❦ . ❦ . ❦

Within almost thirty years of his existence, it had only been in the movies and his mom's favorite soap operas where he'd ever seen the courtrooms—and maybe from the few current events covered by the news he'd occasionally cared about.

Their outer appearance did not differ from how the media often presented them, but as Laurence entered the area, he got this unnerving vibe, which the cameras could never capture through the lenses. He felt like he was advancing to the scaffold where he would be executed, even though he was a victim in reality, and he was here to testify to a criminal case against an old best friend.

Laurence let his eyes travel around the room, surveying the witness box where he would provide evidence under oath later and the public gallery where he spotted a few familiar faces.

Jade nodded in his direction, and Camila sent him a gentle smile. Ralph Villena's absence did not surprise Laurence; he'd always known the old man never gave two hangs about anything that would not benefit him.

At the back of the spectators' seating, Odessa and Violet failed to notice Laurence staring at them, since the two women were engaged in a conversation. Even so, he appreciated their attendance here.

He gazed at the third row on the right side of the gallery. Someone he'd not expected to be present sat with his inscrutable expression while observing the attorneys at the bar.

Since he'd stepped into the room a minute ago and caught sight of his older coworker in the audience, Laurence had been wondering what had brought Mr. Frias to this inquest. He could only assume their senior administrative officer might be curious in this case because it involved his colleagues. Or he was concerned with Isaac. After all, Mr. Frias had often given the impression that behind his strictness at work, he was someone who cared for their young punk boss.

What Laurence found interesting was that Warren was not with him this time. He'd always considered that guy as some sort of shadow of their older colleague, especially where the ND Corporation and their CEO were concerned.

"Are you alright?"

Laurence focused on the man beside him.

Isaac had slipped on his business face for this day. Yet, Laurence caught the rift in the young boss's mask. There was just no covering up the concern in those sea-green eyes.

"Ye—yeah. Just a bit nervous. 'Cause you know I've never been in this kinda place before, and it's just funny..." Despite the words, Laurence could not find humor in any single thing about the situation. The bitterness in his tongue spread through his lips, twisting them into a woeful smirk. "I finally get the chance to be in a courtroom, but it's to testify against an old friend who tried to kill me in my two separate lives."

Whatever Isaac's response could have been, Laurence did not get to hear it because one of the lawyers walked up to them.

Prosecutor Lalaine Dizon briefed them one last time on how they should handle the direct and cross examination from her and the other party. The female attorney advised them to be on standby in the waiting area in the meantime.

"You can go back here once you are summoned to provide your testimonies," she said, her enunciation clear. She stood with a straight but relaxed posture, exuding professionalism and a prominent aura that rivaled that of Isaac's. She turned to Laurence. "Mr. Ruiz will have to go first to state what he knows about Laurence Villegas's murder case and the attempted murder of you. After him, I will request for you, Mr. Villena."

Laurence nodded. He and Isaac proceeded to the door near the jury box, ending up in a corridor with beam seating. The two of them settled on the chairs right in front of the entrance.

After a couple of minutes, a tall woman in a baby blue button-down dress also entered the area. She halted in her steps upon noticing Laurence and Isaac, her eyes that were covered with purple contact lenses stretching to an insignificant degree. The reaction did not last long, however, as she concealed any emotion from her attractive features by putting on a poker face. She continued walking without acknowledging the two men and took a seat six chairs away from them.

Laurence snuck another glimpse at her. He leaned his back to the chair, using Isaac's larger frame to hide what he was doing, before he whispered, "That person, you think she's a witness for Grey?"

Keeping his attention at the door, Isaac gave a short hum. He did not utter a single word, nor did he move his crossed arms.

Laurence clicked his tongue, but could not be annoyed with his younger boyfriend for trying to be subtle around a person from the other party.

Voices echoed through the speakers from the courtroom, signaling the start of the inquest proceeding. In a confident tone, Attorney Dizon opened the formal investigation with a summary of two separate felonies against the detained person. A man, whom Laurence assumed was Grey's defense counsel, talked after the female prosecutor.

There was a pause following the two opposing attorneys' initial presentations.

A court officer came to the waiting area to call for the detained person's witness. When the woman in a blue dress went back inside the courtroom, the official offered Isaac and Laurence a curt nod. He informed them he would close the door from here on. As they'd been told earlier, it would be more sensible for the witnesses not to hear anyone else's testimonies before it was their turn to be questioned.

"That was Zia Aguas, Grey Calma's girlfriend," Isaac said as soon as they were the only two people in the corridor.

Laurence jerked his head. "Grey's girlfriend. That woman?"

"Yes. She was also one of his witnesses during the probable cause hearing on him connected to your murder, the one who supported your friend's alibi at the time of the car crash incident. According to her, they were together on the night of January 12 and the whole day of January 13 last year. Although those details alone did not suffice, and it was the lack of evidence that absolved Grey Calma of any offense in the end."

"Wait..." Laurence frowned. "Does that mean Grey had been dating her even before the day I supposedly died? That was since we were all still together, working at the Black Crystals, and yet I'd no idea... I never had an idea he was with someone like her..."

A week ago, Isaac had also relayed what his hired private investigator had found out when ordered to dig deeper into Grey's personal businesses. Apparently, Laurence's former best friend had a problem gambling. That addiction had caused him to incur a huge amount of debt, which was impossible to pay off even with his entire annual salary from the construction work. So, if their suspicions were right, it might have been the mastermind's promise of handsome recompense that had tempted the man to take the job of killing a friend.

Laurence shook his head and let out a short, soundless, empty chuckle. The more he learned about Grey, the more he realized he might not have known the guy as well as he'd thought he did.

"I had our PI check Zia Aguas's background," Isaac continued, "and we discovered she is the Chief Medtech here in our city's community hospital. She is also from a well-off family. Based on the information we've gathered, she had no reason to cooperate with or protect a criminal. It doesn't seem like it is in her character to condone such things either, so we could only conclude she might have genuinely believed her boyfriend was innocent. It would not surprise me if Grey Calma manipulated her to think that way."

Laurence did not respond, did not know what else to say. It was no use; he would not be rid of the perplexity even if he expressed his opinions regarding these discoveries, anyway.

"Perhaps I was at fault for being complacent last year. When the charges against Grey Calma were dropped, I ceased investigating, too. I just trusted the result of the preliminary examination on him on top of Kian Fajardo owning up to the crime. I was convinced Grey Calma would at least be different, that he would be loyal to you as a close friend. If only I had been more persistent in looking into the case, we could have exposed the truth sooner, and we could have prevented that assault on you from happening."

Laurence sighed. He reached for the side of Isaac's head to give it a gentle pat. "Nah, stop blaming yourself. You've had enough on your plates, too, but that did not keep you back from doing your best to seek justice for me, yeah? Until now, you're doing more than what the authorities can in this whole investigation. And you couldn't have known what kinda person Grey is. See, even I had been close to him for years, and I never imagined he'd be that cold-blooded."

Isaac held Laurence's hand and brought it to his lips, his tender kiss helping his lover forget about his apprehension for a minute.

Glancing at the closed door to the courtroom, Laurence checked for someone who might pop out to summon them inside. Still, he did not stop his younger boyfriend from showing his affection to him, unbothered if anyone would catch them being sweet to each other.

After the kiss on Laurence's knuckle, Isaac entwined their fingers. They remained in the same position until the court official returned.

Laurence noticed the officer's eyes dart to their linked hands, but he maintained his professionalism as he requested Isaac's presence in the courtroom.

The young boss rose to his feet. Before going inside, he gave Laurence another good luck kiss on the forehead.

Laurence twiddled his thumbs while waiting for his turn to be in the witness box. The atmosphere grew heavier now that he was alone in the corridor. A single minute began to feel like an hour, and it made him wish there was a way for him to peek inside and be updated about what was going on in the inquest.

He breathed out in relief when the door opened again, revealing the court official calling his name. As he was escorted back to the courtroom, Laurence glanced around the venue one more time.

His throat tightened. His pulse sped up and resonated against his temples. Everyone's faces became blurry. For a second, Laurence forgot where he was, what his purpose was for being in such an intimidating place. And yet, the moment he arrived at the witness box and spotted an individual in a detainee uniform sitting near the defense counsel, everything zoomed back in focus.

With clenched teeth, Laurence stared at Grey, mentally willing the man to look him in the eye. However, the detained person hung his head the whole time.

Once the witness's formal undertaking to tell the whole truth was completed, Prosecutor Lalaine Dizon stood in front of Laurence and commenced the direct examination, asking him first to recount everything that happened before and during the physical assault on him.

Laurence answered every question honestly, sharing all the details from the time he'd run into Grey at the Renascence Café a few weeks after his and Isaac's site visit to the Black Crystal Builders' project, the text messages from a suspicious number, the picture of him and Isaac together following another encounter with Grey at a fitness center, until the evening he'd been assaulted.

The defense counsel cross-examined Laurence next. Inquiries were thrown to challenge his testimonies. Once, twice, Prosecutor Dizon raised objections because the opposing attorney's questions were developing into argumentative.

The interrogation came to an end, and Laurence was allowed to stay and observe the rest of the inquest proceedings. He searched for Isaac in the gallery and sat next to him.

His chest contracted at the sight of Grey going up in front of the courtroom. Laurence stole a glimpse at his side and stiffened, discerning the darkness that had clouded Isaac's face. It was the same expression the young boss had made the day he'd declared he would chase his former senior's murderer to the deepest pit of hell.

On instinct, Laurence placed his hand over his lover's tight fists resting on his lap. A small smile fleeted on his lips. He was supposed to be the one feeling all sorts of emotions at the moment, but seeing Isaac get mad on his behalf provided him solace, assured him that whatever would happen from here on, he needed not to face it alone anymore.

Isaac returned Laurence's gaze, the sharpness in his eyes softening, as if he read the message his boyfriend was trying to get across even without words. I'm grateful that you're here with me right now.

The direct examination on the detained person started and ended without Laurence learning much from it, since most of the questions and answers were things he was already aware of.

During the prosecutor's interrogation, Grey was cooperative with his responses.

They had foreseen this happening. An expert had apprised them that the detained person's team might have already accepted they would not win the case, so they might at least try to find some grounds to appeal for the reduced sentence by disclosing as much information about the mastermind.

Grey confessed someone had indeed ordered him to kill Laurence Villegas. He admitted that, aside from the promised monetary prize if he finished the job, what had driven him to commit the crime was not the promotion per se, but the sense of being wronged simply for being an ordinary individual who had no resources and connections.

"Just thought it was unfair," Grey mumbled, not once bothering to raise his head. "I'd been working in that place much longer than Laurence. Engineer told me I might finally have the chance to be promoted to a higher position and manage my project team, then I learned Rence could also be a candidate for it. That person... they said Laurence had a better advantage 'cause our big boss had a soft spot for Rence..." His voice trembled. Its pitch rose. "That info dead frustrated me. Shallow to some, but that chance meant a hell lot to me."

"And by that person, were you referring to the one who gave you orders?"

"Yes, prosecutor."

Laurence knitted his brows, his mind spiraling with the convoluted revelation. How in the world did that wicked mastermind find out his association with Isaac? When even he'd never been aware that his former high school junior had returned to the city and been keeping tabs on him? Not until he'd transmigrated to Florence's body and begun working at the ND Corporation.

He fiddled with his fingers while he kept listening.

The prosecutor brought up the accused's gambling addiction. Grey did not deny it and said it was one reason he was desperate to get his hands on some cash.

Bitterness washed over Laurence. He understood Grey for feeling cheated by the biased ways of society. He could even relate to the dire need to be unchained from financial liabilities. But were those enough incentives for one to sell their humanity and morality to the Devil? To sacrifice the years of companionship?

Laurence feared envy was another major motivator for Grey to murder him. It was just the cruel reality of human beings. Most people were full support only when their friends were beneath them because such a scenario granted them a sense of superiority. And once that perfect illusion cracked, and they realized that one friend could surpass them, they would suddenly feel threatened.

"You mentioned you had a few voice calls with the person giving you orders. Could you describe to the court how they sounded when you were talking to them?"

Laurence's ears perked up at Attorney Dizon's question. He sensed Isaac also became more attentive.

Grey shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the ground. "I've no idea, Prosecutor."

"Is there a reason you could not assess their age and gender based on those few times you heard their voice?"

"I've no idea 'bout their real voice, Prosecutor. They always sounded different, and I can only guess they were using some kinda voice changer if that's a thing. Sometimes, they sounded like a woman. Sometimes, a man. There were times they sounded older, and there were also times when they used a male and female child voice."

The anticipation in the room dropped. What could have been a major clue about the mastermind's identity seemed to have led them to another dead end.

Just when the disappointment simmered down, Grey brought up a subject, which the prosecutor had not inquired about. He said he'd not wanted to kill Florence Villena, to add a second victim, since he'd never gotten over the guilt of murdering his own friend. In his story, that sin had gnawed at his conscience and wouldn't let him sleep at night.

Laurence wondered if he was telling the truth. When he'd first seen Grey at the construction site as Florence Villena, his friend had appeared alright and was still able to laugh with other people as if he'd never betrayed the two people closest to him.

"I was cornered. They blackmailed me with the evidence that I was Laurence's killer. They had my information, but I'd not the slightest idea who they were, what they looked like, their gender, or their age. I'd nothing to fight against them, so I'd no choice but to follow their order."

Isaac's hand in Laurence's hold twitched and tensed again. The shadow fell upon his expression once more. A grave aura emitted from the young boss, and it was like he was restraining himself from approaching the witness box to hit Grey and call bullshit on his statements. The emotion was one thing Laurence could sympathize with.

He'd never imagined there would come a day when he would feel it toward the person he'd treated like his own brother. The anger and pain from the betrayal were emotions he'd anticipated to overcome him, but he'd also thought those past years of being best friends would shackle his hatred even a bit. He'd not expected he would loathe Grey this much, and yet, here he was.

No other choice? No, Grey, you had other choices.

If he'd indeed felt guilty about murdering a close friend, if he had some humanity left in him, especially when his other best friend had taken the fall to protect him, if he never really wanted to kill another person, Grey had the choice to turn himself in. He had the choice to confess his crimes sooner. And yet, he did not.

Because all along you were only thinking 'bout yourself, about how you were gonna save your own ass. You're only regretful now 'cause you were caught, isn't that the case?

Laurence let out a quiet scoff, wishing he could tune his old friend out, filter all the lame excuses he was spouting. But he convinced himself it was more important not to miss anything from his testimonies in case critical facts would crop up from it.

When Attorney Dizon asked the detained person if he was certain he knew nothing about the mastermind, Grey raised his face for a moment, as though he was trying to remember something.

"I know at least one thing. When I received their message ordering me to take Florence Villena out, I asked them why they were doing it, why they wanted Laurence and then that Florence guy dead. They said..." He looked around the courtroom, raked the gallery until his gaze landed on Isaac. "They said it was 'cause those fellows made a mistake of getting close to Isaac Ruiz."