Her Wedding: Ch. 02

“Buddy, it’s been three months. Have you decided yet?”

“I still don’t know…”

“Everyone’s attending though.”

My best friend on the other end hangs up the phone. I lean back on the leather chair, deciding if I should attend my… Our secondary school classmate’s wedding.

Her wedding is in three days time. The solemnisation is going to be held in her church. The banquet, at Marina Bay Sands Singapore. I heard that her husband-to-be booked the penthouse. Everyone is talking about it on Facebook. I open up Instagram on my phone. Pictures of her wedding photoshoot flood my screen. Her wedding is the hype of the town. Her sweet smile is trending on Instagram.

That’s a big diamond ring she has there.

“It’s not something I can’t afford.”

Really? I doubt it.

Knock, knock, knock. The door opens. I glance up. My legal assistant cum secretary is leaning against my doorway. I smile at her.

“Boss, you have a meeting soon at the Police Headquarters,” she reminds me of my tight schedule.

I get up and smoothen my shirt.

“Thanks for reminding me, Acelynn. While I’m out, can you clear my desk and get me more coffee? And lock the door on your way out.”

She answers from the doorway. “Sure. Sometimes I wonder why you even need an assistant. You’re so efficient, you leave me with nothing to do,” she replies animatedly.

I shrug her comment off with a smile and hand her the keys. “Thanks Acelynn…”

Acelynn continues on while clearing my table, “Looking good as always, boss. But don’t get too carried away by the young ma’ams there at the precinct.” She has a mischievous glint in her eyes as she bats her eyelashes. “Oh and before I forget… You have another appointment with a witness to the Stein case at six. I worked overtime to prepare the case file for you.”

“Yup, I’ll be back to talk to the witness, don’t worry about it.”

I leave the room and head for the carpark.

“Urgh…”

I grimace. Every single time I enter or exit the Attorney-General Chambers, I always get stares from others, as if I were some kind of freak. I used to like the attention, but that was back when I was a student, still oblivious to the sheer massive size of the world. Now, I just want my innocence back.

“That’s him. The one who on the Danry case.”

“Who? Him? He’s the one? He’s just a kid!”

“That’s the one Law Society calls Satan Incarnate, the youngest senior prosecutor in town.”

Satan Incarnate. That is the label given to me by the defence counsels. In the courtroom, I am the criminals’ worst nightmare. I always request for the maximum penalty to be dealt for every criminal I prosecute. A police investigation officer whom I am close to confessed to me once that most criminals would rather face the music than appeal to the high court and risk experiencing my wrath. Half of the defence counsels in Law Society do not agree with my ruthless approach. The other half do not even have the time to discuss about it. They are too occupied wondering how they lost the case to me. I am that good. I have never lost a case.

So the name stuck. Every law enforcer in town knows me by Satan Incarnate, the devil in flesh, the one who condemns humans to hell.

As an up-and-rising star in the AG Chambers, I am on route to becoming the youngest chief prosecutor in history. But all these came with many sacrifices and a hell lot of discipline and hardwork. I had to research on cases into the wee-hours of the night, reaching home only to catch about an hour of sleep before taking on the next day. I didn’t want to deprive my family members of their rest so I moved out. My job became so demanding that the Chambers requested for an assistant to help me with my work load. Out of all the candidates, I picked a twenty-three year old law graduate fresh out of college. And so I am stuck with a cheerful individual, three years younger than me, following behind me wherever I go.

How ironic… Someone so optimistic should not follow behind a broken man.

Ignoring his comments, I walk towards my Mercedes-Benz parked in the reserved lot. I click the button on my car key and get into my two-seater sports car.

“The red packet is gonna cost a fortune, y’know that, right?”

Not an amount you can’t afford.

“Thought you doubted my financial capabilities?”

It is tradition to give the bride and groom a red packet for good luck and fortune. The amount of money in the red packet is supposed to be equivalent to the price of the dinner. The more luxurious the hotel, the heavier the ‘payment’.

I wait for his reply…

I take out my phone and call my best friend, Zed.

“Hey. I can’t make it for the solemnisation, but I will come for the dinner.”

Anyway, it doesn’t seem apt for Satan Incarnate to walk through the holy doors of church.

Finally, something we agree on.

I hang up the phone. For that split second, I see the reflection of my face in the phone screen.

“Nothing’s changed,” I sigh. I start up the engine and take a glance at the rear mirror. There he is, his red eyes still looking back at me.

For starters, you can never afford her smile…

To that, I have no reply.