Author’s POV
He then asked Ethan to step closer and provide a brief explanation about the witness they were about to call.
Ethan walked forward imdiately and spoke in a low but clear voice, making sure only the judge could hear him.
After listening for a mont, the judge nodded. His expression tightened, as if the information he received was heavier than he expected.
"Very well," the judge said. He straightened in his seat and looked toward the courtroom doors. "Bring the witness in."
The smile on Addison’s face instantly disappeared the mont the eyewitness Ethan had called walked into the courtroom.
"J-Jeremy..." she whispered, her voice shaking. She never imagined that the man she had hoped would help her win the case would be standing there as a witness for Helcia instead.
"Your Honor, this is Jeremy Tyler, the forr CFO of Goldenline Bank," Ethan introduced him politely. "He is here today as an eyewitness, but the truth is, he was also the one who helped Mrs. Davenport transfer one million dollars into my client’s account, even though my client had no proper job and did not et any of the requirents to take a one-million-dollar loan from the bank."
"Your Honor, this is ridiculous! He’s a criminal!" Stephen burst out. "How can soone like him make such a serious accusation against my client—"
"Mr. John," the judge interrupted firmly, "please calm down. This is a courtroom, so please, show so respect. And to reminding you, a criminal can still give testimony if it is relevant to the case."
On the other side, Addison clenched her jaw so hard her teeth almost cracked. She glared at Helcia with eyes full of rage.
Yesterday, Helcia had promised not to expose her affair with Jeremy as long as she ca to court, and yet that damn man suddenly appeared as a witness!
Addison knew very well that her affair would be used as evidence to support their claims.
Helcia, who was being stared at like she had committed a cri, simply shrugged. Then, with the most innocent face she could make, she stuck her tongue out at her stepmother, just for a second.
It was long enough to irritate Addison, but not long enough for the judge to see it.
Why would she keep a promise to soone who constantly tried to hurt her anyway?
Between her and Addison, breaking one little promise felt like a tiny ice cube compared to an entire iceberg.
From the witness stand, Jeremy tightened his grip on the railing, refusing to et Addison’s furious eyes. His face had gone pale, like soone who had just lived through the worst mont of his life.
Well, of course he looked like that.
He used to be a respected CFO at Goldenline Bank, and now he was nothing more than a disgraced man: a criminal who had an affair with a woman who abused her own stepdaughter.
Helcia glanced at Lando. He looked unbelievably calm, almost too calm... which only confird that he was most likely the person who made Jeremy lose his position so quickly.
Ethan turned back to the court and spoke clearly, "To summarize, Mr. Tyler and Mrs. Davenport have been having an affair for the past two years. During that ti, he helped her shift a one-million-dollar debt onto soone who had no job, while the two of them used the money for themselves."
Helcia honestly couldn’t understand why Addison would risk her entire reputation over just one million dollars.
Sure, one million was a lot of money, but it was nothing compared to all the luxury things Addison got from Gideon. Her clothes, her bags, her jewelry, everything she owned was already far more expensive than that loan.
That was why Helcia started to believe this case wasn’t really about money at all, but it felt more like a power play.
Addison enjoyed feeling superior to her, and because she hadn’t worked a single day since marrying Gideon, maybe she wanted to prove—at least to herself—that she could "earn" money on her own, even if she had to drag Helcia down to do it.
"Your Honor, let ask a few questions to the witness," Ethan said. His voice snapped Helcia out of her thoughts.
"Permission granted," the judge replied, giving Ethan a small nod.
Ethan stepped closer to the witness stand, his expression calm but sharp.
"Mr. Tyler," he began, "on the day the loan was transferred under Miss Helcia’s na, did she co to the bank personally to sign any docunts?"
Jeremy shook his head. "No. She never ca."
Ethan nodded. "So all the docunts were handled by Mrs. Davenport?"
"Yes," Jeremy replied with emptiness in his eyes. "She told to process everything as fast as possible."
"Liar!" Addison suddenly stood up from her seat, pointing her finger at Jeremy. "He’s lying! I’ve never even t this man in my entire life! How could he possibly be my secret lover?!"
Helcia could tell that Addison was desperate because there was no way she didn’t know that Helcia’s side must have collected solid evidence of her affair.
But feeling betrayed must have shattered her pride so badly that she didn’t care anymore. She just wanted to deny everything, even if her words made no sense.
"Mrs. Davenport, calm yourself!" the judge ordered, striking his gavel several tis. "If you continue like this, we will issue a punishnt."
Stephen quickly motioned for Addison to sit down and stop acting so recklessly. But how could she calm down when Helcia kept smiling at her with that irritating, victorious little grin?
"Your Honor! I refuse to accept these false accusations!" Addison shouted even louder. "I am a loyal wife to my husband! There is no way I would ever cheat!"
"Addison!" Jeremy suddenly shouted, making everyone turn their heads toward him.
"Shut the fuck up! If it wasn’t for getting involved with you, I wouldn’t be in this disaster!" he shouted, his face red with anger. "You bitch! I should’ve ignored you the mont you tried to crawl into my bed!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)