NovelApp
Chapter 579
The courtroom was a stage, and every soul within its walls, save for the actors Frederic
had arranged, glared at Elspeth with eyes filled with loathing and condemnation.
Even Glynnis looked upon Elspeth, the mother who had plotted her downfall with
contempt and disgust.
Elspeth had come prepared for this trial. She had requested a bathroom break before
proceedings to ‘touch up‘ her makeup, ensuring she appeared as a pale and haggard
woman tortured by life’s cruel hand. Her innocent facade was so convincing, it was as if
she had been born for this role.
Frederic, catching Elspeth’s pitiful, pleading gaze, was momentarily transported back to
the days of their early acquaintance. His heart, once sealed in concrete, cracked open
once more.
“You witch. You will pay for Erica’s life with your own! I demand justice!” Erica’s
grandmother could not contain her fury upon seeing Elspeth, her voice trembling with
rage and sorrow, a sight that could soften the hardest of hearts.
Elspeth, with tears brimming in her eyes, shook her head helplessly, looking every bit the
innocent victim she pretended to be.
This was a public trial, every moment captured on camera, the courtroom no less than a
theater.
And she, she was still the star of the show!
Before the trial, Cedric had sworn to her that the charge of hiring a hitman would not
stand. Her only task was to play her part in this carefully orchestrated drama.
“Madam, please, calm down! Just breathe,” Jason urged, rushing to Erica’s grandmother’s
side as she turned pale and began to convulse. Evadne stood up, calling for oxygen,
“Someone get an oxygen tank quickly! She’s going into shock!”
The officers scrambled to assist, and only after the elderly woman was given oxygen did
she begin to stabilize.
The judge, Ivan Dempsey, robed in black, took his seat, his heart heavy at the sight of his
siblings entangled in this public spectacle.
“Oh no, the judge is a Dempsey!” Aviana shook Suri frantically, nearly making her sick,
“Suri, will he throw Jason under the bus? Are there any good apples in the Dempsey
family? I have my doubts!”
Suri patted her hand reassuringly, “Ivan’s record is clean. He’s made it on his own merit,
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtwithout much influence from his father. I believe he’ll be fair.”
The momentous trial began.
“Elmsworth Court of Justice is now in session for the case of the People versus Elspeth
Ward, charged with the murder for hire. Will the prosecution please make its opening
statement?”
Erica’s grandmother, aged and frail, had exhausted her strength just by appearing in
court. Jason, shedding his secretary persona, stood as a professional lawyer, moving
everyone with a powerful narrative of the crime, demanding justice with simple words:
“Kill the murderer!”
A hush fell over the crowd, even Frederic’s paid supporters were visibly moved.
Evadne, haunted by the brutal image of Erica’s death, clutched her ears and shut her
eyes, as if trapped in a vacuum–sealed jar, her forehead slick with sweat, fighting for
breath.
“Evadne, don’t think of them. I’m here,” Thaddeus wrapped his arms around her, resting
her head against his shoulder, his voice a soothing whisper.
“Thaddeus. I still feel I’m a sinner,” Evadne sobbed.
Thaddeus, feeling her tears, reassured her with a tender fierceness, “Don’t say that. You
are no sinner. Those standing in the dock, they are the true criminals.”
As Jason concluded, it was the defense’s turn.
Elspeth, weeping profusely, recited the script Cedric had prepared for her, her brief stint
as an actress serving her well in this desperate hour.
“Your Honor, why would I kill a mere maid? What benefit would her death serve me?
Perhaps this is all due to a personal vendetta between Ward and Erica, being of the same
social circle at the Abernathy estate. Ward, flaunting his position as my assistant, has not
been kind to the Abernathy help. No doubt Erica had her grievances, which led to his vile
act!”
“You’re spouting lies!” Ward, now a cooperating witness, immediately retorted, “Your
Honor, Elspeth was blackmailed by Erica, so‘ she paid me to dispose of her! She’s the
mastermind; I had no choice but to comply, fearing the wrath of a lady of the Abernathy
estate. Even in custody, she sent people to silence me – I still bear the marks on my
neck!”
1/3
Chapter 579
“You slanderer! If I had known of your villainy abroad, I would never have employed you!”
Elspeth bellowed, the courtroom witnessing a spectacle of betrayal and accusation.
Ward shot back, “When you gave the order, Glynnis was there with us. She knows exactly
what you intended!”
In an instant, the room erupted into chaos as all eyes turned to Glynnis, her face a mask
of shock and pallor.
Frederic watched his daughter Glynnis with a mix of shock and suspicion so palpable it
might as well have been a physical force.
“No, no, that’s not true! I don’t know anything!” Glynnis stammered, her voice trembling
like a leaf in the wind, tears threatening to spill over her lashes.
In her heart, a cruel wish took root–she hoped Jason would win this lawsuit, would get
Elspeth convicted quickly, to avoid any more complications.
After all, Elspeth was a hopeless addict, a person who seemed to have lost all humanity,
and she wouldn’t hesitate to drag Glynnis down with her to save her own skin.
“Order in the court!” Ivan snapped, rapping his gavel twice. “This is a place of law, not a
circus. Keep it down!”
Evadne and Thaddeus exchanged a look, their eyes filled with a complex mixture of
feelings. They knew that Ward was desperate, throwing Glynnis under the bus, but they
also knew that Glynnis wasn’t entirely innocent. However, without hard evidence, pinning
anything on that vile woman was going to be difficult. Otherwise, it would be her and her
mother standing in the defendants‘ dock today.
But it didn’t matter. None of them could get away with it.
Without Elspeth’s cunning, Glynnis was like a parasite without a host, just barely clinging
to life.
Elspeth, meanwhile, was locked in a disgraceful verbal brawl with Ward.
Frederic felt a flush of shame so intense that he wished he could vanish then and there.
After the plaintiff and defendant had made their statements, it was time for the crucial
moment–the debate.
Cedric stretched leisurely, a small smirk playing on his lips as he rose to speak. “I’d like to
ask you, Mr. Ward. You claim my client gave you money to deal with Erica, yet there’s no
recorded evidence to support your statement. I have every reason to believe you are
fabricating these lies to escape your own guilt.”
“I’m not lying! Every word is the truth! I had no reason to harm her–I barely knew the
maid!” Ward argued, his face a portrait of desperation.
Jason watched Cedric, his gaze icy, his hands clenched tightly out of sight. He held a
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmrecording that Erica had made–a recording that had cost the poor girl her life. Cedric must
be aware of it, too, but he boasted his claims because he knew that clandestine recordings
couldn’t be admitted as evidence.
Cedric pressed on. “You also said my client paid you a substantial fee. So, where’s this
money now?”
Ward was at a loss. He had demanded cash from Elspeth, which he had stashed in a cellar
back in his hometown–no bank records, no trace.
But now, that money was likely in Elspeth’s hands, moved by her command.
“After the incident, my client did have a significant financial transaction, but it was to
purchase a property,” Cedric said, handing over a document to the judge. “Here is the real
estate transaction record, which matches the amount in question.”
Judge Ivan reviewed the document and found the amounts matched exactly.
Elspeth’s face was a mask of innocence, but inside, she sneered with contempt.
Cedric continued his assault. “The idea that my client instructed you to kill the victim is
absurd. My client, the chairwoman of the Abernathy Group, is worth billions. The victim
was merely a maid in the Abernathy household, having served there for five years. Before
her service, she had no connection to my client or the Abernathy Group. What possible
motive could my client have to want her dead?”
Cedric stared down Ward. “On the other hand, Mr. Ward, before you worked as my client’s
assistant, you were involved in some shady dealings back in your country–your criminal
record, including multiple homicides, is well–documented with the police there and can be
summoned at any time.”
“I’ve told you! I never even spoke to Erica! If it wasn’t for Elspeth’s orders, why would I kill
her?” Ward was close to a breakdown, a common thug no match for the slick lawyer.
“You claim there was no relationship, yet we can’t hear from the deceased. Even if you
didn’t know her well, a man of your vile nature could have killed in a moment of passion.
For someone like you, taking a life is as easy as having a meal”
Cedric kept reinforcing the image of Ward as a murderous fiend–the worse the jury’s
impression of him, the better for Elspeth.
2/3
Chacher $79
“Your Horor Jason interjected with a grave tone, Thave a significant concern regarding the
defense’s arguments”
The will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
