Your Honor, I Object

[ Manhattan, NewYork. Outdoor Wedding ]

★ Roses are red, violets are blue, but Valeria Steele has long since run out of colour ★

Weddings?

Weddings were never her thing, but what could she do when the person getting married was her little sister?

Any other Wednesday morning, she would have been in court, sending another criminal to jail, but today, she was surrounded by flowers and false promises.

White chairs lined the aisle like obedient soldiers, waiting for another round of vows she didn't believe in.

The sky was too blue to be real and the floral archway shaped like a door looked like a trap to her.

What pissed her off the most were the fake tears of joy and laughter, like why in a billion years would strangers be happy cause her sister got married? A love story that they knew nothing about?

Oh well!

She stood near the photo booth with a glass of champagne in her hand, her eyes watched as the bubbles came up and she counted each one. She sighed as she counted the twenty-fifth bubble and looked up watching the couple on the altar with bored eyes.

Asher, her brother-in-law led Evelina, her sister to the dance floor. They were smiling as they danced, she saw his arm curl around her waist drawing her closer and another sigh escaped her as she looked away, finishing whatever was left in her glass.

She let the liquid burn down her throat as she drank in a go, then dropped it beside her on a table stand with a heavy slam. She blinked her long lashes twice and held the table tightly as she tried to hold in the nausea she was feeling.

It was terrible.

Maybe, it was the smell of the roses or the ridiculous smiles on people's faces that was riling her up.

Her back stiffened and she stood straight as she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. From the clicks and muffled thud, she knew it was a woman and a man approaching.

"Valeria?"

Her face crunched in displeasure as she heard the familiar male voice.

Fuck! How did they find her here?

She turned around, slowly and behold....

Mr Magnus Steele, her father and Mrs Nadia Steele, her mom.

"Father, mother. What are you doing here?" She gave them fake smiles and the man smiled back, giving her back the same energy.

His hands were tucked into the pockets of his expensive suit, while her mom encircled her hand in his.

A perfect couple ....or maybe not.

"Its your sister's wedding and you're hiding behind a photo booth? Come on Valeria, you can do better. Being anti-social wouldn't help you in any way." Nadia said in her naturally soft voice that would have sounded soothing to Valeria's ears, but it only gave her chills.

"You are right, mother, but I only came here to make a call and besides, the air here seems nice." She lied, her fake smile still up and her father narrowed his eyes at her.

"Meet us at the front. Family picture is next." He informed, giving her one last, watchful look before leaving with his wife.

She watched as he helped her mother hold the short train of her dress and rolled her eyes at the gesture. She was about following them when her phone rang.

It was her secretary.

She stopped in her tracks to pick up.

"Yeah, it's me, Maya. Make it quick." She said, immediately, continuing her walk.

"The state sent in a new assignment for you. Want me to print it out or add it to your calendar?" Maya said and Valeria raised a brow.

"What's the subject about?" She asked.

"It's a dismemberment case of a teenage girl, her boyfriend's a musician in his thirties. State wants you on it." Maya stated promptly and Valeria huffed.

"One of those fúcƙed up cases. Make a schedule, I'll work on it this evening." The call ended and as she put her phone in her purse she bumped into a man walking slowly, in front of her.

"Oh. Sorry I-"

She paused and the man turned. She looked up to see his face and the words automatically got stuck in her throat. She cleared her throat, composing herself and rolled her eyes.

"You know what? I take that back, you don't deserve it, Maverick." She said, walking ahead him.

"Is this a new way of greeting an elder brother you haven't spoken to in months? So disrespectful of you." He said, walking behind her.

She didn't answer, she kept on walking with her hands clutching her purse tightly.

His lips curled into a sinister grin, "You can't cut off from your family, Valeria. Where's Landon by the way? Did he forget that Evie's wedding is today?"

She ignored him totally till she reached her family in the front. Asher and Evelina were already by the cake, ready to cut it. Her parents were beside them.

"Okay, so at the count three, we scream 'Ashlina 2025'. Ready?" Evelina's bride's maid asked.

"Three!"

"Two"

"One! Ashlina 2025!"

They screamed and clapped and Asher held Evelina's hand over the knife as they cut the cake. Pictures were the next thing they were gonna do and she detested it so much.

The couple's picture came first, then the family picture. Mr Steele beside Asher and Mrs Steele beside Evelina, she was beside her mother, while Maverick stood beside Magnus.

"Everyone say cheese!"

She barely smiled, her hands still as they looked at the camera. Then the groom's family came to take a picture and Valeria slipped out of their midst, walking away.

• I heard her sister is more than thirty...

• I heard she is a lawyer too, a state prosecutor and she's ugly, that's why no one wants to marry her.

Valeria paused, her walk stopping momentarily as she saw three elderly women gossiping.

She folded her arms as she listened intently.

• If I were her, I wouldn't attend my younger sister's wedding

• I know right? Valeria should be ashamed her younger sister got married before her.

• These generation of girls think that having a job and jumping from one man to the another is the only thing in life-

"Having a job is...one of the most important things in life..." Valeria cut her off, approaching them with her fake smile.

"Who are...yo..you?" The woman asked, stuttering and Valeria scoffed.

"You don't even know how Evie's big sister looks like, but you are so sure that I'm ugly, promiscuous and above thirty. Who are you guys exactly?" She asked, her voice devilishly calm.

The women fidgeted, their eyes widening, before one was bold enough to speak.

"Are...are you Valerie Steele?"

Valeria came closer, towering above them.

"It's Valeria, not Valerie and the next time you speak, say my name with respect." She spoke firmly and the woman looked down. Valeria looked at the two remaining women looking at her and smiled.

"You know...I could sue you three for defamation, ruining my reputation with these false allegations. Saying I jump from one man to another is enough for me to put you behind bars, exactly where you belong. Don't you have daughters? And for goodness sake, what the effing hell is your business if I don't get married?" She questioned, her tone slightly raised.

"Those were the rumours, miss. You even look more beautiful in person with a gorgeous face and a body of a model. I'm sure the rest of the rumours are false now that we have seen you." The second woman said and they all nodded.

"Yes, you're twice as beautiful as my daughter. I have a son who's looking for a wife, he's turning thirty-five this year, he's very hard working, handsome and rich, I can hook you two together, both of you can start dating and get married. Take my card, I'm Mrs Hernandez, wife of the CEO of Chains industries." Mrs Hernandez stretched out her hand, holding the business card with a friendly smile.

Valeria eyed it, then looked back at her face, sizing her up.

"You sound like a goat trying to give dating advice, loud, stubborn and wildly unqualified." She smirked.

If the disarray wasn't enough for her, the heat of the next thing she was about to say would have destroyed the last string of respect those women had for themselves.

Mrs Hernandez choked on nothing as she looked at Valeria and the rest women had their lips sealed as they watched things play out.

"Did you just call me a goat?" She asked, her brows arched up in surprise.

"Yes, and I would call you a cow if needed." Valeria spat and the women gasped.

"You see these animals even got a functioning brain, but you? You act like your brain has rottenness and filth mixed together as honey and used to salivate your salivary gland. You spew rubbish and I take no nonsense. So the next fuçkin time you all gossip and try to tarnish my image..." She paused, her lips curling slowly as she transferred her gaze from one woman to the other, before finally setting her gaze back on Mrs Hernandez.

"You don't wanna know." She whispered, softly in their faces.

"Valeria!"

"Let's go." The two women said at once, pushing away Mrs Hernandez and Valeria turned to see who called her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Evelina?

She held her long wedding dress up as she did a short run to Valeria.

"Congratulations on your wedding, my love." Valeria said and Evelina rolled her eyes.

"Who were those women and why were you talking to them?" She said, looking at the direction in which the women went.

"Male centered women who I put in their place. Forget it, they are gone now. Why are you here anyways? Aren't you supposed to be with your husband?" Valeria asked.

"I sneaked out when he was taking pictures with family."

"You know...the pictures we snapped are so cool, you looked gorgeous in all of them. Sometimes I envy you, you're so photogenic that you don't even have to smile for the pictures to come out well." Evelina said and Valeria frowned.

"You came here to tell me this?" She questioned and Evelina's face dropped.

"Fine! You got me....I saw you leaving and I just wanted to say goodbye before you left." She muttered.

"I was actually taking a walk, but yeah, I guess I'll be leaving now. I'm mentally drained as it is, so I'll just bury myself into work."

"By the way, I wish you a happy marriage even though I'm not in support of whatever dad has arranged and if Asher ever treats you wrongly, at all, you know who to call. Understand?" Valeria asked and she nodded.

"A hug?" Evelina requested.

"Of course." Valeria spread out her arms to accommodate her as their hands encircled each other. She had a thoughtful expression on her face as she caressed Evelina's back.

"You know..." Evelina began. "You have always had my back, better than anyone else and for that I'm grateful. You're the only rebel in the family that still has conscience."

"What about Landon?" Valeria asked as they broke the hug.

"Landon is in between. He's selfish when he wants to be and selfless at some point. I don't want an unstable elder brother. Maverick is the eldest and the dumbest, but after those two.... It's you, you are spectacular, well except your hatred for men." Evelina said and Valeria chuckled.

"Evie, I want to let you know that I'm not a mentally ill patient just because I hate the vast majority of men. I have had first-hand experience with those creatures and I ain't even gonna justify myself, cause I know what I want and who I am, I don't necessarily need a man to define me."

"Also, about Landon, he's facing his own hell of a predicament and as who he is, he bottles up and doesn't let a life know what he's facing." Valeria said.

"True. But, I actually thought everyone would put their differences aside and celebrate my big day with me. It's my wedding for crying out loud and everyone's still keeping enemies?!" Evelina replied as a tear ran down her eyes and Valeria sighed.

"Look, I may not be a good person for constantly telling you men are scum or because I kept fighting dad to stop the arranged marriage shit between you and Asher, but since you said you loved him and he cares about you. I stopped fighting it. I won't let my beliefs come in between us, again, I promise-" Valeria's eyes widened as Evelina sobbed.

"Stop crying, Evie. You'll ruin your makeup." She took a napkin from the table and cleaned the streaked mascara.

"There, this should do. I'll be going now and please, don't cry again." With a flick of her wrist, Valeria tossed the napkin.

"Okay, just call me when you get home." Evelina said as they did a quick hug.

They broke it and her eyes teared up again as she watched Valeria leave.

"I wish I could tell her.." She whispered.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Why haven't you told her your plans yet?" Nadia nudged Magnus as they watched Valeria leave the event, hiding behind a palm tree.

"I know her too well. If she knows now, she would find a way to cancel it off." Magnus murmured, bringing out a flash drive from his pocket, his fingers clasped around it, tightly.

"So, you're going to wait till there is no time left before telling her. She would hate you for life." Nadia murmured back and Magnus sighed, before facing her.

"I'm doing this for the family. Evelina is already married, she would get the protection of Asher's family. I just have to plan out things, then I'll reveal the secret-"

"What secret?"

They froze at the familiar voice and Magnus quickly handed the flash drive to Nadia, then stepped away from the tree. She hid it in her purse.

"Maverick! What brings you here?" Magnus said, dragging Maverick away, by his shoulder.

"What secret are you two talking about and why were you hiding behind a tree, speaking in hushed voices?" Maverick asked.

"We were not hiding, we needed space from all the noise." Nadia said, following them.

"Yeah, that's right. Let's go bid the guests farewell." Magnus nodded in agreement and Maverick stared at both of them, smirking secretly.

[ The Hamptons, long Island ]

Valeria's apartment ~

7pm,

The car drive from the event to her apartment took more hours than she scheduled, cause of the damn traffic. She probably now needs to stay up late at night and finish lengthy manuscripts.

She pulled into the driveway of her home, the tires crunching softly over the gravel. She stepped out of the car, taking her handbag out and banging the door, carelessly.

"Gawd! My head is a mess right now." She muttered low under her breath, walking to her apartment door.

She scanned her fingerprint over the biometric panel, beside the door handle, the soft beep confirming access.

She entered the house, closing the door behind her and tapped the light switch...

The lights didn't come on.

She did it again and the light bulb fell to the ground instead, with a loud crash. She heard her room door open and she gripped her bag, tightly, eyes widening, before tiptoeing to the kitchen. She took a pan and dropped her bag on the counter.

The house was dark, but the light from outside peeked through the windows, so sight wasn't an issue.

"Who's there?" She asked, loudly and heard light footsteps coming towards the kitchen.

Her heart beat skipped and raced fast at the same time, sweat trickled a line down her forehead as she held the pan, firmly, ready to swing it at the intruder's face at any minute.

After a while, she heard nothing, so she moved forward, going out of the kitchen and moving towards her room, cautiously.

The slow ticks of the clock only made things worse, plus the stubborn headache she was feeling.

Tick...

Tock...

Tick...

Tock...

She opened her bedroom door and looked inside, then felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Ahhh!!"

A shriek escaped her lips and she turned around, automatically swinging the pan onto the person's face.

"Shìt!" A painful, male groan sounded and her eyes widened in shock.

"You!"

Firstly, it was her parents acting weird around her. Secondly, the three women from the wedding and now....

It's no other person than Titus, her ex?

The pan she used in hitting his head fell to the ground and Titus held his his head, tightly.

"Ugh! What the heck is that pan made of? Dynamite?" He groaned, blinking one eye at her.

"What are you doing here, Titus?" She said, face blank, crossing her arms.

"I didn't even get a sorry? You almost broke my head." He frowned with a pout and Valeria raised a brow.

"You broke into my house first, actions have consequences. Why are you here?" She repeated and he looked down, removing his hand from his face in embarrassment.

He slowly lifted his gaze back up, his eyes locking onto hers. "Baby, I-"

"Baby?" She gasped, her brows still raised. He sighed heavily and mumbled. "Please! Will you just listen?"

"Fine. Carry on, boss." She said, sarcastically and his chest rose up and down in frustration.

"I have something important to tell you. It's about our relationship-"

"Our 'past' relationship." She corrected and he nodded.

"Yeah, I know. The thing is...I really want us back together." He paused, and when she said nothing, he continued.

"I miss your smile, Valeria. I miss your company, I miss the whole of you and every single day without you turned me into something miserable. I made a big mistake by gambling with your money. I swear, I would never ever do that again, just give me one more chance and I'll show you that I have changed." He went on his knees and held her legs gently.

"Are you sure you have changed?" She asked, her stoic expression intact. The silence stretched, thick and heavy, making him gulp.

"Y-yes, I have changed. Let me prove it to you, please. Just one chance." He caressed her legs persuasively.

"Fine, I guess you leave me no choice. Get up." She quietly said and he stood up with a triumphant smile.

"Thank you so much, baby. I swear, I won't let you down this time. I won't gamble or play stupid games. Thank you, thank you, thank you." He bathed her face in kisses as he said each word, making sure not to piss her off by kissing her on her lips.

He knew Valeria hated intimacy like mad, if she was nick-named as iron woman cause of how cold and dismissive she could get then he has to play his card well, he can't take chances.

Valeria is his and he is going to make sure things remain that way no matter what.

"Take them off." Her chill voice brought him out of his oblivion.

"What did you just say? Sorry, I zoned out." Titus said and she smiled cheekily. Her eyes trailed from his face cap to his earrings, down to his shirt, pants, and finally his shoes.

"Take it all off...while I'm asking nicely." She whispered and excitement immediately sparked in his chest as he obeyed without question.

He doesn't care if she hates him right now, as long as she still finds him attractive, he would do absolutely anything for her, even if she wants to use his body, he would gladly obey.

He was an irresponsible boyfriend before, never again.

A minute later, he was left in his black singlet and boxershorts, his lean muscles bulging against the fabric, his belongings were on the floor, between them.

"Should I continue?" He asked as she watched him with barely contained amusement, her eyes twitching evilly.

"You can stop now, just one more thing is needed." Her eyes dropped to his wrist and he looked down at his own hand to see his expensive wristwatch.

"The Rollie, give it back." Valeria stretched out her hand to collect it and Titus instinctively stepped back.

"Is this some sort of joke? You got this for me on my birthday last year. Why do you want it back? I thought it was my gift? Wait..." His eyes widened in realisation.

"You're not telling me to give you back everything you bought for me, are you? I thought you gave us a second chance?"

"Us? There is no us, I'm Valeria and you're Titus, two different people that broke up cause of your silly mistakes." She moved towards him and forcefully dragged the watch from his hand, while he watched helplessly.

"You started your stupidity gradually, from borrowing money from me to gamble, to flirting with girls after getting drunk, then sleeping with my high school classmate, Beatrix. I have tolerated your insolence for far too long and you just gave me the go ahead to file a lawsuit against you. So, get ready for me." She pushed him backwards and he stumbled back.

"Baby, don't do this to me, please. Give us a chance, I'll change." His voice cracked as he went back on his knees.

"Get out, Titus!" She glared and he stood up. She pushed him, her hands hitting his shoulders. She opened the door and pushed him out, before locking it.

The door slammed in his face and he heard the loud clicks, making him gulp again.

"You're really going to leave me out here at night? I'm half-naked! Fûck!" His eyes became teary as he cussed under his breath. His breath misted as he spoke, cold air visible in the chill of the weather.

"I just want you to know, Valeria....that I didn't cheat intentionally, Beatrix seduced me first, and I was drunk, I couldn't tell the difference...." He paused.

"Valeria!" He pounded the door with his fist, but she still wouldn't budge.

"Fine. I hear you, I'll give you space, but don't forget what you did today." He said, walking out of her porch.

~

Inside the house, she was sitting down on the floor, with her back resting on the door as she heard his retreating steps.

"The douche bag finally left." She sighed in relief, mumbling under her breath.

Her phone suddenly rang and she rushed to the kitchen where she dropped her bag to get it.

"Why is she calling again?" She whispered, more to herself.

"What's up, Maya?" She picked.

"The state reassigned your case to another prosecutor." Maya stated.

"What? Why?! I was fully invested in that dismemberment case. Why would they go switching things now?" Valeria asked, a deep frown forming on her face.

"Check the news."