Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 30055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
I don’t.
I just regret falling for her and letting her become something I never intended her to be.
But I’m not chasing after her.
And I’m certainly not groveling or begging her to come back.
She’s already distracted me enough, and I’ve come too close to winning it all to lose focus now.
So, she can walk away from me.
I’ll watch her until she disappears.
Because whatever we had isn’t worth sacrificing my winning record—or breaking the law for.
Case dismissed.
The final installment in the spicy & thrilling Verdict Trilogy!
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PLAYLIST
Hate That I Made You Love Me by Ariana Grande
Ur Heartbeat by Jessie Reyes
Tread Carefully by SZA
Shabang by Drake
I Don’t Wanna by Aaliyah
Shut It Down by Drake
Often by The Weeknd
Needy by Ariana Grande
HARASSMENT (N.):
THE ACT OF SYSTEMATIC AND/OR CONTINUED UNWANTED AND ANNOYING ACTIONS OF ONE PARTY OR A GROUP, INCLUDING THREATS AND DEMANDS.
JAMESON
There are certain clients who make me wish I’d never become a lawyer.
They honestly make me wonder what would’ve happened if I’d pursued a life penning crime novels instead of spending endless hours coming up with ridiculous theories on how they’re “not guilty.”
Then again, someone has to do it…
“I swear, I did not do this, Mr. Tate,” my latest client, a college student named Paul Reaves, says. “I can prove it to you.”
“The cameras caught you walking into the aquarium empty-handed,” I say, sighing. “Then they caught you walking out with three penguins.”
“No, the penguins were following me.” He crosses his arms. “I felt bad since they got lost, so I placed them in my backseat.”
“Where you just so happened to have a full tank of ice waiting?”
“Yes.” He nods. “Because I was heading to a frat party afterward, remember? I was planning to take home a lot of beers.”
“What about the bags of penguin food you had in your front seat?”
“That was for my sister,” he says. “She likes to pretend like she’s an arctic animal. Polar bear, penguin, seal, you name it… She’s willing to testify to that.”
I give him a blank stare.
“What am I saying wrong?” His face reddens. “These were your ideas!”
“I didn’t realize how stupid they sounded when they weren’t on my paper…”
“I’m saying exactly what you told me to, Mr. Tate. If these aren’t working, how else can I prove my innocence?”
“You don’t need to prove anything to me,” I say. “We just have to convince one member on the jury.”
“One?” He arches a brow. “I thought I had twelve jurors.”
“You do,” I say. “But we only need one of them to be dumb enough to fall for this bullshit.”
“Oh. So, you think it’s possible?”
Sadly, yes. “We’ll see.” I stand up from my chair. “Head down the hall to Rachel and ask her to walk you through the cross examination. I need to make a few phone calls.”
“No, wait.” He moves toward me. “My mom is paying you quite well for this defense.”
“Okay. And?”
“And despite the fact that you seem rather off lately, she assured me that you’ve never lost a case,” he says. “So, you better not lose this one. Or else.”
“Are you threatening me, Paul?”
“I’m just saying that my family has a lot of huge contacts and influence in this city, Mr. Tate.” He narrows his eyes. “And if this is the case where your winning streak is finally broken, there will be severe consequences. Clear?”
I blink.
“Are we clear, Mr. Tate?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No, and I suggest you get the fuck away from me before I drop your case.”
“What?” His face pales. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”
“I should’ve done it the moment I signed on to represent someone dumb enough to steal from the New York Aquarium in broad daylight.” I glare at him as his eyes widen. “But I guarantee you—unfortunately—that we won’t lose this case. Now, get the hell out of my office.”
He immediately rushes away, and I wait until the door shuts.
Sighing, I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts, stopping when Scarlett’s name appears.
Today is the first day in weeks that I’ve managed to wake up without thinking about where she is and what she’s doing, but visions of her face and memories of her laughter still haunt every corner of my mind.
“How many guilty-ass people do you need to get off before enough is enough?”
My chest aches as I remember some of her final words to me.
“Nine hundred sixty-seven, Scarlett,” I mutter to myself. “I’m only a few away from my goal…”
I know better than to call—especially since she hasn’t attempted to reach me once, but I can’t help myself.
I’ve had enough.
Her line rings once.
Twice.
Three times.
I keep my finger hovered over the disconnect button in case it goes to voicemail.
“Hello?” She answers. “Hello?”
“Hello, Scarlett.”
She sucks in a breath. “I could’ve sworn I blocked your number, Jameson.”
“I obviously have more than one.”
“I won’t be saving it.”
“That hurts my feelings.”
“You don’t have any of those.”
“How have you been?” I ask. “Have you landed any roles lately?”
She says nothing.
“I’ve had better times, but I’m okay,” I say. “Thank you so much for asking.”
Silence.
“I’ve decided that you don’t have to give me an apology for the way you walked out on me,” I say. “We can have a make-up dinner, spend the night at my place, and go back to how things used to be.”
“Are you on drugs, Jameson?”
“Never.”
“Then are you just now waking up from a coma?”
“If I say yes, would that make you consider dinner?”