Archer hurried back to his cell, his breath short and his heart racing. Liam looked up from his spot on the cot, his eyes immediately catching Archer's anxious demeanor."Archer, you look like you just saw a ghost. What's going on?" Liam asked, setting his book aside.Archer nodded, motioning for Liam to join him in the corner of their shared cell. "You won't believe what just happened," Archer whispered urgently, checking over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening.Liam raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer. "Alright, I'm listening. What happened?""I was ambushed on my way back from the yard. When someone ambushed me, the same person who beat me up the last time. He demanding the butcher's name. They wanted it so bad, Liam. They were ready to hurt me if I didn't give it up," Archer explained, his voice tense.Liam tensed too. "What did you do? Did you tell them?""I had no choice. Omar had been bothering me earlier, threatening me," Archer said, running a hand through his

Judge Willis, cleared his throat and offered a strained smile."Miss Hale, I get that you are worried, but I can assure you that I did not take any bribe from anybody concerning any case. I am saying this calmly because I want you to understand that I won't lie," Judge Reilly stated, his eyes fixed on Charlene's face.Charlene nodded slowly. "I know." Her voice was firm, and she reached into her bag to pull out a series of photographs. The pictures were dated several months back, showing Judge Reilly meeting with the Sheikh in a lavish hotel lounge. She placed them on the table in front of the judge, her gaze never leaving his.Judge Reilly's eyes widened as he glanced at the photographs. He seemed taken aback, but quickly regained his composure. "Where did you get this?" he asked, trying to mask his surprise with an authoritative tone.Charlene shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm offended that you think a competent lawyer like me would come here with accusations and no evidence," she retort

They arraigned Archer in court the next day, he wasn’t nervous at all or anxious. His smile remained on his face even when the guard taunted him.He had not heard from Omar so he assumed that he was taken care of. Everything was set in motion and all he needed was Charlene to take care of everything.“Move it,” a guard jabbed his baton into Archer’s side.Archer grunted, “don’t do that,” he snapped at the person. He turned to see the guard and saw that it was the same one that pushed him into the dark room.Archer rolled his eyes, “I should have known it would be you. You seem to be doing all kinds of dirty things for them.”“Move,” the guard jabbed the baton into his side again.Archer stopped abruptly and challenged the guard, “Do it again, I dare you,”“What would you do?” The guard asked,“Do it and find out, I will tear you limb by limb till you beg for mercy,”“Then you won’t be having a trial,” the guard reminded him.“Not if they find you,” Archer looked around, “there are so m

Flashback to the day before trial…Charlene walked with her files and bag to the parking lot, it was pretty late by the time she was done at the office.Her car was parked so far that she had to walk a little too far, her ears perked up when she heard footsteps behind her.Charlene looked behind her but she didn’t see anything, she shook her head and told herself she was being paranoid.“Just keep walking,” she mumbled to herself.She kept walking until she saw her car far ahead, she was almost close to it when she saw the reflection in the glass and screamed.Two men were standing behind her, they seemed to be waiting for her. She froze and the files in her hand dropped automatically.She dropped her bag too and fumbled for the files,“Are you done?” One asked her.Charlene shook her head as a whimper left her lips, “No, no,”“Step away from the files,”“Please, I don’t know who sent you but I can pay you double for what he or she paid. Please don’t hurt me,”“We are not here to hurt

The police did their jobs and left with word that they would track down the rest of the men.Even with the commotion, the judge managed to regain control, his voice trembling slightly as he addressed the shaken crowd."We will adjourn the trial to tomorrow," he announced, his tone firm despite the fear flickering in his eyes. "It is clear that everyone has been deeply affected by today's events."Charlene nodded in agreement, her voice steady as she spoke up. "I concur, Your Honor. However, I must insist that my client, Archer, be released from custody. This incident was in no way his fault, and he should not be forced to remain in prison."Charles interjected, his voice dripping with disdain. "You can't seriously be suggesting that we let a murderer walk free, Ms. Charlene. That man belongs behind bars."Charlene's gaze hardened as she fixed her eyes on Charles. "Last time I checked, Charles, we believe in the principle of innocent until proven guilty. And until that happens, Archer