When Love Finds Its Way Back (Cassienne and Dreston) novel Chapter 383

Justice Elena’s voice remained steady.

“That is why Tina became useless to you. Not because she was dangerous. Not because she had crossed a moral line. Not because she had nearly killed an innocent woman.”

She held his gaze.

“She became useless because she acted outside your plan.”

Alessandro said nothing. But Justice Elena continued. “You gave her pain a direction, just as you did with Donatus.”

“I did not control her.” Alessandro defended.

“No. You influenced her.”

“That is not illegal.”

“Influence alone is not.”

A faint, cold smile returned to his face. “Then I fail to see why we are still here.”

“Because influence was not the end of your involvement.”

The smile remained, but his eyes changed.

Justice Elena closed the file. “You keep presenting each act separately because each one appears harmless when it stands alone.”

She raised one finger. “You told Donatus what he wanted to hear.”

A second finger. “You kept reminding him that Joseph had protected Auralink.”

A third finger. “You encouraged him to believe revenge was justice.”

And the fourth. “You followed Cassienne’s work because you recognized the same brilliance you once saw in Ethan.”

Now, she raised the fifth finger. “You gave Tina fragments about her parents, knowing she was bitter, vulnerable, and already close enough to Dreston Tremont to cause damage.”

Alessandro’s voice became colder. “You are building a story.”

“No,” Justice Elena replied. “You built the story. Other people lived inside it.”

For a moment, the room went quiet.

Justice Elena continued. “Mike Richardson was greedy, James wanted recognition, Donatus was grieving, and Tina was bitter. You did not create their weaknesses.” Her eyes never left Alessandro. “You studied them.”

Alessandro remained silent.

“You understood what each person wanted.” She spoke more slowly now. “Mike wanted Ethan’s work. James wanted to be seen as more important than he was. Donatus wanted someone to blame for his brother’s death. And Tina wanted the world to pay for the life she believed had been stolen from her.”

Justice Elena paused.

“And you gave each of them exactly enough encouragement to take the next step.”

Alessandro’s face had become unreadable again. But the silence was no longer helping him.

Joseph finally spoke. “You never forced anyone.”

Alessandro looked toward him.

Joseph’s voice was low. "You made sure you didn’t have to. But You watched them destroy themselves while you remained untouched.”

Alessandro looked away.

That small movement was enough to sharpen the tension in the room.

Justice Elena held his gaze. “You kept yourself one step away from every crime, and you gave people ideas instead of instructions.”

Still, Alessandro said nothing.

“You used their anger, greed, and pain so that when the damage was done, you could point to their choices.”

His expression remained controlled, but the color had faded slightly from his face. But he finally spoke. “And what exactly do you intend to charge me with? Having opinions? Understanding people? Conducting conversations?”

Justice Elena did not react to the challenge.

“The prosecution will determine the final charges after reviewing the full evidence.”

Justice Elena gathered the files and turned toward the investigators.

“We are done for now.”

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