Page 117 of Surprise! I'm Engaged To My Boss
I stood up and reached out to grab her. Margaret also stood up and stepped back. That angered the judge.
“Gentlemen, please remain seated, the hearing has not yet ended.”
“Your Honor...” I said, trying to control the emotion in my voice. “I'm sorry, that was the first time my daughter said the word 'dadda'. She's crying a lot and showing signs that she wants to come with me. I just want to hold her for a while, please.”
Margaret protested, but the judge, seeming to take pity on my case, asked her to hand over the childto me, and she did so, visibly reluctantly. As if by magic, Alice stopped crying as soon as she was in my arms, and I sat down again, hugging her tightly, thinking how I would bear it if this were the last time I could hold her in my arms.
And perhaps it really was. Hearing all that was said about me, I thought that even I would not leave a child in the care of someone like the man described in those words.
When the lawyer finally finished his speech, the judge turned to Janet and me and asked if we had anything to say. Janet looked at me silently, as if asking if I wanted to speak. And I did, even though I had nothing really concrete to say.
“Your Honor, unfortunately I have no way of proving that the things said about me are outdated or untrue. It is true that I was an irresponsible and reckless playboy, but that is in the past. Since I discovered Alice’s existence, I have changed. It is also true that not only she, but also my fiancée have been the target of kidnapping attempts recently. And I know that this was all a setup against me, but unfortunately I have no proof of that. So, all I have left are my words.”
“Dadda!” Alice repeated, bringing her little hand to my face.
When I looked at her, I was greeted by the most beautiful smile in the entire world, and at that, I couldn't hold back the tears.
Looking at her, I continued to speak, “I didn't really know what love was before this little girl came into my life. She was the one who opened my heart, and it was thanks to her, too, that I fell in love with a wonderful woman, who also loves my daughter and would be the best mother in the world to her. And all we want is to be able to have that opportunity. It's because of Alice that I've been trying to be a better man, day after day. For her and for...”
My speech was interrupted when the door to the room was violently opened. Everyone present – even Alice – turned their eyes there, finding Camila completely out of breath, as if she had run a marathon to get there.
“And for... the crazy woman who just invaded the room...” I finished, incredulous.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” the judge asked, completely in shock.
Camila took a few more steps, entering the room, and raised her hand, looking at the judge.
“I protest, your honor!” she managed to say, almost breathless.
“Protest against what?”
“I... I don't know... But I always hear that in movies.”
Caleb started to speak as he walked towards Camila.
“Who let that crazy woman in here? Isn't there security in this courthouse?” He threatened to grab her by the arm, but I got up and, taking Alice with me, practically ran, getting in between the two of them and stopping that son of a bitch from touching her.
“Stay away from my fiancée,” I said in a threatening tone.
The judge stood up, irritated by the whole thing.
“Order! Or I'll call security. By the way, where is security? Who is this woman and what is she doing here?”
Camila took a deep breath and turned back to face the judge, starting to speak, “I can explain everything, Your Eminence...”
“Your Excellency,” I corrected her.
“That's it. Mr. Judge, can it be? It can, right?”
“Just tell me what you came here to do,” the judge ordered, already more than impatient.
“I brought new evidence to the case, which shows that Michael is innocent of everything those two accuse him of, and that they were the ones who set it all up.Please, I just need five minutes, and I will be able to explain everything.”
A real commotion ensued there. The door opened again and the security guard who was supposed to be on duty in the hallway came in, but only now did he seem to realize that there had been an invasion of the courtroom. Caleb and Margaret began shouting for them to get 'that crazy woman' out of there. Janet shouted back, asking them to let Camila speak.
But the most significant sound that reached my ears was Alice's laughter, who shook her arms happily upon seeing Camila.
“Hi, princess! I missed you too...” Camila said, holding Alice's little hand, where she placed a kiss. Then she looked at me. “I missed your idiot father too, but I'll deal with him later.”
