A bad mood

With the box under her arms and while being dressed to the nines, Laila was walking up the stairs to her former workplace, where she hadn't worked a day in her current life. Feeling a bit nervous about presenting her first design to someone who was a professional in the field. Wondering what she might think and if she would be able to read her actual response by the initial expression on her face upon opening the package. While Laila took a deep breath, she walked through the door of the building in front of her, as it was being held open for her by someone exiting the building. A few blocks over, a group of people were feeling nervous for a completely different reason as they too made their way into a building through a door that was being held open for them. But contrary to Laila's case, their door wasn't being held open by a kind stranger, but an officer in uniform.

This group of people was none other than Harold and his goons, because second big thing that was supposed to take place this week, was the arraignment of him and his gang. After much waiting, the first step of punishing Harold, and making him pay for his crimes, could be taken as the day of Harold's bail hearing had arrived. As an added bonus, with a request for an expedited hearing for Olivia and her father, it was decided that their hearing would follow on the day after. Making that the third event of the week. With a bit of luck, trials would be starting by the end of the month. Making the day come near on which their hard work and all that digging would pay off. With such big things on the horizon, it all in all promised to be an eventful week. Though for now, all of the 'victims' of his crimes pretended like they were unaware, as they had promised to not be present or involved in the proceedings of the case until they were called upon. They knew that an update would be given by Joe when there was one to be given. So, until then they decided to just live their lives and not let a man like Harold, waste any more of their time or energy than he already had.

Max, as promised, didn't attend the hearing in person either but unlike Noah and the others, he could not turn a complete blind eye to the matter. He could accept not attending, but not the pretending that nothing was going on or taking place. Fortunately for him, he didn't need to attend in person, nor did he need to pretend that nothing was going on because he worked at a tech company. A high-end one and one specialized in security and cyber security. So, in order to keep to his promise and do right by his own feelings, he had one of the people at the firm hack into the camera's at the courthouse in order to watch and listen the hearing from the comfort of his own desk.

Seeing their smug faces as they entered the courtroom and the complete lack of respect for anyone present, the disdain and disinterested looks on their faces, angered Max even more than he already was. His knuckles turned white from how hard he was balling his fist as his eyes were fixated on the screen. He was feeling some reserve initially, for what he was about to do, but their behaviour and complete lack of remorse, made any hesitation he had, disappear. Regardless of the outcome of the trial that would follow, he needed all of those involved to feel some of the pain they had inflicted. They couldn't nearly take the lives of Noah, Steve and their loved ones, without being forced to endanger their own. Although Noah had said that he would make sure they would be begging for death once they were convicted, Max saw no reason to not let that suffering start now.

So, when the judge banged her gavel, and the ruling was out, Max initiated phase two. Now that it was clear that the bail for all of them had been denied, the moment for Max to make the call and put his second plan in motion had arrived. He had waited until the ruling, because he needed Harold to be in a bad mood when he heard this, so that he could make his day worse, and potentially cause him to do some of the dirty work for them. Because although they knew that Olivia had used him and his nephew, Harold didn't. He was still unaware that he had been betrayed like this, and Max was convinced that if he were to find out, he would retaliate. Even while in prison. With no regards for any potential consequences.