His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 579

The courtroom was a stage, and every soul within its walls, save for the actors Frederic had arranged, glared at Elspeth with eyes filled with loathing and condemnation.

Even Glynnis looked upon Elspeth, the mother who had plotted her downfall with contempt and disgust.

Elspeth had come prepared for this trial. She had requested a bathroom break before proceedings to 'touch up' her makeup, ensuring she appeared as a pale and haggard woman tortured by life's cruel hand. Her innocent facade was so convincing, it was as if she had been born for this role.

Frederic, catching Elspeth's pitiful, pleading gaze, was momentarily transported back to the days of their early acquaintance. His heart, once sealed in concrete, cracked open once more.

"You witch. You will pay for Erica's life with your own! I demand justice!" Erica's grandmother could not contain her fury upon seeing Elspeth, her voice trembling with rage and sorrow, a sight that could soften the hardest of hearts.

Elspeth, with tears brimming in her eyes, shook her head helplessly, looking every bit the innocent victim she pretended to be.

This was a public trial, every moment captured on camera, the courtroom no less than a theater.

And she, she was still the star of the show!

Before the trial, Cedric had sworn to her that the charge of hiring a hitman would not stand. Her only task was to play her part in this carefully orchestrated drama.

"Madam, please, calm down! Just breathe," Jason urged, rushing to Erica's grandmother's side as she turned pale and began to convulse. Evadne stood up, calling for oxygen, "Someone get an oxygen tank quickly! She's going into shock!"

The officers scrambled to assist, and only after the elderly woman was given oxygen did she begin to stabilize.

The judge, Ivan Dempsey, robed in black, took his seat, his heart heavy at the sight of his siblings entangled in this public spectacle.

"Oh no, the judge is a Dempsey!" Aviana shook Suri frantically, nearly making her sick, "Suri, will he throw Jason under the bus? Are there any good apples in the Dempsey family? I have my doubts!"

Suri patted her hand reassuringly, "Ivan's record is clean. He's made it on his own merit, without much influence from his father. I believe he'll be fair."

The momentous trial began.

"Elmsworth Court of Justice is now in session for the case of the People versus Elspeth Ward, charged with the murder for hire. Will the prosecution please make its opening statement?"

Erica's grandmother, aged and frail, had exhausted her strength just by appearing in court. Jason, shedding his secretary persona, stood as a professional lawyer, moving everyone with a powerful narrative of the crime, demanding justice with simple words: "Kill the murderer!"

A hush fell over the crowd, even Frederic's paid supporters were visibly moved.

Evadne, haunted by the brutal image of Erica's death, clutched her ears and shut her eyes, as if trapped in a vacuum-sealed jar, her forehead slick with sweat, fighting for breath.

"Evadne, don't think of them. I'm here," Thaddeus wrapped his arms around her, resting her head against his shoulder, his voice a soothing whisper.

"Thaddeus. I still feel I'm a sinner," Evadne sobbed.

Thaddeus, feeling her tears, reassured her with a tender fierceness, "Don't say that. You are no sinner. Those standing in the dock, they are the true criminals."

As Jason concluded, it was the defense's turn.

Elspeth, weeping profusely, recited the script Cedric had prepared for her, her brief stint as an actress serving her well in this desperate hour.

"Your Honor, why would I kill a mere maid? What benefit would her death serve me? Perhaps this is all due to a personal vendetta between Ward and Erica, being of the same social circle at the Abernathy estate. Ward, flaunting his position as my assistant, has not been kind to the Abernathy help. No doubt Erica had her grievances, which led to his vile act!"

"You're spouting lies!" Ward, now a cooperating witness, immediately retorted, "Your Honor, Elspeth was blackmailed by Erica, so she paid me to dispose of her! She's the mastermind; I had no choice but to comply, fearing the wrath of a lady of the Abernathy estate. Even in custody, she sent people to silence me – I still bear the marks on my neck!"

"You slanderer! If I had known of your villainy abroad, I would never have employed you!" Elspeth bellowed, the courtroom witnessing a spectacle of betrayal and accusation.