminal defense attorney in the nation, and ask her to take my case.

Even though all of the evidence in this case pointed against me, and I had already given up hope of getting bail, I decided to try my luck and meet that lawyer. I was eventually able to meet her after waiting for an appointment with her for three months. I met her with special permission from the jail by utilizing my political connections.

Before our meeting, I harbored a glimmer of optimism that she would be prepared to defend me, but the sight of Isabella sitting in Veronica Luis's chair dashed my last chance of escaping these baseless murder accusations.

My breath caught in my throat as I took in the sight of her-Isabella. The woman I had wronged, the one I had discarded so easily, was now sitting where I had expected a lifeline to be. My chest tightened as a thousand regrets crashed over me. Veronica Luis wasn't just a name-it was my past, staring me in the face, demanding justice for every sin I had committed.