The White Billionaire: The Complete Collection (Books 1-4) Page 26
“And we’re supposed to believe that? The jury is supposed to believe that the man that you grew up with and loved turned on you? This is the same man that made sure you were taken care of as a teenager and was your lover, correct?”
“Yes but—,”
“So I’m led to believe that you sold out the man that loved you because your meal ticket realized what was going on. You lied about the blackmail so that you wouldn’t look bad,” he said cutting me off.
“Objection!” the prosecution lawyer called out.
“Sustained,” the judge replied, “Jurors disregard that last statement. Watch it counselor,” the judge said to the defense lawyer.
“Yes your honor,” he digressed. “Camille, is it true that you used to participate in robberies with Marcus?”
My heart beat out of my chest because I didn’t think that it would come up. That was something that Marcus and I did together a long time before we ever go into drugs. Just like with the drugs, I hadn’t stolen anything but I did help distract people, case their houses, and facilitate the process. I felt like complete shit on the stand, and I did my best to hide my shocked expression. I never told Kyle about that part of my life and all of it was playing out in front of his eyes. I wondered if he thought less of me because of my past. I couldn’t perjure myself and so I had to tell the truth.
“I didn’t steal—,”
“It’s a yes or no question Camille,” he interjected sternly.
I took a deep breath, “Yes.”
I fought back the tears that were threatening to pour out of my eyes. I felt like I’d completely ruined the case because I wasn’t prepared. I never told the prosecution about my participation in stealing. I knew that they were going to be pissed about that. If Marcus got released because of me I would never forgive myself. The familiar mouthwatering began again, and it was only a matter of time before I had to make my way to the rest room again.
The lawyer wore a cocky expression throughout the rest of my questioning, and I tried not to rush my answers. I answered clear and concisely to each one in the same manner that I did with the prosecution. His case was that since Marcus and I had conspired to rob people before this showed that we were conspiring to rob Kyle also as some sort of “long con”. It is amazing how these lawyers can twist things like this.
I’d mentally checked out. Once I was freed from the stand I went straight to the restroom. My dry heaves were painful because there wasn’t anything in my stomach to release. I didn’t want to return to the courtroom. I was way too stressed but I was finally off the stand and my portion in the entire mess was done. I didn’t want to see Kyle because I was ashamed. But once again he was outside of the bathroom when I emerged.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said.
“Maybe you should go home for the rest of the trial. This is just too hard for you and your part is finished.”
I thought that I would have welcomed the opportunity to go home, but my resolved strengthened. Kyle still had to take the stand, and I wanted to be there to support him in the same way that he supported me. I couldn’t let him down.
“No, the worst part is over and I’m going to see this through to the end. I don’t want to have to wait for a phone call or the media to figure out what happened.”
“That’s my girl,” he said before he kissed my forehead and escorted me back into the courtroom.
Shortly after we returned Kyle took the stand, and he was cool, calm, and collected. He was everything that I wasn’t on the stand and my faith in the case was restored. He had an eloquent and honest answer for every question. When he discussed our relationship my heart swelled with pride and love, and I knew that the jurors couldn’t deny that we genuinely loved one another. What we had wasn’t superficial, and I didn’t appreciate the defense trying to pervert it.
*
The trial was one of the most mentally exhausting times of my life but it was now close to over. Waiting for the jurors to return for the sentencing was long. It took them over 2 hours to reach a verdict. I know that in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t a long time, but it felt like forever. I kept going over all of the mistakes that I made on the stand and cringed. Kyle kept stroking my hand and kissing my temple. He didn’t kiss me on the lips, and I understood why. I mean I had thrown up twice that day and breath mints and gum could only cure so much. I couldn’t wait to get out of there so that I could brush my teeth.
When it was announced that the jury had reached a decision, I could feel my heart pounding in my throat, and my entire body began to shake. I sure could have used another one of those spankings. Maybe he should have taken me to the limo to give me one while we were waiting. I giggled at the absurdity of it all. Kyle gave me a puzzled look, and I clamped my mouth shut.
When the verdict was being read, I was having one of those experiences from the movies. Everything was background noise, and I could only read lips. There was only one word that I wanted to hear, and I was granted my wish.
As they read the charges, the juror said, “Guilty.”
Kyle gave my hand a huge squeeze, and I went numb. I watched as Marcus was taken into custody again. I listened to the sobs throughout the courtroom, and I couldn’t muster up a reaction. Marcus was placed back into handcuffs and escorted out of the room. It was most likely the last time that I would ever see him again. I was sure that he was going to look back at me and give me a sinister glare, but he never looked in my direction.
#Chapter8
There is only so much that you can do for a person in a difficult situation.
You can support them to the best of your ability, but you can’t shield them from it all. Not being able to take away Camille’s stress and pain was one of the toughest feelings that I’ve ever experienced.
Shortly after we took our seat I saw that she had a pained look on her face. She didn’t look well at all. I asked her how she was doing.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She gave a small nod of her head, but I never took my eyes off of her. She was far from okay, and she confirmed my thoughts when she rushed out of the courtroom. Our security detail quickly rushed after her, and I followed behind them. She went to the bathroom to throw up. That was when I knew just how badly all of it was affecting her. Taking her home away from it all was a huge option in my mind but if she didn’t suggest it then I wasn’t going to say anything. We needed to see the case through to the end. But I was willing to sacrifice it all if that’s what she needed from me.
She walked out of the bathroom with her game face on. I saw past the façade that she put up, but I allowed her to display her strength. We returned and took our seats. We were all there for Marcus, but most of the eyes were on her. She was getting horrible stares from those seated around us, but she seemed to be oblivious to it all. She was engrossed in what was being said by the attorneys. I couldn’t help but return a few of those icy glares that were focused on her. She didn’t deserve to be under so much scrutiny. She was a woman with a heart of gold that made a few mistakes. It wasn’t her fault that we were there, it was Marcus’s fault.
I couldn’t deny that I felt a little guilty about all of it. It was because of me that she turned him in. We could have gone to the police over the blackmail and ended it there. But I didn’t like the fact that he was trying to steal my money, and I wanted him ruined. I’ve mulled it over in my head quite a few times, and I’ve wondered if I did the right thing by putting Camille in that predicament. I’m still not entirely sure if that’s what was best for her, but we were on that path now, and it was now an issue between Marcus and the state.
Camille did great in the beginning when she took the stand. She answered the questions that the prosecutor asked perfectly. She looked poised and confident. The jury seemed to like her, and that was a good thing. They nodded sympathetically as she talked about her past and the things that she’d done. She was winning them over, and that was easy to see. Once the defense ques
tioned her, it boggled her a bit. She got upset at a few of the questions, but that didn’t really hurt her. It really just made her look human and in this case that was fine.
She looked downright embarrassed when she admitted that she helped steal. I didn’t care about her past, and I’d told her that a million times over. I respected her even more for turning her life around. Most people would have gotten sucked into that lifestyle, but she clawed her way out. I didn’t know many people that had gone to the dark side and then quit cold turkey, but she managed to do it and to make it look easy. This is what the defense was trying to harp on. It seemed a little too good to be true to believe that she was ‘good,”. But I knew from personal experience that Camille wasn’t the average woman, she was everything good, and more.
After she left the stand she went straight to the bathroom, and I met her there when she came out. That was when I decided to give her the option of going home. The body isn’t built to take that kind of stress, and she’d dealt with more than her share for the day. She refused to go home, and I respected her decision. We returned to the courtroom, and I took the stand. Everything went very smoothly with the prosecution and I was ready for the defense. That little prick couldn’t intimidate me. I’d dealt with worse than him in my lifetime. Hell, I’d grown up with my dad and so a mean look, and a shitty attitude wasn’t enough to make me cower. I could buy and sell his simple ass a million times over.
Him and I went back a forth a few times and then he asked the question that I was waiting for.
“How do you know that she isn’t just using you, especially considering her sordid past?”
I gave a slight chuckle, “I’m a very intelligent man that has not only a high IQ, but high emotional intelligence as well. I’ve met more than my share of users and manipulators. I can spot them a mile away, and I assure you that Camille is 100% genuine. It’s impossible not to fall in love with her, and I’m extremely lucky that we crossed paths.”
I stared at Camille as I was saying how I felt. I wanted my words to sink into her soul. She could do no wrong in my book, and I needed her to know that I wasn’t ever going to forsake her. I wanted her to be in my life forever, and I was in it for the long haul. So many people in her life deserted and betrayed her, and she deserved to have someone that loved her unconditionally. I planned on being that person in her life.
When we heard the guilty verdict I was overjoyed because it all had been a long time coming, and we had the payoff that we were looking for. I kept my delight discreet because I was surrounded by sadness, and I didn’t want to disrespect the feelings of those in the courtroom. Marcus was a piece of shit, but there were people there that loved him, and it would have been rude to express joy in that moment. Camille looked stunned, and I didn’t know what she feeling, maybe she was nauseous again.
**
Kyle and I went to one of my favorite restaurants to celebrate the end of such a stressful time.
I was able to go home for a minute and freshen up. I couldn’t get to my toothbrush fast enough. I was happy to have a glass of wine in my hand. I was ecstatic to have filet mignon and lobster on my plate. I thought that I would have focused on the wine a lot more, but my glass remained untouched as I tore into the contents of my plate. I was practically starving, and my stomach thanked me.
“You made it,” Kyle said happily.
“I did!” I laughed, “Although I was beginning to doubt that I would for a minute there.”
“That thought never crossed my mind. You’re one of the strongest people that I know.”
I blushed as I ate a piece of broccoli. I was still adjusting to all of the praise that he doted on me continually. I had a hard time believing what he was saying, but I was working on it. Kyle wasn’t the kind of man that lied to get what he wanted. He was a straight shooter and so if he said something then he meant it. The key was to allow myself to believe it.
“I spoke to Bill when you were in the bathroom freshening up at home,” he said.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, he said that the prosecutors are pretty certain that Marcus is going to get the maximum sentence. The judge is a hard ass, and his track record shows that he isn’t going to take it easy on Marcus by any means.”
“What’s the maximum sentence?” I asked as I put my fork down on my plate.
“4 years,” Kyle said slowly and emphasized each word.
That familiar gurgling in my stomach took place again. I didn’t realize that he would get so long for blackmail. He was also up for a murder charge and so things weren’t looking good for him at all. I didn’t want to think about him behind bars and about the life that he was going to experience. I’d watched way too many episodes of OZ, and I was scarred by them. Marcus was tough, but he wasn’t as tough as a lot of the men there. His life was over, and it was partially my fault. He was about to be someone’s bitch, and I had something to do with it. I pushed away from the table and ran to the bathroom again so that I could relieve myself of my steak and lobster. ‘I should have known better than to eat seafood,’ I thought to myself. My stomach had been shaky all day, and so it wasn’t a good idea at all.
When I returned to the table Kyle started to talk about our life together, “After we get married, I want to go traveling. We need to see the world, and we can open up restaurants all over.”
“That sounds amazing,” I said. I couldn’t wait to get married and go traveling He was also talking about working vacations and that was something that I could get with. I wanted to continue our business and enjoy our lives, and that seemed like the best of both worlds.
“Since we won’t have to worry about kids for a long while, we’ll have a lot of time,” he said as he pulled out his phone looked at his calendar. “How about exactly one month from today?”
“Whoa, you’re not wasting any time are you?”
“We’ve waited long enough and one month seems like forever. I want to steal you away and do it now, but I know that you want a real wedding.”
He was right, I did want a wedding. If we didn’t have one, I would regret it for a long time. I only wanted to get married once and so it had to be right because it was a moment that I would never get to experience again.
“I do want a wedding.”
“Okay, the date is set, and nothing is going to stop us this time,” he said matter of factly.
I was excited for the first time in days. I was more than ready to be Mrs. Kane. He was everything that I wanted in a mate and so much more. Once again I felt like I was in a fairy tale, and we’d finally gotten to the good part. We went through all of the adversity and emerged relatively unscathed. Things would be tense for a while, but I wasn’t going to let anything steal my joy. I had my man, a career, and my wonderful friends. They were all that I needed to get by. I was rich in so many other ways than money. Once I put things into real perspective, I perked up and pushed all thoughts of Marcus to the back of my mind. He made his choices, and I made my own. I just happened to make a lot better choices, and I deserved every ounce of happiness that was coming my way.
***
A few days later I went to hang out with Sandy. She couldn’t wait to catch up on all of the good news. I had been noticeably absent from my friends since the trial, but it was because I still wasn’t feeling well. My nerves were still on edge, and it was effecting my day. I cared way more about Marcus going to jail than I originally thought because it was taking a toll on me physically.
“You know how much I hate it when you disappear,” Sandy said.
“I know, but I’ve felt like crap for the last few days,” I admitted.
“Believe me, I noticed. Your trips to the bathroom were hard to ignore in the courtroom.”
“It seems to be getting worse. It’s been this way all day too.”
“If I didn’t know any better I would think that you’re pregnant,” Sandy said with a raised eyebrow.
I rolled my eyes at her and was about to combat what she was saying
. I then thought about my lack of a period. I contributed that to my stress as well because I’m known for skipping it when I’m being a high strung mess.
“I don’t know about that. I’m on the pill,” I said.
“Girl please, we know how the pill can be. They’re not 100% especially if you aren’t taking it at the same time every day.”
“I guess I’ll grab a test on my way home. I really hope that’s not the case for me,” I said in a low voice.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Sandy said as she jumped up from her couch and headed towards her bathroom, “I have one here already.”
“Who just has a pregnancy test lying around?” I asked.
“Don’t judge me Camille,” Sandy yelled from the bathroom, “You should be thanking me.”
I slowly rose from the couch and met her in the bathroom. She pulled it from her medicine cabinet and placed it in my hand, “They work pretty fast and so we’ll know in a few minutes.”
“I’m getting sick just thinking about it,” I said.
Sandy walked to the door and peeked her head in before closing it, “Get it done so that you can know for sure and not obsess over it.”
I sat on the toilet for a few seconds and thought about it first. I was afraid to take the test because I knew that there could be a real possibility of me being pregnant. I wasn’t ready for such a huge step yet.
Sandy knocked on the door, “I don’t hear any peeing in there!”
“Get away from the door girl. I’m about to do it now creep.” I said.
A few moments later the digital stick was sitting on the edge of her sink and I was pacing. I didn’t want to wait alone so I stepped outside of the bathroom.