The people sitting in the visitor seats gasped. So of them even covered their mouths dramatically, including .
"No way..." I whispered softly so the judges wouldn’t hear my voice.
A mont later, I heard people whispering to each other, but their voices were still loud enough for the whole room to catch their comnts.
"Geez, I already suspected that! I an, how could her loan request get approved so quickly?!"
"Tch, just like I thought, one demon always teams up with another demon."
"Quiet!" The head judge knocked his gavel several tis. "Please respect the trial that is currently in session!"
Since this wasn’t a closed hearing, a few college students were also watching for their assignnt. But judging from their faces, they completely forgot about their task once the drama got too juicy.
"Mrs. Addison, please sit down," the judge said firmly. "Let the witness speak freely without your interruptions."
For soone standing at the edge of despair, Addison didn’t even care about what the judge said.
"Your Honor! How can I stay calm when they’re throwing such horrible accusations at ?!" she shouted. "The witness is lying! And he even used disgusting words to insult !"
"Mrs. Davenport! This is your final warning. If you don’t sit down, you will also be punished for disrupting the trial!" the judge said, clearly losing his patience.
I could see Addison’s face turn red and sour. She gritted her teeth and scrunched her nose so badly that she started looking like an ugly chicken.
Even so, she finally followed the judge’s order to sit down, maybe regaining a little bit of sanity, knowing her fate would get even worse if she made another mistake right now.
"Mr. Rowell, please continue," said the judge once the courtroom beca quiet again.
Ethan nodded and turned toward Jeremy, who looked just as upset as Addison. But unlike her, he clearly knew better than to make things worse for himself.
"So, Mr. Tyler, is there anyone else who knew that you used a ’fast-track thod’ to approve the loan request from my client?" Ethan asked.
Jeremy nodded. "Yes."
Ethan asked many technical questions related to the case before finally presenting evidence to the court about the affair between Addison and Jeremy to support why the CFO of Goldenline Bank helped her.
"This is outrageous!" Addison suddenly shouted. "Those pictures were taken secretly, and I never gave consent to be recorded by the CCTV!"
Yeah, of course she exploded. After all, the pictures shown on the projector were terrible. They showed Jeremy and Addison walking into a hotel at least once a week.
There was also CCTV footage from Jeremy’s office showing Addison making out with him.
I almost gagged because it looked so disgusting. Sotis I wondered why so many people liked doing dirty things in the office. That kind of behavior is extrely inappropriate and creates a bad working environnt for everyone around.
"Mrs. Davenport! Your warnings are over!" the judge said. "Your disrespectful behavior toward this court will result in you being taken to jail imdiately."
Addison froze. Her eyes widened, and for a mont, she looked like a fish pulled out of water. She opened her mouth to argue again, but her lawyer pulled her sleeve and whispered sothing urgently. Whatever he said, it shut her up right away.
"I believe Mr. Tyler’s testimony is more than enough, Your Honor," Ethan said calmly. "With this much evidence, and a strong witness like him, I think... we don’t need any more direct proof."
Sure, Helcia’s secret cara didn’t record all of Addison’s dirty acts in this case, but like people always say: no matter how well you hide a corpse, the sll will co out eventually.
Addison’s rotten behavior had left such obvious traces that they could be used against her in court.
After Jeremy finished giving his testimony, Addison’s lawyer still tried to defend her. But I could clearly see the change in his face, and little by little, he was losing all motivation to fight this case, probably because he finally realized there was no way to win.
The judge took a deep breath, straightened his glasses, and looked directly at Addison, who was now shrinking in her seat like a child caught stealing candy.
"Mrs. Davenport," he said firmly, "based on the evidence, the witness statents, and your repeated disruptions during this trial, this court has reached a decision."
The entire courtroom went silent, even the college students who had been secretly taking notes stopped moving.
I slowly turned my head toward Lando, hoping to find a bit of comfort in the middle of all the chaos inside this courtroom.
To my surprise, he had been focusing his eyes on the whole ti, so when I looked at him, our eyes imdiately t.
I smiled and gave him a small wave. He didn’t wave back, but he did give a gentle nod.
The judge picked up a sheet of paper, looked over it once, and then spoke firmly. "After reviewing the evidence, the testimony presented by Mr. Tyler, and the argunts from both sides," he said, "this court finds that the accusations made by Ms. Helcia Orszebet are valid."
"And therefore," the judge continued, "the court rules in favor of the plaintiff, Ms. Orszebet."
"You have successfully proven that Mrs. Addison Davenport forced you to take a loan of one million dollars from Goldenline Bank through manipulation, intimidation, and abuse of authority."
I held my breath for a mont, not expecting that this mont would finally co. All this ti, Addison had always abused Helcia without ever fearing the consequences of her actions.
All this ti, poor Helcia had to endure everything alone, without the power or the voice to fight back.
All this ti, she suffered from injustice because Addison held the greater power.
But this ti... this ti the wheel finally turned. The one who used to be the predator had now been reduced to a powerless prey.
Helcia might already be dead, but I would make sure that everyone who made her suffer would receive their punishnt for every bad deed they had done.
"For the cris committed by Mrs. Davenport," he said slowly, "this court will now issue the full sentence."
The judge continued, "Mrs. Davenport is found guilty of:
— Coercion and manipulation
— Financial fraud
— Abuse of authority
— Tampering with loan approval
— Obstruction during trial
— And involvent in an unethical relationship with a bank officer."
"Because of the severity of her actions, and the clear harm caused to the victim, Mrs. Helcia Brixton, the court hereby sentences Mrs. Davenport to ten years in prison."
Oh, wow! Ten years?!! Ten fucking years?!
I couldn’t help but smile widely while clapping my hands a little.
On the other side, Addison’s eyes widened in shock. "T-Ten years?! You can’t—!"
"Silence," the judge snapped before she could finish.
He continued, "You will serve ten years in a state correctional facility. If additional financial cris are confird during the investigation, your sentence may be extended."
Ten years.
Ten years where Addison could no longer hurt anyone.
Ten years where she would finally feel the weight of the pain she put Helcia through.
Ten years where the world would stop seeing her as a victim and finally see her as the criminal she truly was.
Once the judge finalized the decision by striking his gavel three tis, I stood up and pointed my finger at Addison.
"Look at you," I said loudly enough for the entire courtroom to hear. "Ten years behind bars! How does it feel, Mrs. Davenport?"
Addison’s face turned red in fury. Her hands shook as the officers held her by the arms, ready to take her away. "You bitch! You—"
I stuck my tongue out at her and laughed while the officers dragged her struggling ass out of the courtroom.
I shouted, "I’m going to enjoy every second of your ten years in prison!"
Addison shouted back, "Fuck you, slut!"
"Fuck you too, Mother!" I replied.
She beca even angrier when I called her ’mother.’ But she couldn’t say anything back because the officers had already pulled her out of the room.
A mont later, Penny announced my mission result.
[Ding! Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! Quest complete: Laugh at Addison’s defeat!]
[Reward: $510,000 has been added to your balance.]
[Total Balance: $1,407,888]
The smile on my face grew even wider because not only had I managed to put Addison in prison, but my balance had also passed the one-million-dollar milestone, an amount even bigger than the debt Addison forced on .
It felt satisfying on a level I couldn’t even describe.
As soon as the courtroom was dismissed, I ran straight toward Lando and hugged him before he could even move his wheelchair.
"Husband, thank you!" I said, pressing my cheek against his and rubbing it gently, like a happy cat finally getting a warm hug.
I thought he would be embarrassed, but instead of pushing away, he placed his hand around my waist.
"I’m just doing my job as your husband," he said. "Nothing more than that."
Reviews
All reviews (0)