Chapter 47: Chapter 47

In attorney Chris' apartment, Val stared at the fireplace that wasn't lit in thought.

After the attorney had related Bob's predicament and his current state to her, Val understood why she had to face the accusation of having stolen the missing Laguna teardrop alone without the support and protection she'd been promised.

Bob was in police custody and attorney Chris had left San Francisco to aid him. Even if those whom they've appointed to keep watch on her and ensure her safety had witnessed the incident, how were they to report to Bob, or attorney Chris? Both were in no state to receive a report nor do anything to help her out the situation.

Besides, those whom Bob appointed to keep watch on Val had to do so discreetly and not openly involve themselves. How were they to come out and defend her? In any case, they couldn't pull the resources to vindicate Val, only Bob and attorney Chris could. And they both were caught up in another situation of grave consequence.

' What now?' Val realized she had been silent in thought for a long while now and the atmosphere has become awkward.

Amidst the silence, soft wind blew on the curtains. al thought to ask him about what had happened after she fell unconscious the last time she was in his apartment. But more importantly,

' Why's he staring like that?' Val was baffled as to attorney Chris' sudden change in attitude. She looked at him with a questioning gaze.

The attorney had a small smirk on his face and his eyes stared at her figure lasciviously as though she were a prey.

" So, may I ask how you've been since then?" Attorney Chris shook his gaze to the glass of martini in his hand and took a slow sip. He retained his previous professional countenance.

Val frowned a bit, thinking about attorney Chris' attitude just earlier. The way he'd stared at her was kind of creepy.

Nonetheless, Val crossed her legs and said after giving thought to what to say " I've been holding up. I won't lie and say it didn't affect me... I've been taking rest off of work since then to recover and, you know gather myself"

"Hmm" Attorney Chris nodded as he put down his martini on the table " I just wanted to make certain you're alright. Which I'm glad you are... And really, I apologize for not being there for you at that time..." Seeing how Val frowned, he wittingly added " Both I and Mr Bob. I hope you won't give up on us and continue with your help?" Attorney Chris asked. He deduced from Val's speech from just now that she had doubts whether to continue with all of this.

Val was silent for a while. Indeed, she had contemplations, but they weren't that deep.

" Well... I still have a lot to benefit from the deal. Can't back out now can I?" Val stated half-jokingly, and half-thoughtfully.

" May I ask, what would you do after everything is over. I assume you're a lady of bright prospect and you must of course have a plan?" Attorney Chris struck a casual conversation.

Val was slightly taken aback by what she didn't know whether to take as a compliment or not.

' And what's with the question and that pose he was making? is he trying to have a casual talk to redeem himself of the weird state he'd given me just now?'

Attorney Chris now faced her with a drink in his hands. Val noticed the tattoo on his chest from the unbuttoned part of his shirt. It seemed like a tattoo of what seemed like a fireball, a black fire? But it continued down his torso so Val couldn't really tell. It was kind of hot, but Val wasn't really into it.

" I'm not sure" Val looked up and thought for a while. Of course she had a plan, she just didn't know if she should share with him. It was quite complicated afterall, and she still didn't trust this man. There seems to be something off about him.

" Do you plan to get committed to a relationship once again?" Attorney Chris asked. If Val was taken aback by the question earlier, now she was suspicious and couldn't help but frown at it.

' Okay, this is going off charts!'

The man was supposed to be professional and formal after all. So why's he being so creepy? Val didn't know the good-looking, respectable attorney had this side to him.

" Well, I'd like to settle someday..." The man spoke with a melancholic smile, causing Val to let down her guard a bit.

In truth, attorney Chris is a lawyer quite alright, and should be professional with his approach. But he can't run away from things like emotions as well. He's human as well.

" You're not married?" Val asked as though she were surprised. She tried to keep the conversation on the line with the thought to end the conversation as soon as she could and take her leave.

" Never been. I mean I've had quite a few side attractions but none of them made me feel certain" Attorney Chris smiled bitterly.

" The thing is... Miss Val. This might sound really weird but I have a feeling now is the best time to say what I've been feeling inside of me all these while..."

Val had a feeling this was going somewhere she didn't like but she stayed solemn and listened, refusing to draw conclusions.

Val's heart thrummed softly but strangely. This was all going too fast.

" You know, the way you smile. The wits and decisive character. All of this gets me really hooked and I fall in a deep pit for you. And the closer you get, the severe the damage you deal to me ..." Attorney Chris made a difficult expression as he placed a palm to his chest as if in pain.

Val just listened as her mind went wild, she just stared dumbfounded as the image of the attorney which she prior had in mind shattered more and more.

Who the fuck is this weird dude?

" I like you, Ms Val... No, Val. I really do" Attorney Chris confessed. He looked dead into her eyes with a perfectly feigned sincerity in his tone as he spoke.

Val was certainly speechless from what was going on. She thought in silence for a while, not minding the expectant gaze the attorney gave her.

" Um... Attorney, we shouldn't be doing this..." Val slowly stated feeling anxious and squirming in sit as if she were sitting on needles. " No, not quite... The thing is. I have no thought to be in a relationship for now and please try to understand me." Val wittingly declined with a convincing explanation that stunned even the attorney.

Attorney Chris made a difficult face as though he was pained and shot his glance away from Val as he whined pitifully. " I understand."

" Well... if- If that's all, I guess I'll take my leave then" Val said and slowly rose to grab her bag before making an exit. She held her arms stiffly to her sides as she walked away without turning back.

As she left, Attorney Chris just stared at the center rug depressed and never shot a glance at her.

Her heart pounded in her head as she tried to leave as calmly as she could. With this meeting, Val had finally realized something, and only this moment will determine if it was true or not.

She didn't need to ask about what had truly happened the last time, in fact, her gut feelings were probably right.

Val was cautious of that place where she had fallen unconscious and only heaved a deep sigh of relief after she was out the door.

Val thoughts as to attorney Chris being a pervert was almost a hundred percentile confirmed if only he'd tried to attack her with force in there.

She had her bag to her side, ready to swing at him at any time. However, that never happened.

Val was now confused. She didn't know if she had been overthinking things or if things were as exactly as she thought.

If it were the former, Val felt bad for the poor man. Val understood she was quite an attractive lady, and attorney Chris being a man asking her out like that wasn't in the least an impossibility. But it was just as she had said, she couldn't see herself in any relationship as of current. She had a lot to deal with, both emotionally and physically.

It wasn't that the Attorney wasn't her type or anything, he's quite a charming chad. Val was just in an emotional mess, and wasn't willing to add to all the troubles she had in hand already. She was pregnant for Bob, and couldn't just go off with another man like that.

But in the light that she might be wrong in her thought and that the latter notion about the attorney being a pervert, Val made a mental note to be always be on guard.

' I guess the best solution is to stay as far away from attorney Chris as possible. I don't think there's anything to discuss anymore, and the second trial is fast approaching... I'm never coming back here again' Val made a concise decision to stop herself from falling in the hands of someone who's probably a pervert.

She thought to inform Bob of this but she decided otherwise. He probably wouldn't reason in her view after all. He'd only think I'm overreacting to a situation that's not what it seems.

Val rushed out the complex and asked Aidan to take her back to her apartment. In the end, just as the last time she visited attorney Chris being as weird as it still feels, Val was again unable to get the thought of attorney Chris asking her out like that off her mind.

Pervert or not, Val knew to stay away from attorney Chris for the time being.