Eva rang the doorbell anxiously and waited at Sienna’s doorstep. It was already 6:30 in the evening and she doubted they could help Alexander tonight. He would have to spend the night in the precinct. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she blinked them away. No, she wouldn’t cry. She couldn’t let Alexander down.
The door opened and Eva smiled at Sarah, their middle-aged housekeeper, whom she had met many times before. “Is Sienna at home?” she asked anxiously, not in the frame of mind for pleasantries.
“Yes, in the living room.” Eva rushed into the house, straight to the living room, where she saw Sienna and Lucas sitting and watching a cartoon show with Alexia. Eva was at Mystic when Sienna gave birth to a baby boy, Adrian. She hadn’t been able to meet Adrian since her life had been disrupted in the last few weeks with her own pregnancy, wedding, and now with the emergency that had suddenly cropped up.
Sienna turned to see Eva and looked startled by her sudden arrival. “Eva? What a pleasant surprise!” she exclaimed excitedly, getting up to hug her friend. Lucas too smiled at her, getting up to welcome her inside. Sienna sent Alexia to the nursery and then turned toward her friend.
“What’s wrong? You look rather pale!” said Sienna, at seeing the distraught look on Eva’s face.
“I need your and Lucas’s help. Alexander has been arrested for a murder he didn’t commit and he’s in police custody. He just called to inform.” Sienna gaped at her, drawing her to the sofa.
“Tell me everything, Eva. When did this happen? Who has been murdered? Are you sure Alexander hasn’t done it? He has a foul temper!” said Lucas, sitting down next to her.
“Alexander has a temper, but he isn’t a criminal. He loses his temper only when the people he cares about are affected in some way. He can’t murder anyone. I know he hasn’t done it,” said Eva with conviction. She explained everything to them, but not once did she break down or shed tears.
“We can consult my friend and well-wisher, Chris Fitzgerald, who is a reliable criminal attorney in the city. He has a record of cracking the most troublesome cases and giving justice to many innocent victims, framed for crimes they didn’t commit. I can see that Alexander has been framed badly.” Lucas scrolled through the contact list on his phone for his friend’s number.
“Will he charge a lot? I’m a little short on funds right now. If Mr. Fitzgerald will accept payment in a day or two, I can arrange for the amount,” said Eva, feeling a little worried. She would take a loan from the hospital or sell her wedding jewelry if the need arose. If she needed more money, she would have to take a loan against her apartment.
“He will demand some advance payment, at least for accepting the case as all lawyers do. I’m sure you can ask Alexander for money.”
“His dad has frozen all his accounts, except his savings account. I don’t want to use his hard-earned savings. He needs them to set up a new business,” said Eva, feeling lost. “Just give me a day. I’ll apply for a loan or sell my wedding jewelry and arrange for the funds.”
“Don’t worry about money, Eva. I’ll pay the lawyer’s fees. Right now, you need to concentrate more on saving Alexander,” said Sienna.
“No, Sienna. I can’t take money from you. I’ll arrange for it somehow,” protested Eva.
“Fine then. You give me the jewelry you want to sell and I’ll give you a loan against it. When you can, repay me and take your jewelry back.” Eva considered her proposal and agreed. Her wedding jewelry meant a lot to her. It was a gift from aunt Claudia. She was glad that she could get it back when she had the money to pay Sienna.
“Thanks, Sien. This means a lot to me.” Just then, Lucas’s phone buzzed with an incoming call from Nicholas.
“Are you leaving now?” asked Lucas. “Enjoy yourselves.”
“Thanks, bro. Alyssa is already upset, though. She’s been calling her brother, but he isn’t taking her call,” said Nicholas.
“He can’t take the call. He is arrested for a murder he didn’t commit,” said Lucas.
“What? Are you kidding, bro?” asked Nicholas, switching to speaker mode for his wife to hear.
“No, Eva is here. This is serious, dude. Someone has plotted against him and framed Alexander badly. He is now in police custody for murdering Andre Strasbourg, CEO of Rotterdams. We’re planning to take Fitzgerald’s help in the case.”
“Alyssa wants me to cancel our honeymoon. We’re coming over in a few minutes,” said Nicholas. Lucas disconnected the call and turned to Eva.
“Nicholas and Alyssa are coming over. They are canceling their honeymoon plans. Don’t worry, we’ll get Alexander out soon. I’ll just call Chris.” Lucas went away to talk to his friend while Sienna offered Eva some water to soothe her.
“Why don’t you stay the night here with us, Eva? I don’t want you driving back in this condition,” said Sienna. Eva agreed to stay back as all the energy had drained out of her body.
Lucas returned after a few minutes and sat down with them. “Chris is coming over to discuss the case. I’ll handle his charges and you can pay me when Alexander is released. No arguments on this Eva. Don’t take so much stress in your condition. You can’t afford to fall sick now,” said Lucas.
“Thank you for everything that you’re doing for us, Lucas, but I’ll accept financial help as a loan against my jewelry or apartment.” Lucas looked at the determined look on her face and agreed. Maybe this meant a lot to her.
“Fine, if you insist.” The doorbell rang, and Alyssa rushed inside with Nicholas. She came over to embrace Eva with tears in her eyes, but Eva didn’t buckle at all. She didn’t shed a single tear since she had promised Alexander that she would be strong for him.
“How did it all happen, Eva? Does dad know?” asked Alyssa, releasing her.
“No, Alexander doesn’t want him to know.” Eva looked away at the surprised look on Alyssa’s face.
“Uncle Daniel has frozen Alexander’s bank accounts for marrying Eva. What did uncle Daniel tell you after the wedding, Eva? You were in such a hurry to leave afterwards,” asked Sienna while Eva looked ill at ease.
“Oh, did dad threaten you or something? Why am I not aware of anything that’s going on?” asked Alyssa.
“Yes, he insulted me and then offered me one hundred million dollars for getting out of Alexander’s life forever. I declined and left the party,” said Eva with a grave face.
“How could he? No wonder Alex doesn’t want to inform him,” said Alyssa angrily.
“Lucas, can we please meet Alexander at the precinct where he is?” asked Eva.
“I don’t think an in-person visit is allowed without scheduling. They have specific timings as well. I’m waiting for Chris to have a word with him and see if he can give Alexander an attorney visit tonight,” said Lucas.
Eva’s head swooned, and she clutched onto it to get a grip on herself. She couldn’t afford to fall sick now when Alexander needed her the most.
“Eva, have you eaten anything?” asked Sienna, placing an arm around her to steady her.
“I’m okay, Sien. I’ll eat once I know Alexander is alright,” she said weakly.
“No, you shouldn’t stay hungry in your condition. It will affect your health. I’ll ask Sarah to serve you dinner. I’m sure Alexander won’t like to see you land up at the hospital again,” scolded Sienna.
“Yes, Sienna is right. You need to take care of yourself and your baby first,” said Alyssa, going over to the kitchen to get her food. Although it was impossible to eat under the circumstances, Eva forced herself to finish everything on her plate. She needed to be strong now.
Chris Fitzgerald arrived shortly, and they discussed the case with him. He explained to them the normal legal procedure that will apply in case of a felony such as murder.
After ten minutes, Chris drove over to see Alexander and find out details about the case while Lucas logged into the online portal to schedule an in-person visit for them. He also filled out a form for a televisit if that could be scheduled earlier.
“If we receive the confirmation email by tonight, we can plan the visit.”
“How did Mr. Fitzgerald not discuss his fees with me?” asked Eva, worriedly.
“He did with me, and I’ve paid him a flat fee in advance,” said Alyssa. Eva looked very upset and shook her head.
“No, I can’t accept money from you, Alyssa. Tell me how much you’ve paid him,” she insisted stubbornly.
“Alex is my brother, and I can help him, Eva,” said Alyssa, looking hurt.
“You don’t get it, do you? Alexander won’t accept your dad’s money. You’re working for VE Global Finance and I’m sure if your dad finds out that you’ve helped us financially, he will ruin you as well,” cried Eva while Alyssa gaped at her.
“I will take it as a loan against my apartment or seek a court-appointed attorney,” said Eva.
“You can’t prove that you’re going through a financial crisis, given Alexander’s status. Don’t go into another legal hassle, Eva,” said Lucas.
“Okay Eva, you can give us your apartment papers and accept the money as a loan. Happy?” said Nicholas, putting an end to the argument.