Never Judge

"Fine." Katerina said as she chuged her remaining drink and asked for more. "It was five years ago. Remember dad\'s celebration party on the yacht? He invited many of his friends and supporters, mainly businessmen and their families. Among the guests were the Carpio family, Calathea, her father, and her mother."

Katerina leaned back to make herself more comfortable, this story was something she had buried deep down, something that was way too painful to her so she chose to forget.

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"Calathea Carpio was still hell bent on getting Eric to marry her. The plans for the marriage weren\'t completely called off at this point and the Chans were still hoping that Eric would give up his career as an actor to come and join the family business." Katerina explained. "I had just returned from America and passed the bar exams so my father was very much excited and began introducing me to everyone, when I was introduced to the Carpio family Calathea suddenly says, I don\'t want to interact with husband stealers. My dad was shocked and offended, the Carpios begin to beg my dad for his forgiveness and tells us that Calathea didn\'t mean me."

"I remember this party. I went as an actor. I endorsed your dad for election that year." Eric said recounting the party.

"Of course no one dared talk about what Calathea had said to my face, but behind my back people began gossiping. Those that knew who Calathea desired said I had slept with the eldest Chan and was pregnant. Those that didn\'t assumed that the president\'s daughter was a mistress. They made me sick, but I continued to pretend like I didn\'t care. I continued working and became well known as a lawyer." Katerina said, finishing another bottle.

"Slow down, you\'ll get drunk." Cedric said, concerned about the woman he considered to be like a sister.

"Katerina doesn\'t do drunk." Eric said as he stared at Katerina. 

"Don\'t pretend to know me that well Eric, we aren\'t Miguel and Veronica." Katerina said with a cocky laugh.

Eric laughed and shook his head. "I don\'t have any plans on being a love sick puppy like my younger brother."

"As I was saying, the problem with Calathea Carpio is that the more I ignored her, the more she wanted to bother me and pull me down. That\'s when she began the rumors the I was only winning cases because my dad was the president. Alexi was furious, he wanted to go after the Carpios. I told him to ignore Calathea, people even suggested that I lose some cases just to show that I wasn\'t winning because of dad. I couldn\'t do that, I can\'t do that. I\'m not that kind of person." Katerina said, drinking even more.

"So you fought on." Cedric said to which Katerina responded with a nod. 

"That incident where Calathea tried to sleep with Eric, that was her most desperate move. For some reason Calathea saw me as competition when I never fought her for what she wanted. I just lived my life, and built my name. When it was sure that Eric would not return to the Chan family three years ago Calathea took advantage of a classmate\'s wedding." Katerina leaned forward and sighed. "Eric was a groom\'s man, he and the groom were classmates in highschool, while the bride was my classmate in highschool as well. They had invited the most famous and most popular people around."

"I wasn\'t even close to the guy, but of course I couldn\'t refuse." Eric said.

"Our parents didn\'t go so we were their representatives. Calathea was friends with most of the other groomsmen and I saw her asking them to slip something into Eric\'s drink. I quickly told my brother, Ray, Nicole, and Ayanna. While the boys looked for evidence, the girls and I looked for Eric." Katerina explained.

"I remember drinking a toast to the couple, then very little after." Eric said, shaking his head. 

"When I found you Calathea was trying to get you into her room. Honestly, if I hadn\'t been so worried I would have laughed at her. She was trying to pull you when you kept saying you had to get to someone. I even found the hidden paparazzi she had planted in order to make her attempt look like you had willingly slept with her." Katerina said with a laugh.

"I guess Eric should be thankful for whatever was pulling him away." Cedric told Katerina.

"Well, I couldn\'t understand what he was saying." Katerina said looking away. Cedric looked at Katerina who was blushing, it was clear that she had understood what Eric had said and it was something that involved her. "Anyway, when it was clear Calathea was not going to let him go, I punched her and Eric and I ran away. I drove him home, but I didn\'t know where to take him so I took him to my apartment where Alexi and Ray made sure he was fine." Katerina said, rushing the rest of the story.

"I know what I said, and I meant it." Eric said in a low voice.

"So what do you want Katerina?" Cedric asked.

"I want Calathea Caprio to understand that I\'m not a pushover, I might not have what she desperately wants, but I\'m not afraid to face her." Katerina said as she continued to drink.

"Just that?" Eric asked. "You can manage that on your own."

"Stop talking as if we are close Eric. We stopped being close a long time ago. I don\'t want to be in the middle of your issue with Calathea." Katerina said as she moved away from Eric.

"Katerina, I\'ll help you." Eric said.

"You? You can\'t help. Cedric can, Miguel can, Ram can, you can\'t. You\'ll only make it worse." Katerina ranted. "When you started dating those celebrities and socialites Calathea got worse, she assumed you were doing it for me. So she fabricated evidence, spread rumors, and I couldn\'t go after her. I\'m a lawyer and I couldn\'t take her to court because my dad refused and because of the image it presented." Katerina continued to complain.

"I\'ll do something to the Carpios. I\'ll make sure to tell them that it\'s from you and me Katerina." Cedric looked at the pair, it seemed that their issues were deeper than what they showed everyone. Katerina had always seemed strong, but when it came to Eric, Cedric couldn\'t get a read on her.

"Thank you Cedric. I\'ll drink a little bit more. Go home to your wife." Katerina said with a nod. "And you, go home." Katerina said to Eric.

"It\'s been a while since we spoke. I won\'t go yet, I don\'t plan on wasting the view." Eric said, ordering another bottle.

"Just don\'t drink and drive." Cedric said bidding goodbye to his friends.

When Cedric got home that night he found Adrianna already in bed. He climbed in next to her and hugged her tightly.

"You\'re home late tonight." Adrianna said with a light complain. She was slightly irritated with the scene earlier in the restaurant.

"Katerina asked for my help with an annoyance." Cedric told his wife.

"Calathea?" Adrianna assumed since Calathea had mentioned Katerina in their confrontation earlier.

"Mmmm. Yeah. I heard she tried to fight with you earlier. I\'ve sent them a warning." Cedric told Adrianna.

Adrianna took a deep breath beside Cedric and lightened up. "I can manage Calathea." Adrianna said before falling asleep in Cedric\'s arms.