Chapter 1664: Court of law, not morality

Meanwhile...

Hugo ended up riding with Atlas and Zoren in the same car because, for some reason, Penny’s car had run out of gas. So, someone else needed to take it to the gas station and fill it up before following them to the Pierson Corporation.

Seated in the back seat, Atlas glanced at Hugo. "Stop thinking, Hugo."

"Huh?" His brother’s words snapped him out of his deep thoughts. "What?"

"You’ve been thinking so much, and I’m worried you might end up having a hemorrhage," Atlas flatly remarked with all the sincerity he had. "Rushing you to the emergency room is not something I’m looking forward to."

Hugo frowned while Zoren stifled a laugh.

"Don’t laugh," Atlas cast Zoren a side eye, making the latter straighten his back. "I’m not done with you yet."

"..." Zoren carefully peeked at Atlas, a little concerned. At that second, he quickly made a mental note not to get too close to him on their next site visit together.

"For your information, I’m not thinking about anything like what you think," Hugo remarked in a knowing tone, then shifted his attention to Zoren.

Zoren raised his brows at him, pointing at himself. "You’re thinking about me?"

"Mhm." Hugo hummed, nodding. "I’m thinking... if your mom has a twin, doesn’t that mean the chances of you and Penny having quadruplets is at an all-time high now? I heard it’s in the genes."

Atlas: "..."

Zoren: "..."

Angel from the front passenger row: "???"

The driver: still vibing to the music, having no idea about the conversation in the backseat.

"What?" Hugo raised his brows as both Zoren and Atlas stared at him blankly.

"Hugo, have you signed a consent form to donate your brain for science? I’m curious to see how it looks." Atlas asked while Zoren’s question flew out of his mouth at the same time. "You think?"

The moment Atlas heard Zoren’s response, he turned to him. No word was said, but his eyes clearly showed what he was thinking.

’I’m also curious what his brain looks like. Sounds to me he is more of a hybrid type of Hugo’s.’

Hugo nodded and shrugged. "Just thinking about it because I want to tease Penny later — heh."

Zoren lowered his gaze, rubbing his chin as if pondering it deeply. After a second, he nodded in conviction as if something had grown clear to him.

Atlas shook his head as he flatly commented, "You’re focusing on the wrong thing, Zoren."

Shouldn’t Zoren wish his mother had remained dead, so she wouldn’t have anything to do with all of this?

"But you’re also focusing on the wrong situation, First Brother," Hugo blurted out with a frown.

"I am not," Atlas denied with confidence. "I still have a clear line of questions for her, but at the same time, I want to ask her how it feels to be the biggest jerk of all time. It would be interesting to know how her brain works. I’d like to dissect it."

Hugo: "..."

Zoren: "..."

Angel in the front: ’He is aware he is talking about his sister’s mother-in-law, right?’

The driver: still enjoying the music without any knowledge of the nonsense in the backseat.

---

Meanwhile, at Grace’s place...

Since Kiara and Cassandra were already at her home, Grace didn’t need to rush to her office. After all, the plan was to meet the two in her office to discuss their strategy. But just before they started, Grace received a call from her secretary.

Hence, she turned on the television in the living room.

Kiara and Cassandra sat on the long sofa, watching the news. Grace, on the other hand, perched on the one-seater couch, her face turned toward the television. Neither of them spoke a word, listening to the news anchor talk about Cassandra’s case and her release.

The news was simple. It covered the sudden changes in the case, including the judge stepping down, Cassandra’s bail, her new lawyer, and then a random citizen being asked about their opinions regarding the matter. Some people remained neutral, but the majority weren’t happy with it and even questioned the new judge.

It was a whole new fiasco.

"As expected," Grace hummed, shrugging as she set her attention on the ladies. "The media will twist this narrative as much as they like just to garner more readership. Don’t mind them."

Cassandra tried to force a smile and nodded. "I understand."

"Cassy." Kiara reached for Cassandra’s hand, nodding at her reassuringly. "Don’t listen to them. There are two people here who believe in you, and we’ll fight with you until the end."

Kiara’s reassurance and fighting spirit calmed Cassandra’s heart, causing the latter to smile softly. Cassandra nodded back at her before the two of them turned to Grace.

"What a beautiful friendship you have," Grace commented before she bent over, pushing the stack of papers toward the two of them. "I know I already sent Miss Kiara some parts of these documents, but you both need to know this information. Don’t worry, I will walk you through every step."

She paused to let her words sit with them. "I’m sure the prosecution is already trying to put you behind bars again as we speak, but don’t worry about that. However, Miss Smith, I want you to know that the police procedure was done by the book."

"They’d been surveying you for months before your arrest," Grace continued. "So, I’ll need you to tell me everything you’ve done for the past month. Even what you ate, where you ate, or who you met during all this time."

"..." Cassandra didn’t answer immediately as her eyes dilated, holding her breath. "They’d been monitoring me months before my arrest?"

"That’s right."

"Then, that means they..." she trailed off, biting her tongue as she clasped her hands together. Her heart thudded nervously, reminded of one thing she had done that could put her at a disadvantage.

"Cassy, what is it?" Kiara asked, worried. "Did you do something... strange in the past month?"

Grace arched a brow, studying the two of them. Cassandra’s hesitation and shame were evident on her face, while Kiara’s curiosity was clear.

A shallow breath escaped Grace, and she shook her head.

"Don’t worry, Miss Smith," Grace remarked, making the two ladies turn to her. "This case is about your involvement in the orphanage—no more, no less. Anything else outside of that case is irrelevant. No matter how vile you are or how kind you are, it barely matters in this case."

"Remember," Grace leaned forward. "The court that’s waiting for us is a court of law, not a court of morality. I might have personal feelings about that, but it’s the truth—it’s reality."

She then pressed a finger on the stack. "And this case is about whether or not you’re innocent of this entire ring that involved an orphanage. You might be guilty of many other things, but not in this one. Keep that in your head."