From all the pain that Yvonne had felt during her stint with Brien, she learned that relationships fail not because of the lack of love. Rather, it's the lack of one's commitment that results in heartaches and betrayals.
Brien Ahsan was an egotistical narcissist. Him wanting to feel good about himself, he indulged in pursuing different women at the same time. That every woman he succeeds in conquering becomes just another notch in his bedpost.
She thinks of him this way not because she became bitter from what she experienced before, but by looking at it from another perspective.
While in the past, she was blinded by her emotions that she failed to see. But now, looking back in her past life, Yvonne saw that she made the mistake of forgetting herself for the sake of saving a sinking ship. That alone made her decide to cut all ties with the man.
~×~×~×~×~
The next day, Istee stayed with Yvonne and guided her on her task within the department.
Just as she was getting the hang of it, a commotion was heard at the hallway.
"Hey, did you know that Prosecutor Taras will be the main speaker of the forum this afternoon?"
"You mean to say, the youngest twenty-nine year-old formidable Prosecutor Taras of Regional Courts?"
"I heard right after he became a lawyer, he took on cases that qualified him as a Justice of Courts!"
"Oh, you should see him! He's still so young, so powerful... And dreamy... I wonder if he already has a girlfriend?"
Gasps of admiration and squeals of delight was heard in the entire hallway.
"Miss Istee, who are they talking about?" Yvonne wanted to know the reason behind this commotion.
"Oh, it's Prosecutor Gianni Taras, the youngest son of the former President Taras. He's also a nephew of of the Chief." Miss Istee began to tell Yvonne her inside information about the man.
Gianni Taras was the youngest prosecutor in the city, and possibly the whole country. From when he became a prosecutor, most of the cases he handled were about female victims. From assaulted women, harassment, even stalking cases.
"Not only is he very good-looking, he is also very passionate towards his profession. That's why women were lining up just to get a glimpse of his formidable self.
"However, rumors had it that his passion for taking on these cases came from his mother. It was said that he witnessed his mother being assaulted. Although the real story is deeply hidden within the Taras family."
From the stack of information Miss Istee offered about the man, it was easy to see how female species could fall for him. It was like the classic cliche, "the hero saves the damsel in distress."
Just then, the door to the Chief Attorney was opened and two men walked out. One was the Chief Public Attorney, and the other was a strikingly handsome younger man.
This Gianni Taras was standing so tall, it looked very intimidating. Rumors about his looks proved to be true, and even more appealing upon seeing him in person.
Yvonne was taller than most girls her age, and even if she was wearing a three-inched black shoes, she could only reach the guy's shoulders.
He was wearing crisp steel blue suits that highlighted the hue of his eyes. His strong jawline had slight stubble, which added to his overflowing sex appeal.
He caught Yvonne's curious yet indifferent gaze, and his heart skipped a beat. His eyes turned darkest blue as he thought, 'There's something different about her...'
His poker face showed an amused smirk at Yvonne.
Whereas the beauty on the other hand...
'Beautiful face, dangerous maze.' Yvonne thought and just raised an eyebrow in her expressionless face.
This earned a quiet chuckle from Gianni.
The small, very subtle exchange didn't escape the Chief Attorney's eyes. He narrowed his eyes at Yvonne who respectfully bowed at him before turning to walk back to her station.
Gianni saw the old man's stare and said in low voice, "Try it and you'll know what's going to happen."
The Chief Attorney didn't say anything else. He just accompanied Gianni to the seminar hall where he was one of the speakers.
As Istee and Yvonne went back to their station, Yvonne continued to ask the former.
"Miss Istee, what was that forum about?"
"They're doing some awareness drive on Violence Against Women. You can listen in if you want. You will learn a lot from there." Istee kindly offered.
"Can I? Really? Then, I'll head over there now." Yvonne suddenly got excited.
She was curious about this information drive that the office was preparing. Upon hearing the topic, her eyes glinted with excitement. Not a lot of the country's citizens were fully aware of this topic, much more the younger generation.
'I better come prepared when dealing with him. After all, the possibilities are endless with that bastard.' Yvonne wanted something to defend herself with should unfavorable circumstances occured. Hence, she was looking forward to hear more about the forum.
The Public Attorney's Office, apart from offering legal services and representations to private individuals, they also arrange various information drives for legal awareness of the citizens.
The afternoon forum was to promote awareness on Violence Against Women. The former President Taras and his son, Gianni, the father and son pair, were one of its well-known strong supporters.
The forum started right after Gianni and the chief attorney sat on their designated seats. The seminar hall was filled with representatives from various state colleges and universities; selected journalists were also present. Yvonne was able to sneak in and found a quiet corner.
Since this was the second wave of their annual information drive, the young prosecutor prepared a study on the recent statistics.
"We're tapping campuses and youth centers to spread awareness to our young people on the prevention of violence against women in their campuses, and the role that the government, through the help of university staff, faculty and students, should play. This is because over the years, the percentage of completed and attempted r~pe victimization among women in higher educational institutions keeps on increasing until as high as 40 percent."
"This is a very frightening statistical results. Educational institutions need to have consistent policies crucial in dealing with VAW, such as information on how to file criminal charges and anonymous reporting. Even self-defense classes can be integrated into their courses. Knowing that there are ways to deal with their predicament gives them power to change their lives."
"However, there are also hindrances that make victims afraid of coming out. Because being a victim, letting everyone know she's been victimized, takes a humongous blow on their psychological well-being. Not all of us can understand how much they are suffering. Instead, some people keep adding up to their burden by blaming them."
"This is why, we also encourage everyone here to set up a support group for these young girls. For we'd never know, schools may be one thing, but what about their homes? To whom should these young girls turn to when everyone mocks them?"
As Gianni continued to speak, his body posture exudes that of a confident and reliable defendant of justice. He was keenly aware of his charms and knows how to use it to capture everyone within the hall.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a girl's shadow. He then saw it was Yvonne when he ended his speech. However, he didn't see the usual drool-showing adoring gazes of women.
Instead, as he walked over to his seat, she was looking past him with a curious frown. Then her frown flattened as if she suddenly had an enlightenment.
Gianni's speech left a deep impression on her that she suddenly made a decision. She made a mental note to make time for it in the next few days.
After the short speech of Prosecutor Taras, Yvonne got back to the Records Section and resumed her work.
The rest of her day ended productively, which made her feel accomplished. Until...