Chapter 142: The Court Case V

Words : 1152 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Chapter 142: The Court Case V Breathing became increasingly difficult for Ewan, especially with the intense glares directed at him from all angles—including those of the elders. What has he done? He wondered, suppressing the anger he felt toward his friends. Hadn’t they tried to warn him earlier? Yet here he was, having chosen to believe a foolhardy hacker. He gripped his knees tightly, forcing himself to take a deep breath to alleviate the throbbing ache in his head. He stole a glance at Fiona, and frowned when he saw her scratching her inner palms—a clear sign of her nervousness for him. Ewan sighed softly, tilting his head toward her, and whispered, "Don’t worry about me; everything will be fine." Fiona managed a pitiful nod. "I hope so. I hope you win custody of the children." But even Ewan felt the weight of doubt gnawing at him. With the evidence Athena had presented, it seemed inevitable that they would be granted equal rights to the children, and strangely enough, he was somewhat relieved that Athena wasn’t a mass murderer after all. His eyes drifted to the image of the mangled car displayed on the screen. How had Athena survived such a horrific event? He watched her now, take a deep breath before moving to the next slide. How many slides did she even have? "This is the second attempt, a year ago," Athena continued, causing another wave of gasps to ripple through the hall. "This time, my children were with me. It was a traumatizing experience for us, as Morgan drove the car himself." The tension in the air thickened, but the gasps quickly subsided, clearly overshadowed by the lingering authority of Elder Timothy. "So, it’s clear to us all that Ewan’s proof was worthless..." Echoes of agreement surfaced throughout the hall. Athena nodded, her head bobbing in rhythm with the murmurs. "The gang is pursuing me solely because someone hired them to obtain my research—that’s all there is to it. Regarding my kidnappings in this city, I’ll address that later, as it’s not directly related to my research. This time, it’s personal." Murmurs rose and fell again, as Fiona clutched her hands tightly. Did Athena possess proof of her involvement? She risked a glance at her father, who was also staring at her with concern. "Secondly, Ewan mentioned a dinner..." Athena chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. She directed her gaze at Fiona, whose eyes widened in fear, as if she had been caught in headlights. "You said I sent you the pictures, Fiona?" Fiona remained silent, avoiding eye contact. "Speak up, Fiona..." Elder Timothy commanded sharply, catching Alfonso off guard—he had intended to remind the court that Fiona was not part of the case and shouldn’t be questioned. "Yes, you did," Fiona muttered, biting her lip and feigning vulnerability. But the council comprised of many discerning individuals; they weren’t as gullible as Ewan—after all, what good had she ever done for them? "And you didn’t bring your phone?" Athena asked, cocking her head to the right. Fiona nodded. "Please check again." Furrowing her brow, wondering what game Athena was playing now, Fiona retrieved her handbag, which had been resting gracefully on the tiled floor, and placed it on the table for all to see. "I searched earlier, and there was nothing here..." She murmured as she dipped her hand into the red Hermes bag. She froze, seconds later, when her fingers brushed against the smooth surface of her iPhone. Impossible! She screamed inside her mind, dropping the phone as if it had burned her. "Still didn’t find it?" Athena teased, raising an eyebrow. "Ewan, please help your fiancée check for the phone. Maybe her fingers are too small..." Ewan didn’t wait for Athena to finish her jibe, nor did he seek Fiona’s permission. He dipped his hand into the bag, eager to call Athena’s bluff out, but confusion washed over him when he touched both the phone and Fiona’s slender fingers. Slowly, he drew the device from the bag, darting glances between it and Fiona. "You told me you didn’t bring it." "I didn’t, I swear!" Fiona cried softly, her gaze shifting frantically around her. Her mother had been beside her, Ewan on her other side, before Athena had called her to take a seat. Behind her was Zack, along with several unfamiliar faces, whom she had assumed they were from the town. Could it be that some were Athena’s people? Yet how had they gotten her phone? She looked at Athena suspiciously. The latter winked back at her. Fiona clenched her fists in frustration. Athena! Athena smiled, as if reading her thoughts. Ewan shook his head in disappointment and turned to Elder Timothy. "Here’s the phone. She must not have searched properly." Ever the defender, Athena mused before addressing the elders. "Let her show us the chat I had with her. Or rather, she should show it to Ewan. I’m sure he won’t lie to us..." Ewan sensed this was a test, and having seen the evidence, he opened the phone to reveal Fiona’s chat list. His brows furrowed deeper with each scroll when he failed to find Athena’s name. "Where is it?" He muttered. "Did you delete it?" He handed the phone to Fiona. But she hastily nodded. "It broke my heart every time I saw it; that’s why I deleted it..." Ewan sighed tiredly, patting Fiona’s shoulder reassuringly. "It’s alright." He turned to Athena, but her persistent smile made him uneasy. What now? "I need a volunteer from the audience." Athena said, looking into the crowd. A young man stood up and hurried to the front. "Please, give him the phone, Fiona..." Fiona hesitated, shooting Athena a glare but ultimately handed over the phone to the young man. "Now, thanks for volunteering..." Athena said to the young man said, causing his face to lit with excitement. "Now go to her trash bin." Fiona’s hands shook in anxiety as she cast a worried glance at her father, but he looked equally confused. Moments later, the young man lifted the phone, proudly holding up a deleted screenshot. To ensure everyone could see it, Athena connected the phone to the laptop and displayed the chat on the projector. Ewan smiled thinly as he recognized the exact message he had seen that night. "Now look, everyone," Athena said, picking up her cane and striding toward the projector board. "Do you see anything unusual here?" She pointed out certain corners of the chat. The young man nodded, sensing the murmurs bubbling up again. "Speak then." "This is just a designed page. Nothing much! It’s not a real chat. If it were, the edges shouldn’t look like this..." He gestured to the uneven edges that caught his eye. As Ewan observed the irregularities, he felt his heart stop for a moment before racing erratically in alarm. Had Fiona fooled him once again?

Chapter 142: The Court Case V

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