Chapter 966
I remained composed as my loving husband stayed by my side every step of the way.
He had been a little harsh sometimes, but right now he was even more composed than I was.
An additional lawyer appeared at the prosecution bench. That must be the result of Melvern’s efforts.
The trial officially began.
After presenting the details of the case, both sides submitted their evidence. Adrian played a crucial role, maintaining a steady momentum, articulating logical arguments, and seizing every opportunity with compelling evidence.
The opposing side also had strong evidence. Several project managers from Ardora testified.
Johnson, who was standing beside me, clenched his fists in frustration. He whispered, “Those guys changed their stance. They promised not to testify, and now they’re here. How could they be so hypocritical?”
There was no need to guess. It must be because of Liora.
I scanned the courtroom and saw a fully armed Liora in a corner. Her arm was still not healed. It was wrapped in clothes and held close to her chest. It looked like the cast hadn’t been removed yet. Not far from her was the discreet Melvern, trying to keep a low-profile.
I withdrew my gaze and focused on the trial. Arguments were heating up, and I could see Matthew was getting nervous.
Witnesses came forward one by one, both sides in a heated dispute. Adrian presented the testing report for the materials used in construction, conducted under the supervision of relevant departments. They even brought in personnel from the relevant departments to testify, hitting hard on the authenticity of the previous material testing report.
However, the atmosphere became tense because it involved evidence from Melanie. The trial reached a point of anxiety.
The opposition clung stubbornly to this point, since the fact that Melanie and Matthew were a married couple was an undeniable reality.
They needed solid evidence to refute Melanie’s claims for an absolute victory.
Everyone was tense. I squeezed my hands tightly, and Atlas comforted me in a low voice. “Don’t worry, just wait!”
I involuntarily glanced back at Liora, who was looking at me meaningfully, her eyes filled with provocation.
Since they had changed their strategy for today’s trial, all the accusations against Liora had been hidden. This made the efforts of the aggressive lawyer hired by the opposition somewhat pointless and irrelevant.
However, it clearly delighted Liora.
After all, she wanted to take over Matthew’s company, and nothing in her demeanor hinted at her heinous crimes.
I thought her low-key approach today was deliberate. She was sitting near the back door, in a corner, well wrapped up. She must be ready to leave at any moment.
Without any accusations against her, there was no reason to attract any attention.
I gave her a cold glance and turned back.
In the courtroom, Adrian was making his arguments, directly addressing the loopholes in Melanie’s accusations. I had to admit he truly deserved his
Poel.net
reputation as a solid lawyer. But the
prosecuting attorney wasel.net
no
pushover and effectively countered Adrian’s arguments.
My palms were sweaty, and Matthew kept stealing glances at me in the courtroom.
When the judge asked if either side had any objections, I felt disheartened. After the adjournment, the verdict would be announced, and things were not looking good. “All right! Both sides have no objections and no additional evidence to present. The court-”
“Your Honor, please wait!”
At this critical moment, everyone craned their necks and looked at the side door leading to the court. A court police officer pushed the door open, and Arton strode in.
I straightened up immediately, gazing at Arton in astonishment.
I turned to Atlas beside me. “Him?”
Atlas calmly held my hand. “Relax.”
Arton gave a respectful bow to the judge, introduced himself, and explained the purpose of his appearance in court.
What surprised me even more was that he had brought along an audio recording.
During Arton’s testimony as a witness, he explicitly stated that he was willing to take full responsibility for this piece of evidence.
Once the judge allowed playback of the recording, the courtroom erupted.
It was a recording of Arton’s conversation with Melanie, backed by powerful evidence, exposing her actions of using inferior materials during the construction of the Muborough project.
In the recording, Melanie clearly said
that Matthew had no knowledge of the substandard materials as he was responsible for a different project, Muborough was under her and Keegan’s jurisdiction. Matthew was too busy to oversee it.
She also mentioned that this idea had been proposed by Keegan, and without him, she wouldn’t have gotten the money. Matthew was
financially strapped, and all thet
funds were tied up in the projects. Besides, he didn’t have the audacity to engage in malpractice like this. The most he could do was change a few floor tiles.
She even revealed that Keegan took the lion’s share of the money, and Arton shouldn’t bother asking her for it.
After this recording was played, Matthew broke down in the defendant’s seat. He was all choked up, and I couldn’t fathom why tears were streaming down his face.
I finally released my hands that I had been gripping so tightly.