"AAGH!"
Yeonica slightly moved her head to dodge the papers Mr. Felmor, her boss, threw in the air. Those papers contain a request to perform a reinvestigation of the case she previously handled. She is asking for help from her short-tempered boss.
Mr. Felmor lessened the tightness of his tie and sighed heavily before sitting again in his chair. "Ms. Harmie, Ms. Harmie... MS. HARMIE!" he shouted and smiled to Yeonica right after.
"Hmm, Ms. Harmie, what did I tell you last time?" Mr. Felmor calmly asked Yeonica with his fake big smile. And Yeonica silently wished she could roll her eyes in front of her boss right now.
She heavily sighed and started speaking while looking down, irritated. "You told me to stop requesting for this case to be investigated again."
"Then why are you still doing it?!"
"Mr. Felmo-"
"Ms. Harmie, can you just accept the fact that you didn't win this case? You're repeatedly passing this paper to me."
"And you're repeatedly rejecting it," she cut him.
"Exactly!"
Yeonica came a little nearer to his boss. "Mr. Felmor, I know that my client was found guilty. But I can feel that there's really more to it. Are you not suspicious? I'm not doing this because I lose!" She tried convincing him one more time, but her boss couldn't care less, looking like he was so done with her.
Mr. Felmor sighed and looked at her. "Ms. Harmie, is it my fault that your client unexpectedly confessed that he really stabbed that school guard? Is it your fault? Is it somebody's fault? No. Is it my fault that the evidence and proofs against your client are so strong that even a kid can tell that he's the killer? No! It's no one's fault! There's no more to investigate! So stop bothering me and focus on other cases! Get over with it! Stop focusing on a case that's over!" he said and walked away. Yeonica is left alone inside his boss's office.
Once again, she sighed heavily as she messed her hair.
Mr. Miro Protacio, one of the school guards at Olkizia High School, was recently killed inside the said secondary school during the night. His body was found and reported by his co-workers. The investigators concluded that Mr. Protacio was stabbed in the stomach around 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. and died not too long after. There were no witnesses reported, and unfortunately, there is only one CCTV inside the school, which is located at the school's covered court.
Forensic investigators found fingerprints on the knife and soon discovered that they were Mr. Alvirgo Yamar's. Mr. Yamar's case was opened and handled by Yeonica Harmie, a lawyer from Marshall Law Firm, but was closed too soon as Mr. Yamar confessed during the second trial.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to kill him! I didn't mean to, Your Honor. He was getting on my nerves; I wasn't on myself that night! I am sorry, sorry! It's not my plan to kill him! Not him! Please, forgive me! Your Honor, I am sorry! "
The sudden confession of Mr. Yamar won't give peace to Yeonica. Not because she didn't win the case, but because of the defendant's statement during that time.
"It's not my plan to k-kill him! Not him!"
Yeonica clenched her fists as she tightly closed her eyes. "The investigators declined my request, and that darn old man didn't even listen to my reasons!" she whispered. Her intentions for requesting a reinvestigation for the Protacio v. Yamar case are not because she lost, but because of her inescapable curiosity behind those words Mr. Yamar spitted on the trial. She felt that there's more to it—they need to know more about the defendant's side.
"Not him!"
"It means he was originally aiming for somebody else, doesn't it?" she thought. Yeonica rolled her eyes and walked away after kicking the chairs inside Mr. Felmor's office. She arranged them immediately after, though. "The crime scene must be cleared," she murmured while arranging.
__
The night came, and Yeonica is currently walking home. As usual, her mind never shuts up, even though she really wants to rest and forget about everything. She just can't get her mind off the case she previously worked on. It's bothering her.
"Is this all the money you've got?" a voice of a girl woke her up from her deep thoughts. She stopped walking and looked in the direction where the voice came from. From there, she saw four high school students who were gathering at the side of an empty house. More like a three-versus-one situation.
"Really? What would they get from bullying?" she whispered and went to them.
"Sorry, I will give you more next time," the girl with ponytail hair who looks like the leader of the three slapped the student they're oppressing. "Forget it! You always say that. How about just talk with my palm for some minutes?" she said, and they all laughed. She was about to slap her again, but Yeonica interfered and caught her arm.
"How about just letting this girl live her life peacefully and stop being an immature teen who lacks attention and care and thinks tormenting other people will fill all of that?"
The students turned their eyes to her. "Let me go! Who the fuck are you? Mind your own business!"
Yeonica took the pony girl's ID. These students are from Olkizia High School. "Mezily Cuanco. Oh, you have a wonderful name. Not the same with your attitude, though," she said, taking the wallet from her hand and giving it back to the real owner.
The girl named Mezily rolled her eyes. Her two minions did the same after. "What's your problem, miss? I'm pretty sure we're minding our own business here. Adults really love to interfere. What a nuisance!" she said. Yeonica helped the bullied student get up. "Turning a blind eye to a situation I know is wrong is not my thing, kid. Also, why not say that to yourself when you yourself are not minding your own business and are tampering with this girl's life?" she calmly said to them, even though obviously they don't give a damn.
The three girls laughed. "Who do you think you are?" Mezily rudely said. Yeonica looked at her. "That's right. Who do you think you are? I don't know about your life, and I also don't care, but bullying your classmates or schoolmates won't do you anything good. Just study well and be good. You all will thank me later."
Yeonica smiled at them and took her phone out of her pocket. She put her phone in her ear, pretending to have a call. "Hello, is this the police?"
Mezily immediately held her hand and stopped her from talking. "Miss, miss. Can't you take a joke? Fine, we'll go now," she said, feigning a smile. As if Yeonica won't see her roll her eyes. The three students ran away.
"Are you okay?" she asked the girl. The girl nodded and looked at her. "Thank you, miss." Yeonica smiled at her and patted her head. "Don't let anyone step on you again. If those girls don't stop, tell your parents or teachers about it, or other trusted adults around you."
"Some adults love turning a blind eye every time they've been offered something that is more important to them. You know, money. I don't need them," the girl said, and Yeonica didn't expect that. The girl picked her bag up and looked at Yeonica again. "By the way, thank you, Miss! I really appreciate what you did," she said and waved at her before walking away.
Yeonica waved back and stared at the girl's back. She continued walking, and her mind was now occupied by the girl's words.
"Ah! I forgot to ask her name. She didn't lie, though," she murmured, and she went inside her house.