Chapter 46: Last minute victory
The office was heavy with exhaustion. Papers lay scattered across desks, half-empty coffee cups sat abandoned, and the soft hum of computers filled the silence. Some had their heads resting on their arms, others sat upright, eyes barely open, caught in the battle between sleep and duty. It had been a long night and a long day, and yet, the storm was far from over.
The door creaked open, and Ethan stepped inside. His presence pulled at the room like a thread unraveling the last remnants of sleep. Heads lifted. Bodies stirred. Eyes, once glazed over, found focus.
"I know we’re all tired," he began, his voice calm but edged with urgency. "But I have bad news."
A hush fell over the room. The air, thick with fatigue, now bristled with anticipation. Ethan glanced at his wristwatch, his jaw tightening as he met their expectant gazes.
"The prosecution is moving the trial forward," he said. A pause, just long enough for the weight of his words to sink in. "We have twenty minutes."
Silence. Then, a sharp intake of breath from Lucy. She straightened, pushing strands of loose hair behind her ear, her exhaustion barely masked by the steady professionalism in her voice.
"We’re not ready, Ethan. We could ask for more time," she said.
Ethan held her gaze for a moment before shaking his head. "We could," he admitted. "But that would only give them more time to build a stronger case against us."
He let out a breath, rubbing his forehead before looking around at the team—his team. People who had given everything, running on fumes yet still willing to push forward.
"If we fly blind," he murmured, "they fly blind too."
There was a beat of silence. Then, one by one, they straightened, reaching for notes, typing furiously, flipping through documents. The fight wasn’t over yet. The tension in the room was thick, the weight of the trial pressing down on everyone. Mr. Copeland leaned forward, his voice steady but laced with worry.