8 Her First Trial

It's a cold morning when Leonora is getting ready to leave her house for the court to defend a pro bonus case her father had arranged for her through a friend. She is excited about the challenges the day has in store for her and eager to help her client solve his problems.

Leonora wears an impeccable suit, picks up her briefcase and looks at herself in the mirror. She wears a simple look for her first day in court since returning to Maputo — Mozambique. She feels confident and determined to make a difference in people's lives.

As she goes downstairs towards the kitchen, she finds her parents already eating breakfast. They sat at the table, exchanging affectionate smiles.

"Dad, Mom, today is an important day," Leonora says, taking a sip of coffee. "I have the trial on the paternity test case."

Her parents exchanges proud and encouraging looks. "We are confident in you, my dear," says her father, placing his hand over hers. "You have always dedicated yourself to your cases with passion and competence."

The mother agrees, adding, "You're a brilliant lawyer, Leonora. I'm sure you'll do an excellent job in court today."

Leonora smiles, feeling strengthened by her parents' words of support. "Thank you for believing in me. It's comforting to know I have your love and support."

As they enjoyed breakfast together, Leonora's parents continued to encourage her. "Remember to be confident and assertive," said the father. "Present your arguments clearly and build on the solid evidence you've collected."

The mother nods. "And don't be deterred by anything that may come up in court. You are capable of handling any challenge that comes your way."

Leonora finished her breakfast feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. She hugs her parents, thanking them for their unconditional support. "I'll do my best, you two are my motivation."

With one last bit of encouragement, her parents wishes her good luck as she head to the garage, ready to fight for her client's rights in the paternity test case.

As soon as she opens the door, Leonora feels the fresh morning air caress her face. She walks towards the car parked in the garage, ready to face another day in the world of law.

As she drives through the city's busy streets, Leonora reflects on her career and why she chose to specialize in family law. She has always been passionate about helping people through difficult times and believes that the peaceful resolution of family conflicts is critical to the well-being of everyone involved.

The lawyer, Patrick, drives towards work, immersed in his thoughts about the pending cases. Traffic is congested, and he moves slowly down the lane when something catches his eye.

Across the road, Patrick has a fleeting glimpse of a familiar figure. His heart races and he blinks his eyes to make sure he's not imagining things. There's no two faces that looks alike, that could only be her. It's her-his ex-girlfriend, Leonora!

A mixture of surprise and nostalgia floods Patrick. They broke up some time ago, but the memories are still vivid in his mind. He wonders how Leonora is and how her life has gone since then.

While traffic moves slowly, Patrick tries to stay focused on his destination. However, his eyes keep searching for Leonora among the cars in hopes of catching another glimpse of her. But she's long gone, without even noticing him.

Patrick cell phone rings, interrupting his thoughts. It's an urgent call from the office about an important client who needs his immediate attention. Patrick takes a deep breath and turns his attention to the road in front of him.

As he drives, he realises that the unexpected encounter has stirred his emotions. However, now is not the appropriate time to deal with this. He parks the car in front of the office and decides to leave the memories of the past behind for now.

There is work to be done and clients to be represented. Patrick knows he needs to focus on his responsibilities before facing his past head on again, after all he will be working with her.

Meanwhile, in the courtroom, Leonora stands up and start her opening case. "Your Honor, we are here today to establish the paternity of my client's child. We have substantial evidence that points to Moses as the biological father." Moses quickly gets up and interrupts

"This is nonsense! I never had any kind of relationship with Laura. These accusations are false!" The judge asks for calm and allows Mose's lawyer to make his statement.

"Your Honor, my client vehemently denies any involvement with Ms Laura. There is no concrete evidence that he is the father of the child." The judge nods and asks the parties to present evidence of him. Laura's lawyer calls her first witness, Laura's close friend Carolina.

"Carolina, can you confirm that you witnessed the relationship between Laura and Moisés?"

"Yes, I can. I saw them together several times, acting like a couple in love." Moses' lawyer stands up to ask his question.

"Carolina, isn't it true that you and Laura have fought recently? Was this not an attempt to harm Moses?"

"No, it wasn't! Our friendship is solid and this has nothing to do with any fights we may have had." Moses' attorney continues his line of questioning, but his attempts to discredit the witness are in vain. 

After presenting the evidence, the judge announces a break to analyze all the elements presented. The room grows tense as everyone awaits the verdict. When the judge returns, he announces his decision

"Based on the evidence presented, the need for a paternity test is established to determine the true identity of the child's father. Trial adjourned!" The judge hits the gravel and leave the court 

Laura and Moises's exchange looks full of emotion and uncertainty. The trial has just begun, but the path to uncovering the truth is paved.

Patrick is sitting in his meeting room, anxiously awaiting the arrival of his important client, Mr. Zandamela. He meticulously prepared for this meeting, reviewing every detail of the case and studying all relevant laws.

Finally, the door opens and Mr. Zandamela enters, accompanied by his legal team. Patrick gets up to greet them and leads them to the meeting table.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Zandamela. It's a pleasure to meet you," Patrick greets with a firm handshake.

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Daniel," replies Mr. Zandamela with a polite smile.

Patrick begins the meeting by explaining the details of the case and the possible legal strategies that can be adopted. It presents a thorough analysis of the evidence and discusses the chances of success.

Throughout the meeting, Patrick remains confident and professional, answering all of Mr. Zandamela's questions with clarity and confidence. He knows this is a crucial opportunity to impress the customer and gain their trust.

As the meeting continues, Patrick notices that Mr. Zandamela is increasingly interested in his ideas and arguments. He can see in the customer's eyes that his words are making an impact.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Zandamela reaches out to Patrício again. "Thank you very much for your detailed presentation and your expertise, Mr. Patrick. I am impressed with your professionalism and dedication. Let's move forward with your strategy."

Patrick smiles, feeling a mix of relief and satisfaction. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mr. Zandamela. I look forward to working on your case and achieving the best outcome possible."

After advising Laura about what to do and not to do from now onwards, Leonora goes to her car and waves at her client who is still on the sidewalk waving back at her. He gives her a smile which she returns, and then she starts driving to her mother's company. 

As Leonora is still driving, her phone starts ringing, and she connects it to the Bluetooth device.

"Hello, my favourite cousin... Yes, you know you're not the only cousin I've... I love all of you the same way... I know you would, but I have a really estate agent, she's helping me with everything... Hold on, I'm going to disconnect the phone."

Outside of the building, disconnecting her phone from the Bluetooth device, she switches off the engine and gets out of the car still talking on the phone. She waves at the security as she enters the building.

"I was busy with a case... Yeah. It was like walking on the sidewalk... No. I've been busy convincing my parents to let me off the hook..."

"Good morning," She hears once the elevator opens. She smiles at the young man in recognition and goes back to her phone. Inside the elevator, with her friend who is talking non-stop, she patiently waits for the elevator to come to a stop.

"Not if she wants nothing to do with him... I can help, but she needs to be 100% honest with me... No. I'm not taking her case if she won't be honest... No. There's no need for money ... Great."

"Good morning," She says to the receptionist as she walks past her and some other people.

"Good morning, Ms Dark. Shall we check your schedule?" Leonora's assistant asks, following her behind.

"Good morning, Beatrice. Yes, please. I have lunch later with a client, please make sure you clear my afternoon meeting with the excuse that I have a family emergency," Leonora says.

"Yes, ma'am. We started with a weekly meeting with Mr Gomez. They're all here." Beatrice tells her. "Excellent," Leonora says.

"What? That's impossible...I know. Okay, I'll see you after work... Nadia, I have people waiting for me... Yeah, I will see you soon."

She hangs up the phone as she enters the meeting room, a group of executives waiting for her. Leonora's assistant who is following behind put Leonora's file on the glass table and takes her bag.

"Well, let's see what changes you have made," Leonora says, clapping her hands.

"Thank you. Leonora, we have been working on the traditional summer collection following these guidelines, and we hope you like it as much as we do." One of the designers tells her.

The elegant and attractive brunette curl hair and brown eyes woman turns her chair towards the screen, where a video with fashion images is shown, Leonora watches the video and makes a condescending gesture of disapproval. She turns around and when she's about to give them feedback, her phone started ringing, and she looks at them in contemplation. When she's about to cancel, the person disconnected and a few seconds later, she receives a text from Marcella which reads:

Marcella: You won't believe who just walked into the company. Well, I'll let you know everything about it later. Love you. 

"Yes, Beatrice," Leonora says giving her attention. Yes, Leonora is a lawyer, but she manages her mother's company. That was the agreement Leonora made with her father before she accepted the scholarship to study aboard. She first studied law in her county, then she applied for a scholarship, so she can study international law — her dream has always been to specialise in Family Law and that's what she did. She also did a short period curse to understand how the clothing industry works, so that she wouldn't be so clueless when she starts visiting G&D Agency twice a week.

But Mrs Grace Dark has a trustworthy man there, and for the times Leonora was at the agency growing up and when she moved back to her home country, she can confirm that Albert is a trustworthy man, and she also trusts him a lot. But Mrs Dark as always, wants to know everything.

"Mrs Dark wants to talk to you,"

"Tell her I'll call back when I'm done with the meeting."

"Okay," Beatrice goes outside and Leonora continues with the meeting. Leonora knows that her mother is only calling to remind her to attend dinner at their house later in the evening. Leonora is not a bit excited about it. They only invite her when it's work-related matters.

[***]

When Leonora is off work, Marcella calls her and tells her about seeing Leonora's ex-boyfriend at her workplace, but Leonora quickly changes the topic. Later in the evening, Leonora is seated at the dining table having dinner with her parent's.

"Do you remember John?"

"Yes, I do. What's wrong?"

"He owns a law firm, and he thought you had want to work there. He's looking for a Senior Lawyer who specialised in family law to fill the position and since you studied the local family law and you're a generalist lawyer, I think you should consider it. You will have unlimited cases."

"What's in it for you, Dad? Working with him means I've to be there full time and I can't take care of mother's company with a full-time job as a senior attorney."

"Leonora, this is a good opportunity. You can't say no because of a clothing company." Grace says, catching Leonora off guard.

"You're the one who said that I had to take over your position as CEO there." Leonora reminds her mother.

"Sure, but thing changes." Mr Martins agrees as he looks at his only daughter.

"Who will take care of the company? Will you go back to work?" Leonora asks her mother raising her eyebrows at her. Leonora can't imagine her mother going back to work, not that she couldn't. It's just hard for Leonora to see her mother, who is in her late 50s, yelling at her workers.

"Of course not, but you will until we get a suitable person to act as CEO. Again, all I want from you is to go there twice a week to see how things are going." Leonora's mother says pushing her empty places to the side.

"Mom, are you sure you want a strange running your business? That doesn't sound like you."

"I know, but I don't want to hold you back. You love your work, so why should you take a few cases working as a public defender when you can work for a private company? Just take the offer and make us proud."

As good as that idea is, Leonora couldn't help but wonder if John didn't want her to work with him because of her dad. That's something she couldn't accept.

Leonora and her parents started discussing the last details of the party. She gets up and hugs her parents affectionately.

"Thank you for including me in this incredible event, mom and dad. I'm so proud of you," Leonora says, with a sincere smile. Her parents return the hug with tenderness.

"We're the ones who have you to thank, dear. Your help has been instrumental in making all of this possible," her mother replies.

After a few minutes of conversation, Leonora says goodbye and goes up the stairs towards her room. She lies down on the bed and feels a feeling of calm invade her body. She knows that tomorrow will be a day full of emotions and she wants to be well rested to face it in the best way possible.

As she settles under the soft sheets, Leonora reflects on her life and the changes to come. She feels a mix of excitement and apprehension, but trusts herself to face the challenges that lie ahead.

As she closes her eyes, she hears the muffled sound of the music her parents are trying out for the party. She smiles when she recognizes one of her favorites, a song that always reminds her of special family moments.

As the music fills the room, Leonora lets herself be carried away by the gentle rhythm. Her mind calms down, and she allows herself to relax completely. She knows that tomorrow will be an important day for her parents and she wants to be there, both physically and emotionally.

As she drifts off to sleep, Leonora feels grateful for the loving family she has by her side. She knows that she can always count on them, even when she is far away, walking her own path.

With these comforting thoughts, she finally falls asleep, ready to face the new day with renewed energy. Knowing that the fundraising event will be a success and that her family will be united in yet another shared achievement.