After Alan stepped forward, the tide was completely turned to Jasonâs favor. Another stain was added to Ivanâs name, making his reputation plummeted further. Ivan tried to divert the discussion back to Jason, but it turned to attack him from all directions.
Even without the judges telling him that he was the one who lost, the result was already apparent.
The court verdict was Jason was not wrong and it was Ivan who had to pay the penalty fee for falsely accusing the young man.
"The debate is over. Judges will be leaving the room."
The audiences stood up. Ivan was glaring towards Jason as if he wanted to bear a hole there. If only looks can kill, Jason would have died a few times over the course of the court.
âThis is not over,â Ivan mouthed out.
Jason arched his eyebrows. He was not afraid of the threat that Ivan gave him. Whatever Ivan wanted to do, he would be prepared to welcome it.
âYou can come at me anytime.â
The two of them glared towards each other before they walked back to the resting room. The first thing Jason saw was Laura sitting on the sofa, waiting patiently. Even though she has been spouting a lot of things bravely, right now, she looked like a little kitten.
"Are you alright, Laura?" Jason approached the girl and hugged her tenderly. "Iâm sorry for asking you to be the witness."
"Itâs my decision," Laura flashed a smile. "Moreover, we win, right?"
"Yes," Jason smiled warmly. He pulled the girl up as he sat down before placing her on his lap, his hand held her waist firmly in place.
Clara chuckled when she saw these two acted close with one another. "You did great."
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Clara. Youâre a great help for us," Jason expressed his thanks.
"You should give your thanks to your friend more than me," Clara smiled. "Itâs Kanae who tells me about Alan and the fact that heâs willing to confess what Ivan did to him."
Jason flashed a smile. When Kanae handed him the information, she had secretly added that she made a personal visit to Alan. That visit should be enough to push Alan into switching his stance, allowing them to gain a precious witness. Even though Clara could make do with coercing the other partyâs witness, Alan became the perfect blow.
Lauraâs eyes widened. "Mrs. Clara, do you talk with my sister?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"She sent me an email," Clara replied. She eyed Laura curiously. "Do you have some problem with your sister?"
"Umm, I just canât talk to her," Laura replied in a soft voice. After the hospital incident, she hadnât seen her sister again. This was already nearing the end of fallâs season, so it has been a few months.
"Iâll see what I can do to talk with her," Clara smiled wryly. She knew that it would be hard as she didnât know Kanaeâs phone number.
"Thereâs no need. Iâll be waiting for that by myself," Laura immediately rejected.
"If thatâs what you wish."
Laura eyed Clara, who was busy making a call, with curiosity. She didnât understand why Clara would gladly help her even though they didnât have any close relationship. Even before, Clara didnât ask for a payment when he helped her go against the Nali Family.
"If youâre busy, we wonât take more of your time, Mrs. Clara," Jason spoke up when Clara had finished making the call. "Thank you very much for helping us. Please tell me about the payment for your service."
"Thereâs no need for that," Clara smiled.
"I insist. Iâm not Kanae, so thereâs no need for you to help me for free. Iâll pay in full for your service."
Clara sighed. "Alright, Iâll tell you the details in your email, but donât make a call to me telling me that you regret it after you see the number."
"I wonât," Jason chuckled.
Clara talked with the other witnesses before departing back home. She has more cases in the other city, so she had to catch a flight. Thankfully, the court ended faster than what they imagined.
"Do you want to eat first? Iâll order some food in your favorite restaurant," Jason offered Laura.
"Thatâs a good idea."
Inside the car, Laura made a phone call to Misae, telling the great news about the court. Honestly, Misae had seen the news report, so there was no need for Laura to tell her personally.
"Misae, we won the case!"
"I know! Congratulations," Misae replied. She hurriedly lowered the volume for the television that she watched. It was telling the exact same news that Laura told her.
"Your mother is amazing," Laura praised.
"Thatâs my mom!" Misae replied proudly. "Sheâs my goal. She has the nickname âQueen of the Courtâ because almost every case that she handled is a winning case. Someday, Iâll follow behind her steps and become even better in the court,"
She has always admired her mother, so she wanted to become like the other party.
"Iâm sure you can. Youâre learning law seriously, right?"
"Well yeah, but I just found out that there are still some additional rules in each city. My head feels like it was being jammed by thousands of books all at once..."
As Misae was not that brilliant when it came to studies, she couldnât memorize them too fast. As a result, her mother became extremely strict to her, forcing her to memorize them under harsh teaching. It took her months before she could finish learning them all.
Laura chuckled. "I know you can, Misae. Donât rush, you still have 5 years."
One year of high school and four years of university. Misae nodded her head as she smiled. "Iâll become a lawyer before I return back to the city."
"What about Mike?"
"Forget about that annoying man," Misaeâs mood turned sour when she recalled Mike. For the past month, Mike didnât call her even once, making her annoyed at the mention of his name.
"Should I tell him to give you a call?"
"No need, Iâll just let him be," Misae replied, not wanting to talk about it anymore.
Laura nodded her head. She saw that the car was already near the restaurant, so she bid her goodbye to Misae. Her eyes glimmered when she saw the restaurantâs name.
"Remember, youâre not only eating dessert."
"I know, but Iâll still eat a lot of them."
Jason secretly made a mental note that he would limit the girlâs sugar intake. Sometimes, she couldnât hold herself.
...
While Jason was enjoying a date with Laura, Ivan was making his way to his home. "I need your help to get back at Jason."
"Have you finally decided to accept my terms?"
"Yes," Ivan said through gritted teeth. He was desperate because this case has tarnished his name further. One way or another, the elder got wind about him using Wells Familyâs name to do personal deeds. They were rebuking him through the mail and whatsoever.
"Do you know that you might not live if you decide to take it?"
"I donât care," Ivan replied. "Iâm the descendant of the core member in Wells Family, my gene is far superior than other people."
"Apparently, youâre still lower than Jason."
"Shut up!" the mention of the word âJasonâ caused him to feel irked. All these years, he has always been overshadowed by his cousin in everything he did. Even after asking help here and there, he couldnât overcome the huge hurdle that Jason placed in front of him.
With someone so perfect like Jason, he always lost. This made him extremely annoyed and angry both at Jason and himself.
âYou take everything from me...â
The position that belonged to him before Jason was born, the wealth that should be his, the connection he was supposed to make, and moreover, the reputation that he had longed for. Everything fell on the hand of Jason, not him.
One thing
At least, he would take one thing from Jason that was precious to him no matter what. If he couldnât take them back, he would just take things from his cousin that he protected so much.
"Alright, Iâll lend you my men and give you the medicine," the voice from the other side continued. "In exchange, give me a bottle of your blood."
"Deal," Ivan replied. It was just blood, nothing precious for him.
"Good. Go back to your residence, theyâll be there by the time you arrive."
Ivan smirked. "Alright."
He would be ready for the last gamble. This time, he would not let Jason off unscathed.