Chapter 63 – Cracks Begin to Show
Raphael and Victor kept contact in the days of the turmoil and chaos. At the court’s platform, Victor Lanning spoke in a clear, unflinching voice, he purposefully used every argument he made against Sebastian to establish his quilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The courtroom was full with praise for his incisive intellect and powerful presence, hist confidence was evident, no wonder he was one of the strongest lawyers of his firm. Little did nobody know that this vigor for ‘justice for Emily‘ was coming from a false accusatory finger which was more bent on convicting the innocent.
Victor handed a printed document to the court clerk,
“Your Honor, I submit into evidence the chat logs provided by Ms. Carter from Emily’s phone, showing Sebastian’s words”
“Unfortunately, the exterior cameras at the venue were dysfunctional, but this footage establishes that Emily went outside to meet someone. Combined with the threatening messages from the defendant, it’s clear who she went to meet”
Sebastian’s lawyer, Clara Woods, rose to object,
“Your Honor, the prosecution is making speculative statements. There is no direct evidence linking my client to what happened after Emily left the building”
“Overruled” the judge said, but his gaze lingered on Victor as if to caution him.
Victor turned back to Bailey,
“Ms. Carter, would you say Emily trusted Sebastian?”
“No” Bailey replied emphatically,
“She wanted to get away from him, but he always found a way to pull her back in”
“Thank you, Ms. Carter. No further questions”
Everyone in the crowd gasped and whispered. Victor thrived on it, he didn’t speak for justice, instead, his every word was intended to secure a conviction. No, this was personal. The purpose of Sebastian’s conviction was to act as a barrier, keeping secrets safe from prying e
eyes.
It was all going smoothly until the doors of the courtroom creaked open. When Emily and Madeline walked in, heads turned. Victor halted, his throat clutching the words he had been
going to say.
Emily came to the stand with a determined demeanor that broke the tension in the room, and the defense lawyer’s face brightened with recognition. Madeline trailed closely behind, giving the situation an unanticipated dimension. As Emily gave her testimony, Victor’s well crafted case started to fall apart.
Pangerl Crack=diron to Phas
When Victor’s jaw dropped in rage, he slammed his office door. The trial had been a complete failure, Sebastian was now free. He dialed Raphael’s phone, his hands were shaking. After two rings
Raphael answered the phone,
“Victor” came the familiar voice on the other end.
“It’s all fucked up” Victor snapped, pacing the room,
“What happened?” Raphael asked, his tone sharp with concern,
“Emily” Victor growled,
“She showed up in court”
There was a pause.
“What do you mean, she showed up? How?”
“For fuck’s sake, I don’t know!” Victor shouted, running a hand through his hair,
“She just… walked in with another woman. The defense attorney didn’t even know she was coming, she blew everything apart”
“Wait” Raphael said, his voice measured,
“The other woman, do you mean Madeline?”
“Yes! Madeline. She was with her, and between the two of them, they tore my case to shreds
“How could this happen? I thought we had everything under control”
“So did I” Victor said bitterly,
“But apparently, Emily had her own plans”
Raphael exhaled sharply,
“This is bad, Victor. If that wench starts talking.
“I know” Victor interrupted,
“I know what’s at stake”
“What’s the next step?” Raphael asked, his voice tinged with panic.
Victor took a deep breath, trying to steady himself,
“The police want to bring Emily in for questioning. But I won’t let that happen, if they get their hands on her, it’s only a matter of time before she spills everything”
Raphael hesitated,
“Do you think… Do you think we need to silence her?”
“No” Victor said firmly,
“That’s too risky. Things are already messy enough. If Emily suddenly disappears, it’ll only draw more attention‘
“Then what do we do?” Raphael pressed,
“We lay low” Victor said,
“We let things cool down and figure out our next move. For now, we just have to hope Emily doesn’t dig any deeper”
“And what about Sebastian?”
Victor’s lips curled into a sneer,
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s not our problem anymore. He’s too busy trying to pick up the pieces of his life to come after us. Emily, on the other hand…”
Raphael paused before speaking,
“Okay. I’ll stay out of sight, but Victor… if this blows up, we’re both finished”
“I know” Victor muttered,
“Just trust me, I’ll handle it”
Victor was left alone in his office when the call came to an end. After pouring himself a tumbler of scotch, he looked out the window at the distant glittering city lights. Victor Lanning felt the pressure of uncertainty bearing down on him for the first time in his career, His meticulously crafted façade was starting to show signs of cracking.
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