Staring intently at the judge, Aella sat there, anxiety written all over her face as she awaited the verdict of the judge concerning her brother's case.
Her brother, Collins, was accused of a crime he never committed: rape.
Her gaze went up to her brother as he shook his head, indicating that he was innocent and knew nothing about what he had been accused of.
Hurt and betrayal were clearly written on his face as he averted his gaze from the judge to the family that had framed him. The family that housed the real culprit.
They were the people he worked for as a cleaner in their mansion, along with the victim, who happened to be his girlfriend.
She was raped by the son of his boss, but in an effort to manipulate the situation, they bribed the girl's family to coerce her into accusing Collins instead of their own son.
"After hearing from both parties," the judge's voice resounded in the court, and this brought Aella out of her thoughts as she focused on the judge to hear the judgment that would be passed on to her brother.
"This honorable court..." He paused, his gaze fixed on the accused, Collins, who stood in the witness box, visibly consumed by fear and anxiety.
"...finds you, Collins Thompson, guilty of the accusation of rape, and you are hereby sentenced to fifteen years in prison... while the court finds Liam Macaulay not guilty."
Rage and sadness rose within Aella as soon as she heard the judgment.
She tried to get to her brother but was stopped by the police as she watched them whisk him away from the courtroom.
"I promise to get you out of there, brother!" She screamed at the top of her voice.
Seething with rage, she glanced at the girl and her family, who were sitting amidst the crowd in the courtroom.
Then, her gaze shifted to the real culprit and his family, who were smirking with confidence in a corner.
She stomped outside to go and have a talk with the lawyer who was in charge of her brother's case.
"Barrister John!" She called out, and a young man in his early thirties, dressed in the customary attire of a black robe and white wig and clutching a leather-bound legal briefcase, turned to her amidst the crowd leaving the courtroom.
Hurrying down to him and slightly out of breath, she went on, "Barrister John, we both know that Collins... isn't guilty of the crime he was...sentenced to prison for," she said, her voice trembling as she spoke to him.
"Err… Well, Miss Thompson, you heard when the girl testified that your brother was the one who had violated her."
"And there was other evidence, along with witnesses to corroborate it... I'm sorry, but at that moment, the case was out of my hands," he said with a shrug.
"I really tried my best to help you and your brother despite the little you paid me, but I guess you just have to suck it up." He said it with an air of indifference.
"It is just fifteen years, after all." He added.
If only looks could kill, then he would have been dead by that moment as Aella shot him a deadly glare.
"If you would excuse me," and with that, he walked away.
She felt her phone vibrate in her hand, and as she checked the caller ID, it turned out to be the doctor in charge of the hospital her grandmother was admitted to.
"Hi, Dr. Martinez," she said as soon as she picked up the call.
"Good day, Miss Thompson. As you are aware, I'm calling regarding your grandmother's health."
"Her condition is deteriorating rapidly, and her kidney has ceased to function," he explained over the phone.
"I'm afraid there's a significant risk that she may not survive this illness unless she undergoes a kidney transplant within the next few weeks," he concluded.
"No…"Aella muttered.
She had been tested and confirmed as a potential donor for her grandmother. However, the delay in the entire process was primarily due to the cost of the transplant.
Aella was already feeling suffocated after hearing what the doctor said.
"Dr. Martinez, please, I am begging you to do everything in your power to save my grandmother.
"I promise I'll find a way to get the money... I'll pay you," she said with a shaky voice.
"I'm afraid there is nothing we can do, Miss Thompson. It's only fair that you deposit at least half of the money before we can do anything for her."
"Remember that we have treated her without collecting a dime from you. Or better still, you can take her to another hospital."
A brief silence lingered between them over the line before the doctor's voice returned, saying, "Have a nice day." And with that, the call came to an end.
Aella felt like the whole world was closing in on her. She wondered how she was supposed to come up with a whopping sum of twenty million dollars for her grandmother's kidney transplant surgery when she only had three thousand dollars in her account.
Frustrated, she crouched down in front of the court as others left the court premises. She caught a glimpse of Emily, Collins' girlfriend, who had played a vital role in putting him in jail.
As she attempted to call out Emily's name, another call came in, and this time, it was from her boss, Simon.
Aella worked as a waitress at a restaurant. While the pay wasn't sufficient to cover all her expenses, it was still reasonable.
Groaning in frustration, she picked up the call. "Good morning, Mr. Simon," she greeted anxiously, already anticipating his outburst as he is a man with anger issues.
"What is good about the morning, Aella? Huh?! You tell me what's good about the morning. Your shift was supposed to start at 8 a.m., and it's now past ten, yet you're not here," he exclaimed suddenly as soon as she greeted him.
"...errm, Sir, I-"
"Cut the crap, Aella!" He stopped her from explaining anything to him.
"I am not paying you to slack off or just play around, Aella."
"In fact, you are fired! Don't bother showing up at the restaurant anymore."
"Wait, sir, you can't do it." But the line was long dead.
Aella felt like the whole world was against her. "Where do I start from?" She asked herself as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Tears welled up in Aella's eyes as she stared at her grandmother, who lay motionless on the hospital bed."She's not dead, and she's not in a coma... She's just...somewhere in-between," she recalled the doctor's words from earlier when she came in.Sitting there and just watching the older woman, the soft hum of machines and the distant chatter of hospital staff provided the backdrop for this uncertain moment.It felt like time had stopped.Aella's heart ached with a mixture of hope, fear, and uncertainty, not knowing what would happen next with her grandmother's life hanging in the balance, like a paused scene in life's movie. Her stillness was unsettling, and she couldn't help but wonder what it meant to be 'in-between'.She reached out and gently held her grandmother's frail hand, hoping to get some kind of response or at least anything, even though it was little to prove a sign of life.The room felt heavy with pent-up emotions as she whispered, "Grandma, it's me, Aella. I'm here
Aella, dressed in a visibly wrinkled short-sleeved beige shirt and slightly faded sage green pants, stared at herself in front of the half-broken mirror.Her hands were clasped in front of her as her gaze anxiously shifted from her face to her heels and back again.She tugged at her blouse, trying to smooth out a very visible wrinkle, and gave her hair another check—probably for the millionth time.A thousand worries raced through her mind as she thought about the impending interview. Her stomach churned with nerves, and her heart raced in her chest."Aella… calm down… It's just an interview; no one is going to bite you," she whispered to herself, taking a deep breath in an attempt to soothe her frayed nerves.Time was running out; she needed to find some way to get the money for her grandmother's transplant surgery, but after several unsuccessful attempts to get a job as a waitress or even a cleaner at a prestigious restaurant, she decided to put up her skills as a dressmaker.Over t
***FLASHBACK***"Good morning, sir. These are the lists of potential interviewees and their designs," Damien's secretary said as she presented the designs to him that fateful day.The heels of his shoes clinked on the tiled floor as he made his way around the dresses hung elegantly on display.His gaze shifted from one design to another, each one telling a unique story through its intricate details and choice of fabrics.But none seemed to capture his utmost attention except for one, which hung on the left row of the display.It was a dress made of shimmering, iridescent fabric that seemed to shift colors as it moved.The fabric caught the light and glittered like a rainbow, making the dress appear to glow.The silhouette of the dress was classic and elegant, accentuating the figure of the mannequin it was placed on without revealing too much.The color of the dress was a deep, rich purple, reminiscent of the last rays of the setting sun.This particular dress stood out like a radiant
Chapter 6This had to be the eeriest ride back home, and more than anything, Aella was grateful that it was almost over.Throughout the ride home, her mind flashed back to the sight of jubilation when she agreed to get married to Damien. She remembered plastering a fake smile on her face as people of high caliber came to congratulate them both with huge gifts."Finally, my son has become a man," his mother said with tears in her eyes as she congratulated them especially."There's no need to cry, mom."This is supposed to be a moment of joy. Don't dampen it with tears, Damien consoled her."I'm not crying because I'm sad." She got herself some handkerchiefs to clean her eyes. "I'm just happy that you've finally gotten over that daughter of Jezebel called Amelia. I'm happy you've decided to settle down with a good girl. Although the information came as a shock to me and the marriage was a quick one, I'm satisfied that you're now married. Your bride looks even more beautiful than that ex
"What?! Why am I just getting to know about this now?!" Collins exclaimed in utter shock."It happened too fast, honestly. Plus, I didn't have any other options left on the table. Either I got married to him or I got thrown in jail for assault, leaving you and Granny to rot. I couldn't even bear the thought of not being there for grandma."Aella tried to explain to him. Collins had barely come out of jail when he called his sister. Aella had to meet him at a coffee shop instead of her "marital home" for fear that Damien would somehow find out she brought a stranger to his house."Let's look on the bright side, Collins. You're a free man again. Grandma has a chance at survival. I just signed the documents, and the surgery will commence in a few hours. What we have to think about is how to get you a job so you can survive in this country."Collins didn't give her a response. He looked lost in his head for some reason. "I don't have a lot, but here's 500 dollars."Aella slid the thin w
"You don't know your way around, do you?" Aella gasped and turned sharply to face the direction of the voice, only to see a young man fully dressed with glasses that looked bigger than his face. He looked harmless overall, but a little funny with his pointy nose and big eyes. "I'm sorry I startled you. It's just that I noticed you were looking lost. This is the fourth time you've been on the floor with these documents, and every time you come, you scan with your eyes, but never ask for help," he said with a gentle smile. "I've been working here for two days, and it's obvious I don't know my way around. I'm embarrassed, she muttered and looked away in shame, wiping beads of sweat off her forehead. "There's no need to be embarrassed. It happens to everyone, he chuckled. "I'm Gareth. What exactly are you looking for?" "Who actually? Her name is Miss Marie Lopez. According to my husband, my boss, she's the head of the design department and my direct boss. I'll be working as a desig
"Collins!!!"Waves of shock coursed through the room., and murmurs arose from the rest of the people in the meeting."Was it our boss that this nobody called a rich bastard?""Why is our boss not doing anything about it?""The Mr. Damien I know would have this man locked up in prison for the rest of his life.""What's really going on?""How did he get past the security in the first place?""Why... Is it just me, or does he have the same brown eyes as our newest employee, Aella?"While the murmurs went on, Collins and Damien stood face-to-face with each other. Aella was just two seats away, wet with jittery sweat, despite the new air conditioning unit in the office."Is this the thank you I get for getting you out of jail and giving your life back?" Damien finally spoke out."Listen to me and listen well. I don't care whether you saved me from death or not. Don't act like you don't have ulterior motives for doing that. I'm not going to allow you to indulge in a lame act of charity in r
Damien had asked her a question, but with no reply, she furiously summoned the courage to glare at him dead in the eye. "I said! Do… I made myself clear, Aella."He repeatedly questioned her. "Yes, yes,” she replied, furrowing her eyebrows and making her eyes narrow. She felt so much distress and was also left dumbfounded by Damein’s actions; he sure does have lots of connections. "Now let me go, or are you planning on cutting my arm down, huh?" She bravely questioned. He kept glaring at her, seeing she mustered so much courage to talk to him like that. He was about to realize her arm was in his grip, but she furiously took her arm from the tight grip she felt. He saw that she was acting stubborn but still ignored her, took the restriction agreement papers, and walked up to his room. "Release him and make sure he returns safely," Damien ordered, and he flung his phone on the bed. ****** "Hey dumbhead," the police inspectors called out to Collins. "It's time for you to get your