Ch. 1481..1490

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1481-Although Justin had listened to Emily's testimony countless times privately, the excruciating pain in his heart always felt like the first time he heard it.

"Fentanyl is a type of analgesic drug banned in the country. It could be fatal with even a slight overdose." Bella's reddened eyes welled up with hateful tears. Her mother had also passed away, so she could fully understand Justin's pain.

The courtroom fell into extreme shock, with murmurs and gasps echoing from the spectator seat. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

At the same time, the comments on the court's official website's livestream were flooding in. The viewers, shares, and comments had broken the highest record

on the website.

[Shannon has more lives on her hands?! Is she a conglomerate chairman's wife or a bloodthirsty demon?!] [So Justin is not an illegitimate child! His mother married into the Salvador family after Chairman Salvador's first wife passed away, while Shannon is merely a mistress who got in through her pregnancy! The illegitimate children should be Shannon's kids!] [What a shameless bitch! She poisoned Mr. Salvador's mother to gain an official title! Her heart is so dirty that even animals would refuse to eat it!] [Shannon has two daughters. Carrie was born after Shannon married Gregory, so Bethany is an undisputable bastard child! How can she be so arrogant with that dishonorable background? If it were me, I wouldn't be able to hold my head up high forever!] At this moment, Bethany paced back and forth anxiously in the court's washroom, smoking while she browsed through the comments online.

Seeing that she was suffering from a horrendous wave of attacks online because of her mother, while Carrie remained untouched, her eyes bulged with hatred. She had perfectly inherited Shannon's crazy tendencies, as she screamed in the empty washroom.

In the court, Shannon also pointed at Emily and screamed, in sync with her daughter. "Emily! You're spewing nonsense! I've never poisoned Mary! I've never ordered you to swap her medication! She died from depression, jumping off the building because she couldn't cope! It has nothing to do with me!

"How much did you take from them… What did they promise you? Doing everything they could to catch you, someone who never showed your face in Savrow for twenty years, asking you to slander me at this point?!"

When she said this, Shannon's vicious gaze kept staring at Justin, as if she were about to rush out of the cage and lunge at him.

Emily chose Justin's side not only because she was afraid of his power. She had been secretly monitored and controlled by Shannon for twenty years, and she had enough of it. She hysterically exposed her encounter.

"If I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning! Everything I said is true! You were afraid that I'd rat you out, so you forced me to resign and leave Tideview Manor.

Even so, you were not assured. You sent me to the secluded small town in Richmond and sent your Ove men to constantly monitor and threaten me over the past twenty years! I lived under your control every day.

"What difference does it have from being in jail? I was born and raised in Savrow but could only spend the latter half of my life in that remote Richmond town… I've been suffering and enduring it all because of you!"

Emily's heartfelt experience made it difficult for people to doubt her.

Shannon's mouth twitched. She wanted to say something, but Emily did not give her the chance, dropping another bombshell.

"Back then, you sneaked into Mrs.

Salvador's room to swap her pills, but you were caught red-handed by her. I was hiding by the staircase and saw everything! Because of this, you threatened and blackmailed me, saying that if I dare to speak the truth, you will make my family vanish from Savrow!" Content Gregory's ears buzzed. The image of Shannon gradually twisted and distorted in his vision, almost unrecognizable.

He only thought about how horrifying everything was. This had happened in his home, but he only found out now.

"At that time… I clearly heard a heavy thud coming from Mrs. Salvador's room.

In the end, Emily burst into tears.

"Then… Then Mrs. Salvador fel, and you ran away from her room in a panic. if you didn't kill Mrs. Salvador, who else did?!"

"Nonsense! This is all nonsense! She jumped herself! I'm more of awitness than you watched her jump on her own with my eyes!"

You had a fierce argument…"

After listening to Emily's testimony, Hunter quickly grasped the situation.

At this point, he was on the same ship as Shannon, so no matter what, he could not let it sink.

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1482-Emily confessed everything she knew. After she vented her grievance and bitterness that she had suppressed for the past twenty years, she slumped back into her seat, drenched in sweat.At this moment, she genuinely felt guilty and remorseful.She hated herself for telling the truth twenty years too late!If she had not been so greedy back then, if she could be fearless against Shannon's threat and expose that evil bitch for murdering Mrs. Salvador. Then Mrs. Salvador could rest in peace. Emily also would not suffer twenty years of exile.She was truly foolish. At that time, Shannon was merely Chairman Salvador's mistress. Why should she be afraid of such a despicable woman?If Chairman Salvador and his wife repaired their relationship, Shannon would never stand a chance, nor could she remain in the Salvador Corporation. Even if she was pregnant with his child, her ultimate fate would have been to be cast aside, and only her child could stay.However, there was no turning back.The Thompson family listened to the cruel truth from the spectator's seat, all feeling as if they were witnessing the death of Justin's mother firsthand.The three mistresses and Amelia were already in tears, and Ralph had a heavy expression. Even Asher, who was always composed and calm, had slightly reddened eyes at this moment.He, his brothers, and Bella had all lost their mother early. But compared to Justin, they were incredibly fortunate. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FindNʘᴠᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.It did not hurt the most to lose a mother to illness. The greatest pain was when she died with a remaining grievance, unable to rest in peace!"Your Honor, regarding this case, I have a few questions for the witness." Hunter stood up with a dark look.Bella and Justin knew this bastard would definitely stir up trouble. He must try his best to save Shannon for his own future. Even though they were prepared, their hearts still tightened. Clarence nodded sternly. "Permitted."Hunter walked to Emily, staring at her with a chilling gaze. "Witness, you accuse my client of being the real murderer who killed Mrs.Salvador. Did you see my client push her off the building with your own eyes?You only need to answer yes opno. You don't need to say anything else."Steven's brows furrowed, and he clenched his fists.Emily could only answer honestly. "No... But I clearly heard..."With a bang, Hunter slammed on the table, scaring Emily out of her wits. "Any object can make a sound when it collides. If someone outside hears this, will they think I am killing someone?"Steven immediately raised his hand, interrupting, "Your Honor, I object to the defendant using such misleading hypothetical questions!"Clarence said, "Defendant, avoid asking hypothetical questions."

Hunter smiled coldly and continued, "This means that the witness did not personally see, day dient commit the alleged murder. Her testimony could only prove that my client was the last.

person to see the deceased. She

is a suspect, but not

the murderer. Besides, you said my client tried to poison the deceased with fentanyl, but fentany is not ppison. i iS a common analgesic, and one could even obtain it at a clinic overseas. It is a legal type of drug.""Although fentanyl is an analgesic, it is common knowledge that a slightly higher dosage could be lethal."Steven thought that Hunter's

argument was pure sophistry. He immediately retorted indignantly, "As long as it's lethal, this type of drug carries a significant danger. The defendant should adhere to the facts rather than playing word games!"

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1483-“Even if you say so, the deceased died from falling off the building. Although my client was present, nobody could directly prove that the deceased’s death had anything to do with my client.” As Hunter spoke, he looked at Clarence seriously. “Your Honor, the plaintiff’s witness could not serve as a direct witness in this case. Moreover, she disappeared for twenty years before coming out to testify. Could her memory have become faulty? Was she in cahoots with someone else secretly? Her testimony is unreliable!” The courtroom fell silent. Everyone glared at Hunter’s punchable face, fire almost bursting out of their eyes.

Shannon kept her head down, hiding her face, trying her best to control her expression to the extent that her facial muscles were twitching.

She was really afraid that she would lose control of her expression and laugh out loud in joy.

Shannon thought, ‘Mary, you wretched bitch! You couldn’t win against me when you’re alive. Do you think you can do so after death? What a joke!’ Steven’s eyes were bloodshot when he saw that the case had ended in a stalemate. He sat down unwillingly. The Thompson family was fuming, wishing they could jump forward and tear Shannon apart.

“Fuck… Why bother with all this? We should have just sent someone in, like how Charles was dealt with. We should strangle her in the cell or drown her in the toilet bowl. End it once and for all!” Sasha’s eyes bulged with hatred. “Even shit couldn’t shut Hunter’s dirty mouth up! I was too lenient with him. I should’ve ripped out his tongue and made him a mute lawyer!” Mila was distressed about Justin’s mother’s plight, shaking her head as she sighed. “It’s too easy to let someone die. But if we do that, the world will never know the truth about Mrs. Salvador’s death. Justin will never be able to seek justice for his mother, who died in vain.”

“And he would never make Gregory regret his idiocy and ruthlessness,” Celeste said coldly.

Mila's lips curled disdainfully. "At this point, Justin would not care about what Gregory thinks. That man did not even thoroughly investigate the death of chis wife, and he foolishly married a murderer for twenty years.

So what if he knew the truth? He is too arrogant and prideful Loon't believe he could feel much remorse.

If I were Mary, I wouldn't even want Gregory to kneel and beg for my forgiveness at my grave. He would only be disturbing my peace!"

Amidst the stalemate, Justin’s expression was still calm, frightening the others.

At this moment, he gradually shifted his gaze toward Axel, the public prosecutor.

The debate was over. Steven had nearly turned the tide, only to have Hunter knock it over again.

"If the plaintiff does not have any new evidence, the prosecutor may proceed with questioning the case."

As the judge, Clarence could only follow the process.

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1484-Axel spoke confidently, staring at Shannon with a piercing gaze. The intimidation of his eyes, which seemed like they could see through her, was not a joke.

Shannon’s heart thumped like drums, and she swallowed dryly. Hunter’s heart tightened alongside.

He had heard of how the public prosecutor in Savrow, Axel, was extremely stubborn and hard to deal with.

Being a prosecutor was quite a sensitive and powerful role. Countless wealthy and influential people wanted to get one or two prosecutors on their side, serving them during critical moments. Many prosecutors look upright and fair, but in truth, they helped the conglomerates, entering into a mutually beneficial relationship.

But Axel was born with an overwhelming sense of justice and was also born into a wealthy conglomerate.

How could they try to bribe him? The spare change he carried in his pocket was probably more than what people could offer!

Axel presented the new evidence to the court.

A white pill bottle in a plastic evidence bag appeared on the screen immediately.

Shannon stared at the screen, her brows deeply furrowed as her face was full of surprise.

“Defendant, do you recognize this pill bottle?” Axel fixed his cold gaze on her as he questioned.

Shannon shook her head blankly. “No… I don’t know what it is.” Axel could not help but sneer. His tone was both imposing and oppressive.

“You don’t know? This is your murder weapon. How could you not know?” Hunter’s heart suddenly tightened. Even someone as cunning as him could not guess what Axel had up his sleeve.

W-What näurder weapon?! I've never killed someone. How could there be a weapon?! I don't know anything!"

Shannon's forehead was covered in cold sweat, but she remembered what Hunter had instructed her.

No matter what questions were thrown at her on the court, she could only deny them or feign ignorance. She must not dance to their rhythm.

“Although the witness did not personally see your murder process, there were traces of your plan to poison the deceased.”

Axel slightly narrowed his eyes. "You might think it was impossible to search for evigence for a twenty-year-old case. But you are too naive, A witness might be unreliable, but as long as you don't destroy the physical evidence in' time, it will stay there foreve it will not vanish or lie. Even if you intend to destroy the evidence, Our forensic technology has improved rapidly. What we couldn't uncover twenty years ago was merely a piece of cake now."

Shannon’s face turned ashen from fear, quickly recalling everything that happened in Mary’s room twenty years ago.

She indeed planned to poison Mary, but she failed, as that bitch caught her in the act.

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1485-“I… I didn’t… I didn’t poison her!” Shannon stubbornly denied it to the end.

Axel ignored her denial, his tone heavy and stern. “Back then, you escaped from the crime scene in a panic but forgot to take this pill bottle with you. The case was ruled as a suicide, which made you let your guard down and not return to the scene.

“The Salvador family also sealed off that room, thinking it was haunted because someone died in it. Unexpectedly, their unintentional action helped the police preserve the crime scene to this day. The anti-depressants in this bottle were swapped out and left by Mary’s bedside. The residue of the pills was still inside the bottle. After investigating, it was not fentanyl, but cyanide.” Cyanide?!

The crowd flew into an uproar. That was poison! Forget consuming it; even being in contact with it was lethal.

This woman was truly evil!

Shannon’s mind was in a mess.

A murderer like her finally got a taste of how it felt to be wrongfully accused, and she desperately tried to defend herself. “I didn’t! I didn’t use that to poison Mary! You’re framing me!” “Framing you? If I did, can you explain why your fingerprints are on that bottle?” Axel’s cold gaze was like a dagger. He pressed further. “Let me reconstruct the scene for everyone. After you entered her room, you found an excuse to trick Mrs. Salvador into taking her pills, causing her to die from poisoning. You were afraid of being exposed, so you threw her body off the balcony, disguising it as a suicide.” Shannon shook her head madly, almost breaking down. “No… It’s not like that!” Axel’s brows furrowed as he slammed the table. “Shannon, let me tell you that Mrs. Salvador’s body is still buried in the cemetery. As long as her family agrees, we could still extract her body for an autopsy. Even if she had only bones left, with the advanced technology now, we could still determine whether Mrs. Salvador died from impact or from poisoning.”

“No! No! I didn’t poison her!”

Shannon's skeletal hands grabbed the railing, her eyes bloodshot and crazed as she shook the bars thate trapped her. "She wanted to hit me, so l got into a fight with her. 1, 0 accidentally pushed her down, but I didn't poison her!"

She blurted out the truth. It was true that they framed her, but the intense questioning was a tactic.

If Shannon indeed had a clear conscience and was innocent, ne matter how much people tried to deceive or trick her, she could riever admil to something she hadever done.

As if waking up from a dream, Shannon’s body turned stiff, and her blood ran cold. She immediately covered her mouth.

However, it was too late.

Every word she said was heard clearly by everyone in court.

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1486-It was Shannon who pushed Mary down the stairs.

This deceitful, treacherous, and vicious woman had murdered the love of his life. Yet he was completely oblivious about it and kept this murderer by his side, doting on her for twenty whole years!

Shannon deserved to die a thousand deaths. But then again, was Gregory also not guilty of aiding and abetting the enemy?

Gregory gritted his teeth, his gaze filled with deep hatred, boring into Shannon’s pale face. Memories of Mary’s beautiful visage intertwined with the pain in his heart, haunting him like an inescapable nightmare.

Unconsciously, a tear slipped out of the corner of his eye.

He had not shed a single tear at Mary’s funeral. But now, he felt an overwhelming urge to weep for her.

However, belated affection meant nothing. His belated tears were equally meaningless.

Hunter staggered backward, utterly stunned as he looked at Shannon, as if struck by a lightning bolt.

In this instant, he finally understood everything.

under intense interrogation. It was nothing more than a fabricated story.

Axel had set this trap from the very beginning and had methodically lured Shannon into stepping into it, driving her into an abyss of no return!

Hunter closed his eyes, tormented by a whirlwind of emotions. Even now, he was still trying to find a solution, but he had exhausted all his efforts and had nothing left to give. He had no more tricks up his sleeve.

Shannon confessed in court, admitting that she had pushed Justin’s mother off the balcony in her own words.

Even God could not save her now!

Touched, the Thompsons’ eyes teared up. Sasha almost let out a loud cry, but Mila quickly covered her mouth.

Asher’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he suppressed his intense emotions. He glanced at Ralph beside him. “You all truly orchestrated a brilliant play.” “Well, Axel, Bella, and I merely played our parts.”

Ralph cast a look of admiration and respect at Justin's tall, upright figure. "The true mastermind is our incredibly resourceful brother-in-law.

He followed the slightest clues ta find the witness in Richmond and came up with the idea of presenting fabricated evidence in court to provoke Shannon, causing her to panic and confess. This guy is cunning and relentless!"

Asher’s heart trembled with a lingering fear. “What he did was incredibly risky.

Even though Axel was willing to risk his entire career as a prosecutor to help pull off this daring performance, what if Shannon had been slick enough to hold out and not confide in it? What would you have done then?”

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1487-“N-No…No! That’s not true!!”

Shannon rattled in the iron cage, desperately struggling, and she roared ferociously at Axel, “Axel Thompson! How dare you trick me with fabricated evidence?! As a prosecutor, how could you present fabricated evidence in court?! This is an abuse of power! This is a breach of the law! Your evidence is invalid!”

Axel looked at her with mocking eyes, showing not a trace of fear.

Indeed, becoming a righteous prosecutor had been his lifelong aspiration. However, although using fabricated evidence came with the risk of suspension, he had no regrets.

Even if the person seeking justice were not Bella’s beloved, even if the victim was not Justin’s mother, he would still have done it without hesitation.

His duty was not just to follow the procedures but to become a beacon of justice, breaking through the overwhelming darkness at any cost.

“Well, if you claim the evidence is fake, you’re right. This bottle isn’t the original one, and it doesn’t have your fingerprints. However, you confessed to the murder yourself and admitted to pushing the victim down the stairs. These are undeniable facts! If you had nothing to hide, no matter what evidence I presented or how I tricked you, you wouldn’t have revealed everything!

“Shannon, you killed someone twenty years ago. And now, as the wife of a tycoon, you can have others do your dirty work, like hiring a hitman. While you may not get the death penalty for committing this crime, the long arm of the law will catch up with you. Today, you must pay for what you did twenty years ago!”

Every word Axel spoke left a deep, heavy impact on everyone’s hearts.

The spectators went silent, the reporters outside the courtroom were quiet, and even the comment section of the live stream on the court’s official website fell silent.

Yet, this silence was deafening.

Just then, a piercing noise came from the speakers on both sides of the courtroom ceiling.

Then, the recording Linny had risked her life to record began to play openly for all to hear.

The recording played only the most crucial parts, and everyone instantly recognized Shannon’s voice. However, apart from the Salvadors and Bella, no one could immediately identify the other voice, which belonged to Bethany.

“What’s going on? How is this recording being played?!”

The police officers immediately went backstage to check, and the judges were equally astonished.

Only Clarence remained composed. As a judge, it was his duty to maintain order in the courtroom. However, he chose to stay silent at this moment.

Drained of all strength, Shannon collapsed to her knees, her spirit utterly broken.

No matter how strong her mental fortitude was or how ruthless she was, she could not withstand this blow.

On the other side of the door, Bethany was trembling with fear, nearly biting her nails off.

“Bella, this recording... Was it you?” Justin tightly grasped Bella’s small, soft hand, asking in astonishment.

Just as puzzled, Bella blinked her beautiful eyes. “It wasn’t me. If I had planned something, I would’ve told you right away!”

Just then, her phone in her bag vibrated.

She quickly took it out and saw a message from her fourth brother, Drew.

[Little Sis, do you like the little surprise I prepared for you? ] Bella gasped and quickly replied. [Drew, was it you who played the recording?!]

Who else among your brothers has the skills to hack into the court's system? Not even your man, my schoolmate, has my skills. 288 Hehe!]

[Bella: Drew, are you in love?]

[Drew: In love? Heh, who still does that? Not even dogs fall for that nonsense!]

[Bella: Where did you learn how to type these cheeky emoticons then?]

[Drew: Hey, I’m just trying to lighten up the heavy atmosphere for you guys.]

Although Bella teased him, she felt warm inside.

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1488-The resounding footsteps of the Salvadors disrupted the once spacious and tranquil hallway.

Gregory’s expression was icy, his eyes tinged with red, exuding palpable fury as he strode forward, his entourage trailing behind him in silent compliance.

His secretary, Paul, followed closely behind Gregory, maintaining a stern expression, but feeling an indescribable relief because of the trial.

Paul had kept many things buried inside for too long.

He followed Gregory daily, watching Shannon enjoy everything that should have belonged to Mary. As a secretary, Paul could only lower his head in forced respect for Shannon, which made him grit his teeth in frustration and resentment.

Fortunately, God had finally served justice.

As he reflected on this, Paul cautiously asked, “Chairman Salvador, with the verdict announcement at 3:00 p.m., is there anything you need me to arrange beforehand? If you have any plans, I can assist…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Gregory shot him a freezing glare, his voice hoarse as he said, “Am I crazy, or are you going crazy? Why should I keep saving a despicable, evil murderer?! She killed Mary! She killed the woman I loved most! I’d rather kill her myself than save her!”

Even though many people were in the hallway, it fell into a deathly silence.

Paul immediately stepped aside, his hands falling to his sides, and he softly said, “Yes, Sir.”

Gregory took a few more steps forward, only to have Bethany, looking distraught, bump into him head-on.

“Dad…”

Bethany came to an abrupt halt, standing rigidly in front of the stern-faced man, her heart pounding frantically in her chest, her legs trembling uncontrollably beneath her skirt.

Expressionless, Gregory took a step toward her.

“Dad… Mom, she… Ah!” Slap–!

With bloodshot eyes, Gregory raised his hand and delivered a harsh slap to the wicked girl!

Already weak from fear and anxiety, Bethany could not withstand the blow, collapsing to the ground with stars dancing before her eyes, unable to stand up.

But what hurt more than her face was her dignity. It shattered into pieces.

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1489-“Everyone heard the recording in the courtroom earlier!”

Gregory was seething with anger, his breath ragged as he spoke through clenched teeth. “Others might not recognize your voice, but do you think I wouldn’t? From the very beginning, you were aware of everything Shannon did. You knew about her plans to hire someone to murder someone else! Instead of informing me, you chose to aid her in concealing it?! Were you out of your mind?!”

“N-No, I…”

“Do you know your actions amount to siding and aiding a criminal?! You’re an accomplice! Do you wish to end up behind bars like Shannon?! Is that what you desire?!”

Bethany was terrified. She dropped to her knees before Gregory in a desperate state, tears streaming down her pale face as she pleaded, her hands trembling nervously. “Dad! I’ve made a grave mistake… I fully acknowledge that now! Everything I did... She forced me into doing them! She’s my biological mother… She made me do it… I couldn’t just say no to her! I was too filial… I was stupid!

She begged, “Please, don’t let me go to jail. I’m your daughter, too… Can you really bear to see me behind bars?! Besides, how can the Salvadors afford to have another family member behind bars? This affected the Iversons severely! Do you also want our hard-built Salvador Corporation to collapse like the Iverson Group?!”

Gregory’s dark pupils narrowed deeply. Suddenly, he shouted sternly, “Get out of my way!”

Scared, Bethany crawled away like a servant, making way for the emperor. She watched as Gregory passed by her.

The footsteps clattered past her, but not a single person stopped to help her, making her feel even more ashamed.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

Bethany pounded the ground fiercely with her hands, shouting and cursing in the empty hallway.

“Hey! This is a courthouse, not a donkey pen! If you want to yell, get out of here!” Two police officers came over and chased her away in disgust.

Bethany’s face turned crimson with embarrassment as she exerted all her strength to get up from the ground clumsily.

Just as she wobbled to stand upright, she froze in place.

At the other end of the hallway, bathed in sunlight, were the Thompsons, observing her humiliating state with disdain.

Bethany, who used to approach Bella to engage in frivolous banter confidently, now did not dare to utter a word. Looking utterly disheveled, she fled the scene.

“Tsk tsk… What an unfortunate sight for the family.”

Sasha crossed her arms, sneering coldly, "Is this a genetic mutation?

How could two individuals born from the same womb be so drastically different & Carrie, the youngest daughter of the Salvador family. is sucha lovely girl, while Bethay seems like she's straight out of a horrible book-rude, foolish, and wicked! I bet her unfortunate mother would be better off twenty years younger!"

Mila looked puzzled. "Sasha, I find this quite strange, too. Among the four children of the Salvador family, Justin, Carrie, and even their eldest son, who tives in Meridan, were alf outstanding individuals amongethe younger generations in Savrow. How did this Bethany girl turn out like a wild child picked up fronthe street, with such degraded character and lacking noble qualities?"

The Divorced Heiress Revenge Chapter 1490-At precisely 3:00 p.m., the court adjourned as scheduled.

Still broadcasting live, the courtroom had familiar faces of the presiding judge, prosecutor, plaintiff, and defendant.

However, unlike the bustling crowd of the morning, the audience now consisted only of Bella, Justin, and their close friends and family, creating a stark and chilling emptiness.

None of the Salvador family members were present. Even Bethany, Shannon’s daughter, was too embarrassed to stay.

Handcuffed, the authorities led Shannon and Winston back to their cells once again, depriving them of any dignity.

Behind the cold iron bars, Shannon, her hair disheveled, glanced numbly at the audience.

Seeing only the Thompsons, her features twisted, and she burst into laughter.

Clarence furrowed his brows, tapping his gavel and sternly reminding her, “Defendant, please remain silent!”

Hunter’s expression was strained, barely held together, as if he were to collapse with the slightest breeze.

In simpler terms, he looked utterly defeated.

Steven helped Linny’s grandmother slowly to the plaintiff’s seat, gently patting her back to calm her down.

The eighty-year-old woman had barely endured the tumultuous morning session. She was too anxious to eat much at noon, waiting agonizingly for the court’s final verdict on these two criminals.

Seeing this, Steven felt a bitter ache in his heart. He was deeply distressed by her suffering.

He had spent countless nights preparing for this trial, determined to present the case and ensure Shannon got what she deserved. Yet he knew his efforts alone would not have been enough. Without Belta and Justin's strategic planning and Axel's crucial intervention, Shannon would never have pleaded guilty in court.

Everyone noticed one difference in Clarence from the morning session. This time, he was wearing glasses.

g Clarence was quite image-conscious and had significant myopia, so he usually wore contact lenses in public.

However, during extremely serious, solemn, and important occasions, he would wear glasses as part of a personal ritual.

The courtroom was utterly silent.