From the outset, it was only Jessica who was in love with John—in fact, all those terrible things she had done were for his sake.Yet, did John not feel guilty about her current predicament at all?"I do, but not as much as you'd think," John admitted. "I can’t pretend to ignore her repeated attempts to have you killed.""But she's serious about you—""You matter more than I do," John said determinedly.In other words, he was willing to take anything Jessica threw at him, not Cordy. Cordy's heart skipped a beat, and she got a little emotional from John's protectiveness.John in turn raised a brow and asked, "What, you'd rather I be nicer to her?"He was obviously scrawny now, but he still had the visage of a self-important CEO. Did he think he still was one? His family's estate was almost completely sold off!"No," Cordy replied nonetheless."Really?"Cordy shrugged. "I was just checking."John's lips curled upwards. "Did you know, Cordy? You make me happy when you get s
After sending off Dicky, Cordy headed to the courthouse.Although she was used to the presence of her four bodyguards who shadowed her everywhere, by now, the journalists camped outside were shocked by it and were a little afraid to get close.After looking around, they quickly decided that they couldn’t resist a headline, and started to flock around Cordy.The bodyguards quickly moved to shield her, so the journalists had to ask their questions from three feet away by shouting very loudly."What are you doing here, Miss Sachs? Do you have some sort of relationship with John Levine? There were photos circulating of you being very close to his son!""What’s your relationship with Patrick Stuart? Are you dating?""What is your opinion of the Stuarts' direct annulment of Jessica Stuart and John Levine's engagement?"Cordy was already in a bad mood and had no patience for the journalists even as they peppered her with questions, and thus responded half-heartedly, "I wouldn’t waste t
There was a hint of teasing in Sam’s tone, while Cordy’s pupils dilated.Surprised?! Aghast was more like it!Bob was dating Zoe, wasn’t he? Why was he suddenly dating Cora?What was going on here?"There's still time before the trial starts," Bob told Cordy. "Let's step out for a moment. I'll tell you in private.""Okay," Cordy agreed to it immediately. Sam, however, was less than composed at that. "Hey! Why act all hush-hush? Why can't you talk with me around? Aren't we bros? Bob!"Bob simply ignored him and left with Cordy."Shit!" Sam could not help cursing and barking at Bob. "Remember, Bob! Don't lust after your bro's wife!"Cordy was at a loss for words—it wasn’t surprising that Zoe was always so mean towards Sam. Even if parents could name their child poorly, there was some truth to name-calling!At the same time, Cordy and Bob stepped outside the courtroom to one of the walkways, where Bob cut straight to the point. "Zoe and I broke up.""Why?" Cordy had a hunch,
When Cordy dialed Zoe’s number, her call was immediately answered by a machine voice.[The number you have dialed is not recognized. Please check if you have the correct number and try again.]Had Zoe changed her number? Did she have her old number deleted?! What could have been going on between her, Jay, and Bob? However, there was no doubt that what Bob said was true. Even if Cordy hadn’t spoken with the man much, it was obvious that he was no liar.Does that mean there was some sort of misunderstanding between Zoe and Bob? And what was the deal with Zoe and Jay? Jay was comatose, while Zoe suddenly went missing…"Cordy."Cordy came to her senses when Quinn called out to her, suddenly having no idea what was going on with Zoe."Have you been in touch with Zoe lately?" Cordy suddenly asked Quinn. Quinn paused for a moment. She was about to ask Cordy why she was standing in the walkway alone, and clearly looking flustered at that.Quinn did wonder if it was about Joh
Quinn then said, "The trial’s starting soon. Let's go in.""Oh, right. What brings you here?" Cordy asked casually, since Quinn wasn’t that close with John."I'm just auditing, I guess."With a start, Cordy realized she almost forgot that Quinn was a lawyer, and how sharp Quinn looked when defending Cordy in her own trial.They both entered the courtroom, recovering their composure once they entered. After all, they were both used to staying indifferent when others were around.As they sat down together beside Bob, Sam seemed to turn to look at Quinn for a moment, but ultimately said nothing.She didn’t look his way either, staring straight ahead at the judge's bench even though the judiciary panel hadn’t shown up yet.Soon, people started to fill inside. Cordy blinked when she saw John.He seemed to have lost even more weight since she last saw him, and now, he was all bones.Adding to his height, it looked like a strong gust would be enough to knock him off his feet.Cord
Beside her, Quinn seemed to notice Cordy getting nervous, and said, "Calm down. The prosecutors only present the evidence and witness statements in the case, and they couldn’t personally affect the verdict. That's why they're fundamentally different from counsels, who’d do their best to get an advantageous outcome for their clients. Prosecutors have to stick to facts."But what if the prosecutor went against that rule?"We'd have to wait and see," Quinn whispered quietly into Cordy's ear. "We can ask for a change if there’s proof of prejudice involved in the trial. It's easy to stir controversy since the public is really interested in this case, too."Cordy nodded.Right now, they had to watch quietly as everything unfolded.Still, Cordy couldn’t resist glancing at John.John had to know who Sean was, since Sean often made the front page in various media. If Cordy recognized Sean, John would too—in fact, they might have even rubbed shoulders.Even so, John wasn’t reacting at all
Judge Rackham replied, "Permission granted."After both suspects were brought in and seated at the witness' stand, Sean immediately asked, "Mr. Jonas. What was your relationship with the defendant?""I've worked directly under the defendant in Levine Ventures' foreign branch, in the capacity of sales manager.""What about you, Mr. Stevenson?" "I'm the head of PR for Levine Ventures' foreign branch, working directly under the defendant as well."Sean then asked, "While you were both still working in said posts, has the defendant coerced either of you into illegal activities, such as manipulating futures and securities, or aiding criminal organizations with money laundering efforts?" "Objection!" Toby Yorkman, the defense counsel, sprang to his feet, sounding agitated. "The prosecutor is leading the witness to make a questionable assertion.""Objection sustained. Please watch your phrasing, Mr. Cranston," Judge Rackham snapped sternly."Yes, Your Honor," Sean replied respectful
The voice recording was played, and the entire courtroom listened.A middle-aged man's deep voice rang first. "Using John Levine's authority for market manipulation? He'll kill me if he finds out!" "Don't worry—he'll never find out," another man's voice replied, clearly younger and more composed."No. I can't.""You don't want to get paid?" the younger man asked threateningly. "Mr. Levine pays us plenty. And I’m not that ambitious," the middle-aged man refused again."Really? What if someone finds this?" The younger man appeared to be showing the middle-aged man another recording—everyone in the courtroom could hear erotic moaning, and it was obvious what it was.The middle-aged man sounded flustered. "W-Where did you get that?!""That's not the point," the younger man told him, "but I do wonder if you could stay in Levine Ventures if you’re found messing around with women. I've also heard about your mother's cancer, and being treated aboard was costing you several grand ea