Chapter 3

The Governor's Son Chapter 3

THE TRIAL begins after days of preparation. All eyes are on Denver's case. His mother and Angelito are the only ones present to witness his judgement in the lower court. They don't have any relatives here in the metro because Maxine raised him herself when his father died.

Altos' family is on the other side of the court. His wife is silent with their little child. Denver can feel the pressure when sitting at the accused seat.

He could feel the pressure in between his legs. He wants to urinate in his pants out of his nervousness. The judge opens the case as they discuss the facts of Denver's case. It took them half an hour before starting the trial. He finds himself lonely and scared of what will society think about him.

In his early and innocent age, he must not in here. However, that badass Don threatens him so severely.

The clerk stands up firm when looking at Angelito. His heart is also pumping fast enough to shake his body.

"Please state your name, sir," he asked.

“My name is Angelito De Silva Marquez,” he responded. All of the eyes are in him as well as Altos' family. Total silence when he speaks on the witness stand.

"What's your relationship with the accused?" The prosecutor asked.

Angelito knows this prosecutor is one of his father's enemies. Nevertheless, he is standing with confidence.

"I don't have any relationship with him," he answered confidently. The crowd starts to murmur.

"Why do you testify as to the defendant of this man?" Alexandre Buenavista asks, intimidating his will since he's also Don Pablo's ultimate enemy.

"Because I know he is innocent," Angelito exclaimed in total confidence.

"Prove your response. Can you give us a detailed statement of how you witnessed he is innocent?" he requested as Don Angelito looked at Denver with genuine concern and for his promise to get him out of prison at all cost.

He sighed. "I came from the concert at Mall of Asia ground around eleven in the evening. I wandered around because I had just landed in Manila a day before the event. I am at the other side of the bridge when going up…. I heard someone asking for help, and I saw the accused trying to help him. However, he refused, and they have a little commotion."

He paused, breathed and continued, "Denver doesn't know if Altos is fine. He is trying his best to help. I heard him saying something that was out of Denver's personality. I think he is mistaking him as someone that he is so afraid of."

The prosecutor looks at him. "Please continue."

"He tries to hurt him, but Denver needs to defend himself from his big body. Altos was from the concert, and his friends knew he was drunk. That's the main reason why he was out of balance. He falls from the overpass."

"How are you sure that what you are saying is true?" he asked.

"I'm confident that the accused is innocent at all means. He was in imminent danger when Altos tried to push him that was seen on the video."

The prosecutor smirks at him. "You said he is mistaking for someone he fears? Do you think it has a connection between his recent work as your father's auditor?"

Attorney Barbie stands up upon hearing his allegations. "OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR! The prosecutor is asking serious allegation that is not related to the case!"

The judge listens carefully and approves her defence. "Objection overruled. Please change the question and continue," he said.

Attorney Barbie smiles lightly, "thank you, your honour."

A moment of silence before the prosecutor speaks again. Denver is sweating as well as his mother when listening to their burning conversation. It's already clear there's no other way for convicting him as guilty.

"What did you see after?" he asked Angelito with a soft tone and turned the pages of papers.

"He ran away. Maybe he was confused that time. He accidentally pushes him on the bridge; that's why he falls out of the alcohol influence." Angelito's eyes are poker, and they can't witness any signs of vulnerability. 

"How can you support your claim, Mr Angelito?" he asked then-Attorney Barbie took the floor as his legal attorney.

"Your honour, these are the pieces of evidence that we got from the forensic team," she politely said and presented all the pieces of evidence.

"Please present the shreds of evidence."

She looks at us and read some highlights. "Altos was drunk based on the alcohol content that is in his blood. Second, he is under the influence of drugs—"

"OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR!" Prosecutor Alexandre Beunavista objects when hearing something out of his client's statement.

"My client said her husband doesn't take any drugs even he is working late and no sleep," he defended.

The judge is poker, but the crowd murmurs about their opinions and how this case will go.

"Please present your solid evidence, Attorney," he requested. Barbie shows the evidence that he was under the influence of drugs, specifically ecstasy.

Altos' wife cannot believe that his husband is under the influence of drugs before he goes home. She is crying on the other side of the courtroom because he might be blinded by the payment he gets from his previous work with the governor.

"I will continue, your honour. Based on the other pieces of evidence, his right main coronary artery turns black; that's why he died from cardiac arrest before he falls down the overpass."

All of the people gasped! Prosecutor Alexandre is speechless when she puts their aces well presented and solid. He feels like his knees are wobbling. In all of his cases, this one looks to fail.

He goes back with another evidence to present. He plays the security footage. He paused on the other side, where his face was kind of clear despite having sunglasses.

Angelito's eyes widen as his heart beats so fast.

"Let's compare this on the different CCTV footages," he added. However, it's vague because some bugs are present on the security camera's lens.

"In the first video, I can reassure…. This is not his physique. Can I ask you if you are in this video, Mr Angelito?"

Attorney Barbie stands up again. "OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR! THE PROSECUTOR IS MAKING FALSE ALLEGATIONS AND INTIMIDATING THE DEFENDANT!"

His word shakes Angelito's adamant will. The chief of police goes to present another investigation on their I.T side.

He gives the paper to Attorney Barbie. "Please read," the judge commanded. He is now reassuring that the boy is innocent and this is a justifiable homicide.

"It says the CCTV camera glitches because of its age and some bugs around this hour," Attorney Barbie reads it aloud while looking at Angelito.

She plays the video, and in some parts, there are lapses like what the chief of police states.

"It's clear in the video that the accused gestures are genuine and shock. If he intentionally pushed him… Denver could do it before Altos attacked him."

The crowd is starting to go to Denver's side. After all of the presented facts, the judge gives his verdict on his mind.

The prosecutor grins and questions. "I'm glad to ask you, Mr Angelito, if you have something in this scene? Let's have a look. If you are on another side of the bridge… why you are seen wearing different clothes in a short span of time?"

Angelito is dumbfounded as well as Denver that is fearing the prosecutor's meticulous investigation.

"I-I was at the concert before. As I said, I wander in Taft because there is a location where clothes are cheap. My jacket was soaking wet at that time. I don't want to have pneumonia, so I change my clothes. The moment when I am going to the bridge, that's where I hear them arguing."

Alexandre smiles when looking at him. "You said you are at Mall of Asia, and you can buy clothes in that. Why do you need to go so far?"

Denver is biting his lower lip because he is afraid that Angelito will be sautéed in here.

Angelito finds a loophole in his question. "My current location is at Monumento, Caloocan City… I need to ride a multicab before going to the train station near Taft. I decided to wander because the night market a hundred meters from the incident is luring me to buy."

He convinced the judge that is also looking for a loophole in his statement. However, he is doing it splendidly.

Attorney Barbie gradually left a slight smile on his face when the Don is quick when lying and twisting the plot. Prosecutor Alexandre cannot see anything more. He is threatened when the judge finally gives his verdict in the final presentation.

"All pieces of evidence are presented well in this courtroom. Members of the board, you have heard all of the testimony concerning this case. It is now up to you to determine the facts. You and you alone are the judges of the fact. Once you decide what facts the evidence proves, you must then apply the law as it to you to the facts as you find them," the judge said to all of them.

Maxine is teary when looking at his only son on the other side.

"We will now proceed to the Verdict phase in the next calendar hearing. Thursday next two weeks to judge the accused Denver Fronda Nervar. Thank you, board members, prosecutor and attorney, for your service today. The court is adjourned."

AFTER THE first hearing. Denver's chest turns light even inside the detention centre. The mass public is now relieved that he is innocent. Moreover, Angelito comes to visit him in custody.

He gently sits down beside him. "How do you feel right now?" he asked with a poker expression.

"Anxious as always. Mom visited me before lunchtime," Denver responded and averted his gaze at his handsome face.

"Are you full?" Angelito gazes at his eyes.

"Uhm. Definitely… Angelito," he says his name cutely. The governor's son smiles at him.

"You call my name so sexy. Remember, after this case, you shouldn't tell anybody about our secret," he whispered to avoid speaking loud at the visitor's lounge.

Denver is not sure about his gut feeling. There's only a tiny chance that he will go to jail—nonetheless, this man beside him has a bigger chance to be rotten.

Angelito pats his shoulder. "I will now leave this place. Take care, Denver," he said before leaving the lounge. Angelito sighed when walking to his car.

His phone rings, and his eyes are feasted when his another twenty million pesos is now transferred to his account by his father. He goes to his bank to withdraw even a million for Denver.

THE NEXT CALENDAR trial comes. They all gathered and then listened to the judge because his final verdict was now concrete. After two hours of getting all his board members' perceptions written in the paper, the court waits for the judge.

When the sound of the paper hits the microphone, Denver's heart is squeezing, and his head is banging for justice. The judge audaciously speaks for them.

"The accused Denver Fronda Nervar of homicide presented all his evidence well in the previous trial. Upon looking at the pieces of evidence and testimony of the defence and no probable cause for the case, I can now give my final judgement. By the power bestowed upon me by the republic act of the Philippines. I am pleading that the accused Denver Fronda Nervar as not guilty for unintentionally killing Altos Briones last May thirteen twenty-twenty one at eleven forty-five in the evening close—"

He clears his throat before speaking again, "please proceed to the custody for the release. The case is closed."

Denver cannot believe what he is saying. He stands up out of his happiness, but Altos' family left in vein after hearing the verdict. Angelito looks at him with a confident smile on his face.

He walks straight to him as Maxine cries too out of her joy for his son's freedom.

"Thank you so much!" she said to attorney Barbie and Angelito. He also cries when realizing his name is now evident all over the country. He didn't kill the auditor.

However, Denver thinks this will be the last time he will see Angelito. He is wrong because the governor's son keeps his eyes on him all the time.

A WEEK has passed since the trial. Don Angelito thinks his mind is now clear. His phone vibrates, and an unknown number tries to contact him.

"Yes?" he meanly asks.

"Hello, sir. This is inspector Lotus Medina—"

"Don't waste my time. Go directly to the point," he interrupts his speaking. The inspector breathes profoundly when uttering the next word that could destroy his whole world.

"We received a lawsuit of slander and fraud against you," the inspector said as Angelito's body froze on the chair. He cannot lift his cigarette, and it falls in his grip. The ashes scattered on the floor like his soul shattered into pieces.

"Who file a case against me?!" he shouts out of his range.

Inspector Lotus sighed heavily. Luckily, he is one of the governor's minions to protect his son. "The complainant is named Denver Nervar, sir."