Chapter 0436
Chapter 0436
Sonia's tone dripped with provocation as she no longer bothered to conceal her disdain for Candice. With a sneer, she taunted, "You'd better start thinking about how you're going to apologize to me later."
After her provocation, she walked away.
Sonia had clearly made an effort with her appearance, radiating glamor and beauty.
On the other hand, Candice's black suit seemed plain and unremarkable in comparison.
Once Sonia disappeared from view, Yana expressed her indignation, muttering, "What's with her attitude? Did the judge already declare she won the case or something?"
Hanley cautioned in a hushed tone, "Don't say anything reckless."
Candice wasn't agitated. Her concern lay more with the outcome of the court session.
The court session started at ten.
True to expectations, Quil and Harley clashed fiercely, neither willing to back down.
Quil managed to discredit all of Harley's evidence.
He argued convincingly, "The opposing counsel keeps mentioning the witness, Yvonne, claiming she showed no signs of mental illness while in jail. Just days ago, she attempted suicide and is now hospitalized."
"Furthermore, Yvonne's husband, Ivor, is drowning in debt. He previously approached the plaintiff, asking her to fulfill a child's duty to help him repay the debt."
"Yvonne's younger daughter is also severely ill. The accusations against our client by the plaintiff only surfaced after these events. We think the plaintiff's motivations are an effort to defame our client and extort money."
Quil's argument carried weight.
Candice's gaze drifted to Sonia's smug expression, her carefully applied makeup failing to conceal her sense of triumph.
Harley glanced over and remarked, "The defense attorney is making baseless claims about Yvonne's mental state. Isn't this defamation? If the opposition persists, I'd like to see evidence from the hospital."
At first, there weren't any mental evaluations done on Yvonne. The evaluation was done following Harley's suggestion after she tried to jump from a building.
Afterward, Yvonne was determined to be mentally stable. There were no issues concerning her mental well-being.
Naturally, Quil had no evidence, but he looked calmly at Harley. He proposed that Yvonne testify in court without showing any signs of panic.
Candice's heart thumped a little. After rushing back from Solaris, she had intended to visit Yvonne in the hospital following her meeting with Harley the night before but found her asleep.
Recently, Yvonne had been prone to emotional outbursts.
According to the nurses, she had taken sleeping pills before bed at her own request.
Before heading to court that morning, Candice also received a call from Raymond.
He mentioned he would bring Yvonne directly to court, but she wasn't in good condition.
In the rush to meet Harley, Candice hadn't dwelled on it much.
Now, the doubts she hadn't had time to consider earlier were creeping up on her. Candice observed Quil's composed demeanor and thought back to Sonia's earlier provocation.
Her expression gradually turned cold.
Sensing Candice's gaze, Harley briefly glanced her way. Their sharp eyes met briefly before Harley turned to address the judge.
When Yvonne was brought in, she appeared unwell. Her head was bandaged, and her wounds were still healing. She had to be brought in in a wheelchair.
Upon entering, her discomfort was evident. She rubbed the fingers on her hand, which was able to move, and she instinctively glanced at Sonia.
Quil frowned slightly. Yvonne quickly looked away, then turned her gaze toward Candice.
Still, Candice noticed that small gesture, as she had been closely observing her.
Candice's gaze was intense and somber. She composed her facial expression calmly and waited for Yvonne to speak.
Though she didn't entirely trust Yvonne, Candice believed that if her mother had any sense of decency left, she wouldn't be foolish enough to ruin things in this situation.
But before Candice could finish her thought, Yvonne's voice rang out, sounding pitiful.
She looked toward Candice with a pleading expression and said, "Candy, what do I have to do for you to forgive me? I've been having nightmares for the past two days, dreaming that you want to cut
ties with me, Candy..."
Candice's eyebrows twitched as she looked at Yvonne's pained and aggrieved face. With her gray hair, wrinkled skin, hospital gown, and scars, she appeared miserably pitiful.
Yvonne's gaze remained fixed on Candice.
Despite the judge and Harley calling out to Yvonne multiple times, she seemed oblivious.
Quil turned to Candice with a half-smile.
"I'd like to ask the opposing party," he began, "Why is your mother asking for forgiveness in such a pleading manner? Have you set conditions for her to meet?"
Before the court session, Harley had cautioned Candice that if Quil started asking irrelevant questions, it was best not to respond. Quil was skilled at sophistry and exploiting legal loopholes.
"Candy..." Yvonne uttered, still fixated on her.
Candice's hands tightened slowly as Quil and Yvonne closed in on her step by step, making her feel increasingly suffocated.
She didn't want to dwell on Yvonne's past actions—not even one.
Candice looked down, her expression appearing calm, but only Harley, who was closest to her, could see her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
Suddenly, Candice felt a penetrating gaze on her. Sensing something, she lifted her eyes to
glance to the side.
At some unknown moment, Alex had arrived. His expression was serious. He was dressed in solemn black formal attire. He stood alone, the air seeming to be unmoving around him.
When he looked at Candice, his dark eyes held deep thoughts and a calmness that was hard to read.
Unlike his usual cold demeanor, there was a hint of seriousness mixed with gentleness in his expression as he looked at Candice, which softened his features.
Candice met his gaze silently for a moment before looking away.
She exchanged glances with Harley.
Harley called out, "I request that the second witness be brought to the stand!"
Quil was surprised. He turned to Sonia and whispered, "What's happening? Didn't you say they only had Yvonne as a witness?"
Sonia's expression soured. She hadn't anticipated Candice's having a backup plan.
When the second witness entered, shock was evident on Sonia's face as her eyes widened instantly!
During his time in detention, Ivor had become dejected. His once robust physique now appeared frail. This material belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
Upon entering the court, Ivor spotted Yvonne in the wheelchair and bitterly exclaimed, "Foolish woman! You brought this upon yourself!"
Yvonne was stunned, observing Ivor intently since his arrival. Her aged and fatigued face betrayed no clear emotion.
Ignoring her, Ivor's clouded and menacing gaze swept over everyone present before settling on Sonia. He smirked and said, "Ms. Summers, long time no see."