Chapter 62 – Lawful Deceit
Sitting in his clean, contemporary office, Victor Lanning carefully went over the documents related to a well–known fraud case he was working on. The air was filled with the slight buzz of activity from the busy legal practice, and the desk was made of dark mahogany and was well -organized.
Known for his keen mind and unwavering will, Victor had established himself as one of the city’s most powerful attorneys. Only the most serious situations were handled by him, both clients and enemies mentioned his name with respect and care. His attention was disrupted by
a knock on the door.
“Come in” he called, his deep voice filling the room. When the door opened, a younger colleague entered, wearing a serious expression,
“Victor, I just got off the phone with the police department. There’s been an arrest on charges of attempted murder, twice”
Victor set his pen down and leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowing,
“Attempted murder? Who’s the client?”
Before he could answer, another colleague, Diane, appeared in the doorway,
“What’s the latest?” she asked, stepping into the office. He glanced at her and then back to
Victor,
“The state is pressing charges. They want this one locked down fast”
Victor’s eyes narrowed,
“And the name of the arrested individual?”
“It’s Sebastian Young”
The room was silent for a brief moment as their faces contorted in recognition of the name,
“Isn’t that the dude that’s been trending for a while now? Uhm, the scammed groom or something?” She asked,
“The duped groom, and of course, he’s involved with Emily Roberts”
“But that doesn’t make any sense, those two are crazy about each other, why would he want to kill her?” Diane asked,
Victor’s phone buzzed on the desk before anyone could say anything further, he noticed Raphael’s name flashing on the screen. He scowled as he picked up the phone and spoke quietly,
“Hello”
Chapter 62–Lawful Decet
“Victor” Raphael’s voice desperate,
“I need your help. It’s important”
Victor looked at his colleagues, who were now in quiet conversation. Turning slightly away, he lowered his voice further,
“What is it?”
“Have you seen the news about Sebastian Young?” Raphael asked
Victor’s eyes flicked to his laptop, where his email inbox had just received a notification about the arrest,
“It just came into the office” he replied evenly.
“Has the case been assigned to anyone yet?” Raphael asked.
“Not yet” Victor said.
“Excellent” Raphael said, his tone shifting,
“I need you to jump on this case immediately”
Victor’s fingers tapped lightly on the desk,
“Why the sudden interest in Sebastian Young? What’s your angle here?”
“We’ll talk later” Raphael said immediately,
“Just make sure you get assigned to this case. Meet me this afternoon. I’ll explain everything. then”
Victor hesitated for a fraction of a second before responding,
“Fine. I’ll handle it”
Victor turned to see Diane and Christian leave the office and making their way to their boss’s door as the call came to an end. Victor had a gut feeling that they were going to talk about who would be in charge of prosecuting Sebastian Young when Diane followed.
He got up from his chair, straightened his suit, and strode quickly in the direction of the boss’s office. Victor pushed the door open and entered. Mr. Caldwell, his boss, was sitting behind his desk with a huge file open in front of him. Diane and Christian stood close by, talking quietly. When Victor walked in, everyone’s attention were on him.
“Let me handle this case, boss” Victor said without preamble. Caldwell leaned back in his chair, his sharp eyes appraising Victor,
“This isn’t just any case, Lanning. You’re one of our strongest lawyers, and we typically reserve you for severe cases, ae you sure about this?”
happy back
Victor nodded, his expression unchanged,
‘I’m sure. Let me take the lead on this one“.
Caldwell studied him for a long moment before finally nodding,
“Fine, the case is yours”
Victor nodded his head before heading out of the office. He felt his coworkers‘ questioning looks as he left, but he chose to ignore them. There were more important things he needed to
- do.
Victor parked his vehicle in a dark alley later that day. A sleek black car with a softly idling motor was parked at the far end. As he neared Raphael’s car, Victor got out of his own and straightened his tie. The window rolled down, exposing Raphael’s stern expression, he
motioned Victor inside.
Victor slid into the passenger’s seat and shut the door behind him, there was tension in the air within the car,
“Alright, Raphael” Victor said,
“Talk to me”
Raphael sighed, running a hand over his face.
“This whole thing is a mess. I had someone on a mission and he was supposed simply supposed to bring Emily to me, but now everything’s spiraling out of control”
Victor arched an eyebrow,
“What exactly are we dealing with?”
“There was an incident” Raphael admitted.
“Sebastian Young got involved, again. She’s nothing but trouble, but this time, things got
physical, she’s unconscious now, receiving treatment at the hospital”
Victor’s expression remained stoic, but his mind was already racing,
“Unconscious? Good. She needs to stay that way for a while, at least until the trial is over. If
she wakes up and starts talking…”
Raphael nodded grimly,
“I’ll handle it‘
Victor leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on Raphael,
“And Sebastian?”
“He’ll deny everything, of course” Raphael said. But that’s where you come in. Make sure
162 Lawl. Deast
this case goes our way, do whatever it takes”
“Hmm” Victor contemplatively
“Very well then”
Victor’s mind was already working out a plan as he got out of the car and entered the alley. Although he had dealt with challenging cases in the past, there was something unpredictable
about this one that unnerved him. But he had already made up his mind,
And now there was no going back.
