Chapter 29: His Opening statement
Mara turned to him, her voice firm. "You promised me, Ethan. We agreed to keep our relationship quiet at work."
His eyes locked onto hers, frustration still evident. "And how long do you expect that to last? You think Bruce or anyone else is just gonna stay in the dark forever?"
Mara sighed, rubbing her cheeks. "I don’t know. But right now, I need to focus on this case. And you need to leave before anyone else comes looking for me."
Ethan exhaled sharply, then stepped closer, his fingers grazing her arm. "This isn’t over, Mara," he murmured, his voice low and firm. "Steph will pick you up later so we can go to court together."
Before she could respond, he leaned in, pressing a lingering kiss against her temple before slipping out the door. Mara stood there for a moment, trying to steady her breath.
This was getting complicated. And she had a sinking feeling it was only going to get worse. Mara grabbed her file and hurried to the conference room, her heels clicking against the polished floors.
By the time she arrived, Bruce, Jason, her boss, and the client were already seated. Jason shot her a smirk, but Mara silenced him with a sharp, deadly glance before slipping into the seat beside Bruce.
The discussion was tense but productive, and each detail of the case was dissected with precision. Mara remained professional, despite the whirlwind of emotions still lingering from her earlier encounter with Ethan.
As the meeting wrapped up, she gathered her things quickly. Steph was already waiting for her outside, checking his watch impatiently.
"We need to go, Mara," Steph reminded her.
Mara nodded, gripping her files a little tighter. Ethan was set to give his opening statement for a high-profile murder trial, a case that had drawn significant media attention. And he wanted her there.