Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 286

Time flies. In a blink of an eye, half a month had passed, and the trial for the case was about to start.

Ines had never been to a court before. She thought she would have to sit at the plaintiff's bench like in the TV shows, and she felt a bit nervous.

Ethan found this amusing. "Don't worry. You're pregnant. How could I let you get stressed out? I've handed everything over to Mr. Lionel. He's now your legal representative. You and I just need to sit in the audience like everyone else." Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

Ines glared at him, "You should have told me earlier so I wouldn't have spent the whole morning worrying."

"You're now the chairwoman of a company and have attended many important events. How could you still be nervous?"

"That's different. The courtroom is a very solemn place. I've often dreamed of being taken to court, and it scares me." Just like everyone else, she had a certain amount of reverence for such a serious place.

Ethan shook his head, leading Ines to the front row.

Ines had been busy with the Galeana Group recently and hadn't had a chance to formally discuss this matter with Ethan. She then whispered, "Ethan, won't this cause trouble for you? There are too many defendants and a lot of media."

The media can either raise you up or pull you down. Dealing with them required careful handling.

"Don't worry. I know where to draw the line. I won't let things get too awkward. I just want to teach those irresponsible media a lesson. They shouldn't let short-term profits cloud their judgment and

report anything." Ethan said nonchalantly.

Ines nodded. Before she could say anything, someone on the stage knocked on the table, signalling everyone to be quiet. The trial officially began. Due to the large number of defendants, the court was composed of a judge and jurors.

The audience was packed.

On the court, it took a full hour for the judge to read and verify the information of 152 defendants.

Ines was once again impressed by Ethan's audacity. No wonder the news caused such a big stir in A City. It was truly a rare sight.

The Meyer Group's lawyer, Lionel, had an excellent reputation. Every time he spoke, he left the opposing party speechless. Ines was quite thrilled.

"Ethan, where did you find such a powerful lawyer? He's incredible," Ines couldn't help but whisper to Ethan.

Ethan leaned in her ear and chuckled, "Actually, my mom found him. When he was young, he was very fond of my mom. Even after she got married, he never gave up and pursued her."

"Really?" Ines' eyes lit up. She never imagined anyone keeping their admirer close. If it were her, she would certainly keep her distance.

"You know how silver-tongued my mom can be. She may seem friendly on the surface, but she's actually quite strategic."

Ines had a deep understanding of this. Every time she and Ethan had a slight issue, Erica would persuade her with just a few words, like a sage.

Ines felt that she still had a lot of room for improvement and needed to learn more about how to handle things from her.

The morning session took three hours, and the afternoon session took another three. It took a total of six hours to conclude the sensational case.

Given that the case was clear and Ethan had carefully collected evidence, virtually all the defendant companies were subjected to legal sanctions.

After a brief recess, the judge announced the verdict. Winning the case was expected. The court ordered Sunny Day Magazine to compensate Ines. Other defendants were also ordered to pay damages based on the severity of their cases. Those who had embellished their false reports were fined more, while those who had simply reposted were fined less. Major websites were also required to publish an apology to restore Ines' reputation.

Hearing the hefty compensation amount, Ines was taken aback. She couldn't help but whisper, "I'm really lucky. This is about half a year's profit for the Galeana Group, and a lot of it is on credit, so the cash flow isn't coming in."

But Ethan didn't look pleased at all. He didn't need the money. If he could, he wouldn't want this to happen at all. He said indifferently, "Izzy, it's what you deserve."

Silvia Caldwell, sitting in a corner, clenched her fists. She truly was sick. Knowing the outcome would be this, she still came to attend the trial, her gaze unintentionally lingering on them, seemingly enjoying the heartache.

Their case was being tried, but their moods seemed unaffected.

Ethan was always smiling, whispering something into Ines' ear.

Even though she couldn't see Ines' expression, she could imagine that she must be feeling great.

A man doing so much for her was rare.

Ethan, your heart changed too quickly.

Silvia said to herself. She should have come back earlier, and expressed her feelings earlier. That way, Ines wouldn't have had a chance.

Aaron Swanson was also emotional. He didn't know why, but he wanted to come and see, perhaps to find a reason to give up.

In a short period of time, he knew that she had gone through immense pain. Her father had passed away, and the Galeana Group relied on her alone. But aside from sending her a comforting text, he couldn't do anything.

But Ethan was different. He could always be by her side, even going as far as to make enemies with most of the media in A City for her.

After some careful thought, if he were in Ethan's position now, he wouldn't be capable of doing such a thing, even if he wanted to. When the judge announced a recess, Aaron was the first to leave through the side door. To his surprise, he heard a familiar voice. Turning around, he saw a face under the setting sun that looked a lot like Leila Caldwell. Although it was somewhat blurry, he knew clearly that it wasn't Leila because Leila seldom smiled so happily.

"Silvia? How come you're here?" Aaron was stunned for a second before he reacted. A warm smile appeared on his face.

"Aaron, I knew today was Ines' court day, so I thought I'd pop by," Silvia said with a chuckle.

"When did you get back? Why didn't you hit me up?"

"I got back about two months ago, but I've been swamped with work, and couldn't find the time."

Aaron nodded, glanced at his wristwatch, and said, "Do you have time now? If so, we could grab a bite somewhere. It's about time for a meal." Silvia nodded, "Sounds good. I'm game if you are, Aaron."