His Ex Wife Is A Billionaire

Chapter 583

Yolanda spilled every secret she’d been harboring, and once she’d purged twenty years of pent–up frustration and oppression, she slumped back into her chair, her entire body drenched in sweat.

In that moment, she was consumed with genuine self–reproach and regret.

She despised herself for not revealing the truth for twenty long years!

If only she hadn’t been so greedy back then, if she had had the courage to stand up to Elspeth’s threats and accuse that viper of murder, Cynthia might rest in peace, and she wouldn’t have suffered two decades of a life in turmoil.

She had been foolish beyond belief. Elspeth was just Mr. Abernathy’s mistress back then. Why did she fear a woman so vile?

If only Mr. Abernathy and his wife had reconciled, Elspeth would never have risen to power or remained within the Abernathy family. Even if she had been carrying Mr. Abernathy’s child, her fate would have been nothing more than a forced disappearance, leaving the child behind.

But it was too late for regrets.

The members of the Ashbourne family, present at the hearing, felt as if they had witnessed Thaddeus’s mother’s death with their own eyes.

The three ladies and Nydia were already tear–stricken, Aaron looked gravely solemn, and even the usually stoic Cassius had a telltale redness rimming his eyes.

He, his brothers, and Evadne, had all lost their mothers at a young age. But compared to Thaddeus, they were fortunate.

The greatest agony wasn’t a mother dying from illness, but dying with eyes wide open, without peace.

“Your Honor, I have several questions for the witness regarding this case,” Cedric said, his eyes dark as he rose to his feet.

Evadne and Thaddeus knew he was bound to cause a commotion, desperate to protect Elspeth for the sake of his future. Despite being prepared, their hearts clenched in anticipation.

Judge Ivan nodded gravely, “Proceed.”

Cedric approached Yolanda, his gaze chilling, “Witness, you’ve accused my client of being the true perpetrator of Elspeth’s murder. Did you actually see my client push her down the stairs with your own eyes? A simple ‘yes‘ or ‘no‘ will suffice. Nothing more.”

Jason’s brows furrowed in an instant, his fists clenching.

Yolanda could only answer truthfully, “No, I didn’t, but I clearly heard.”

Bang!

Cedric’s hand slammed down on the table, nearly scaring the soul out of Yolanda, “Sounds can be made by any object upon impact. If people outside heard this bang, would they think I’m committing murder?”

Jason raised his hand, interrupting sternly, “Your Honor, I object to the defense attorney’s speculative questioning!”

Judge Ivan spoke, “Please avoid hypothetical questions, Counselor.”

Cedric sneered briefly before continuing, “So, the witness did not actually see the supposed act of murder by my client. Her testimony only suggests that my client was the last person to see the victim

alive, a suspect, but not definitively the murderer. Moreover, you claimed my client attempted to poison the victim with fentanyl, but fentanyl is not a poison. It’s a commonly available anesthetic, even obtainable at clinics abroad, a completely legal substance.”

“Fentanyl might be an anesthetic, but as you know, an overdose can be lethal.”

Jason felt Cedric’s argument was sophistry and retorted fiercely, “Anything lethal carries significant risk. The defense should stick to the facts and not play word games!”

“Even so, the victim died from a fall. My client was present, but no one can directly link Cynthia’s death to my client.”

Cedric looked earnestly at Judge Ivan, “Your Honor, the plaintiff’s witness cannot serve as a direct witness to this case. Plus, this witness disappeared for twenty years before testifying. After twenty years, how reliable can her memory be? Could she have colluded with others? Her testimony is utterly unreliable!”

The courtroom fell silent, all eyes on Cedric’s infuriating face, anger simmering in their gaze

Elspeth hung her head low, desperately managing her expression, her cheeks twitching with the effort to restrain herself.

She was terrified

Terrified that she might lose control and laugh out loud in relief! All content is © N0velDrama.Org.

She thought, “Oh, Cynthia, you wretch! You couldn’t best me in life, what makes you think you can in death? Ridiculous!”

As the case reached a deadlock, Jason sat down, his eyes a furious red, his heart unwilling to let go. The Ashbourne family members looked ready to tear Elspeth apart.

“Damn it, why all this fuss? We should’ve handled it from the start, like with Byron, strangled her in her cell, or drowned her in a toilet bowl, and be done with it!” Aviana seethed with rage.

“And that Cedric, nothing can shut his filthy mouth! I was too gentle with him. I should’ve ripped his tongue out, make him a mute lawyer!” she hissed.

Suri, empathizing with Thaddeus’s mother’s plight, sighed, “Killing someone is too easy. But then, the world would never know the true cause of Thaddeus’s mother’s death, and he would never be able to seek justice for her.”

“And never allow Frederic to regret his cold–hearted foolishness,” Myra added icily.

Suri sneered, “At this point, Mr. Thaddeus couldn’t care less what Frederic thinks. A man who didn’t even bother to investigate the death of the woman he loved, who blindly spent twenty years married to a murderer, what kind of regret could he possibly have? He’s too proud and arrogant for that. If I were Mrs. Winter, even if Frederic came to my grave to apologize, I wouldn’t care. It would just disturb my peace.”

In the thick tension that hung over the courtroom, Thaddeus remained as composed as a statue beneath water, his serenity bordering on terrifying.

At that moment, his penetrating and unfathomable gaze shifted to Arnold, the prosecutor.

The debate had come to an end.

Jason had attempted a valiant comeback, only to be checked by Cedric’s relentless counter–attack.

“If the defense has no new evidence to present, then I invite the prosecutor to cross–examine the defendant,” Ivan, the presiding judge, said, moving the proceedings along as per protocol.

Arnold’s eyes, sharp as a falcon’s, rose slowly. He bowed solemnly to the bench and to the gallery.

As he resettled into his chair, his piercing gaze inadvertently swept over the last row, resting on Camille’s fair and comely face.

Camille’s lips, the color of soft roses, pursed slightly. Behind her sunglasses, her clear eyes sparked with nervous energy, her heartbeat rippling like waves.

The moment Arnold’s gaze retreated, her lips moved silently, mouthing the words “Good luck.”

“After thorough investigation, I’ve prepared a few questions for the defendant, Elspeth,” Arnold announced, his voice resonating through the courtroom as his steely gaze fixed upon her, menacing and probing.

Elspeth’s heart pounded like a drum, her throat dry as she swallowed hard. Cedric, too, felt a knot tighten in his chest.

He had heard the rumors about Arnold from the Elmsworth District Attorney’s office–a tough nut to crack, impervious to bribes and influence.

District Attorneys were a sensitive bunch with tremendous power. Many a tycoon sought to woo them, hoping for a get–out–of–jail–free card when it mattered most. While many prosecutors appeared upright, they often conducted backdoor dealings, serving the wealthy in exchange for favors.

But Arnold was a different breed. Not only was he a crusader for justice, but he was also a tycoon’s son!

Try to bribe him? His pocket change could bury you!

Arnold presented new evidence-

On the large screen, a white pill bottle sealed in a plastic evidence bag appeared.

Elspeth’s brow furrowed as she stared at the screen, her face the picture of surprise.

“Do you recognize this pill bottle, defendant?” Arnold asked, his icy gaze unwavering.

Elspeth shook her head in bewilderment, “No, I don’t know what that is.”

Arnold let out a derisive chuckle, his tone oppressive, “You don’t know? This was the instrument of your crime. How could you not know?

Cedric’s heart clenched. Despite his acumen, he couldn’t fathom what Arnold was playing at.

“What instrument? I’ve never killed anyone; how could I have an instrument of crime? I don’t know anything!” Elspeth protested, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, but she clung to Cedric’s advice.

No matter what questions were thrown at her in court, she was to deny or claim ignorance. She couldn’t afford to be led astray.

“Although no witness saw you commit the murder, the evidence of your poisoning is traceable.”

Arnold’s eyes narrowed, his brow chilling. “You might think that after twenty years this case would be cold, that all evidence would be untraceable. But you are naive. Eyewitnesses may be unreliable, but physical evidence, if not destroyed, remains, never disappearing, never lying. Even if you intended to destroy the evidence back then, advances in forensic technology make it easy- to find what was once untraceable.”

Elspeth turned pale, her mind racing back to that night twenty years ago in Cynthia’s room!

She had planned to poison, but Cynthia had caught her in the act, and the substance never made it into the intended victim’s system.

An intense altercation ensued. Elspeth had always thought of Cynthia as easy prey, but that night, Cynthia was determined to expose her misdeeds.

In the heat of their struggle, a furious Elspeth accidentally pushed Cynthia off the balcony.

Cynthia fell into the deserted garden below, her body laying in a pool of blood, as tragically beautiful as a macabre oil painting.

Panicked but methodical, Elspeth wiped her fingerprints from the balcony railing, erased her footprints from the floor, and took the unused poison away from the scene.

What evidence could there possibly be?

There couldn’t be any evidence left at the scene!