Your Honor, I Object

[ Manhattan, NewYork. Outdoor Wedding ]

★ Roses are red, violets are blue, but Valeria Steele has long since ran out of colour ★

Weddings?

Weddings were never her thing, but what could she do when the person getting married was her little sister?

Any other Wednesday morning, she would have been in court, sending another criminal to jail, but today, she was surrounded by flowers and false promises.

White chairs lined the aisle like obedient soldiers, waiting for another round of vows she didn't believe in.

The sky was too blue to be real and the floral archway shaped like a door looked like a trap to her.

What pissed her off the most were the fake tears of joy and laughter, like why in a billion years would strangers be happy cause her sister got married? A love story that they knew nothing about?

Oh well!

She stood near the photo booth with a glass of champagne in her hand, her eyes watched as the bubbles came up and she counted each one. She sighed as she counted the twenty-fifth bubble and looked up watching the couple on the altar with bored eyes.

Asher, her brother-in-law led Evelina, her sister to the dance floor. They were smiling as they danced, she saw his arm curl around her waist drawing her closer and another sigh escaped her as she looked away, finishing whatever was left in her glass.

She let the liquid burn down her throat as she drank in a go, then dropped it beside her on a table stand with a heavy slam. She blinked her long lashes twice and held the table tightly as she tried to hold in the nausea she was feeling.

It was terrible.

Maybe, it was the smell of the roses or the ridiculous smiles on people's faces that was riling her up.

Her back stiffened and she stood straight as she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. From the clicks and muffled thud, she knew it was a woman and a man approaching.

"Valeria?"

Her face crunched in displeasure as she heard the familiar male voice.

Fuck! How did they find her here?

She turned around, slowly and behold....

Mr Magnus Steele, her father and Mrs Nadia Steele, her mom.

"Father, mother. What are you doing here?" She gave them fake smiles and the man smiled back, giving her back the same energy.

His hands were tucked into the pockets of his expensive suit, while her mom encircled her hand in his.

A perfect couple ....or maybe not.

"Its your sister's wedding and you're hiding behind a photo booth? Come on Valeria, you can do better. Being anti-social wouldn't help you in any way." Nadia said in her naturally soft voice that would have sounded soothing to Valeria's ears, but it only gave her chills.

"You are right, mother, but I only came here to make a call and besides, the air here seems nice." She lied, her fake smile still up and her father narrowed his eyes at her.

"Meet us at the front. Family picture is next." He informed, giving her one last, watchful look before leaving with his wife.

She watched as he helped her mother hold the short train of her dress and rolled her eyes at the gesture. She was about following them when her phone rang.

It was her secretary.

She stopped in her tracks to pick up.

"Yeah, it's me, Maya. Make it quick." She said, immediately, continuing her walk.

"The state sent in a new assignment for you. Want me to print it out or add it to your calendar?" Maya said and Valeria raised a brow.

"What's the subject about?" She asked.

"It's a dismemberment case of a teenage girl, her boyfriend's a musician in his thirties. State wants you on it." Maya stated promptly and Valeria huffed.

"One of those fúcƙed up cases. Make a schedule, I'll work on it this evening." The call ended and as she put her phone in her purse she bumped into a man walking slowly, in front of her.

"Oh. Sorry I—"

She paused and the man turned. She looked up to see his face and the words automatically got stuck in her throat. She cleared her throat, composing herself and rolled her eyes.

"You know what? I take that back, you don't deserve it, Maverick." She said, walking ahead him.

"Is this a new way of greeting an elder brother you haven't spoken to in months? So disrespectful of you." He said, walking behind her.

She didn't answer, she kept on walking with her hands clutching her purse tightly.

His lips curled into a sinister grin, "You can't cut off from your family, Valeria. Where's Landon by the way? Did he forget that Evie's wedding is today?"

She ignored him totally till she reached her family in the front. Asher and Evelina were already by the cake, ready to cut it. Her parents were beside them.

"Okay, so at the count three, we scream 'Ashlina 2025'. Ready?" Evelina's bride's maid asked.

"Three!"

"Two"

"One! Ashlina 2025!"

They screamed and clapped and Asher held Evelina's hand over the knife as they cut the cake. Pictures were the next thing they were gonna do and she detests it so much.

The couple's picture came first, then the family picture. Mr Steele beside Asher and Mrs Steele beside Evelina, she was beside her mother, while Maverick stood beside Magnus.

"Everyone say cheese!"

She barely smiled, her hands still as they looked at the camera. Then the groom's family came to take a picture and Valeria slipped out of their midst, walking away.

• I heard her sister is more than thirty...

• I heard she is a lawyer too, a state prosecutor and she's ugly, that's why no one wants to marry her.

Valeria paused, her walk stopping momentarily as she saw three elderly women gossiping.

She folded her arms as she listened intently.

• If I were her, I wouldn't attend my younger sister's wedding

• I know right? Valeria should be ashamed her younger sister got married before her.

• These generation of girls think that having a job and jumping from one man to the another is the only thing in life—

"Having a job is...one of the most important things in life..." Valeria cut her off, approaching them with her fake smile.

"Who are...yo..you?" The woman asked, stuttering and Valeria scoffed.

"You don't even know how Evie's big sister looks like, but you are so sure that I'm ugly, promiscuous and above thirty. Who are you guys exactly?" She asked, her voice devilishly calm.

The women fidgeted, their eyes widening, before one was bold enough to speak.

"Are...are you Valerie Steele?"

Valeria came closer, towering above them.

"It's Valeria, not Valerie and the next time you speak, say my name with respect." She spoke firmly and the woman looked down. Valeria looked at the two remaining women looking at her and smiled.

"You know...I could sue you three for defamation, ruining my reputation with these false allegations. Saying I jump from one man to another is enough for me to put you behind bars, exactly where you belong. Don't you have daughters? And for goodness sake, what the effing hell is your business if I don't get married?" She questioned, her tone slightly raised.

"Those were the rumours, miss. You even look more beautiful in person with a gorgeous face and a body of a model. I'm sure the rest of the rumours are false now that we have seen you." The second woman said and they all nodded.

"Yes, you're twice as beautiful as my daughter. I have a son who's looking for a wife, he's turning thirty-five this year, he's very hard working, handsome and rich, I can hook you two together, both of you can start dating and get married. Take my card, I'm Mrs Hernandez, wife of the CEO of Chains industries." Mrs Hernandez stretched out her hand, holding the business card with a friendly smile.

Valeria eyed it, then looked back at her face, sizing her up.

"You sound like a goat trying to give dating advice, loud, stubborn and wildly unqualified." She smirked.