The lawyer told Sonia that she could appeal the court’s decision, but there would be no point since the judges would still maintain their initial adjudication. “I’m so mad!” Charles slammed his fist against the seat. Carl didn’t say much and simply lowered his head as if he was thinking about something.
Sonia watched as Tina was brought out of the courtroom, Titus and Julia following behind her. Titus and Julia seemed to notice Sonia’s gaze as they both turned around to flash her looks of victory. Julia, in particular, looked as if she wanted to walk right up to Sonia’s face just to laugh at her.
In the past few days, Julia had been running around seeking help since she had assumed that her daughter would have to go to jail. She had suffered countless rejections and eye-rolls. Just an hour ago, Sonia and Toby had looked down upon her as if she were nothing but trash. She was furious whenever she thought about it. However, she felt much better after the court case was over. It was Sonia’s turn to get angry then. At that thought, Julia gave Tina a fond stroke on the head before she let out a hearty laugh while looking in Sonia’s direction.
Sonia clenched her fists and gave Julia a cold glare before she shifted her gaze to Tina. Tina’s head was hung low, and Sonia couldn’t see her expression. However, Sonia guessed that Tina was probably celebrating silently.
After the Gray Family left, Sonia stayed back as she still had to attend William’s trial. His charge was more serious than Tina’s charge of attempted harm toward Sonia. After all, Sonia never got hurt as a result of Tina’s attempts to harm her. William’s case was different since he had directly splashed acid on Sonia, and he ended up receiving a three-year sentence. The rest of the netizens who had sent wreaths and knives received their relevant punishments as well—some were arrested while others received milder punishments.
On the other hand, the marketing accounts and media outlets were in greater trouble as they had done more than just to defame Sonia. The outcomes of their cases were still unknown as they had committed other crimes as well. Most of them had to deal with charges that were independent of Sonia’s case. Sonia didn’t bother much about these people because it was good enough for her to know that they would eventually face the consequences that they deserved.
As she walked out of the court, she raised her head to look at the sky. It was a cloudy day, and it seemed like it was about to rain. Charles looked up as well. “I often hear people saying that the skies look especially clear after they win a court case. We won, yet…” he muttered in a sarcastic tone.
“Are you okay, Sonia?” Carl gazed at Sonia with concern in his eyes. Sonia forced a smile. “I’m fine. The outcome might not have been what I hoped for, but I’m sure Tina won’t dare to do anything else for now. At least she’ll have to live in the shadows for the upcoming days. I guess the results aren’t that bad.”
Both Charles and Carl exchanged glances. They could tell that Sonia was forcing herself to feel better, but they didn’t expose her act. “Let’s forget about the celebration we were supposed to have tonight,” Charles said after a few seconds of silence. Carl nodded without protesting.
Sonia was about to insist on proceeding with the celebration, but she couldn’t seem to utter the words in the end. I thought that I wouldn’t be too bothered by the results, but it seems like it has impacted me quite a bit. If I didn’t care about the trial’s outcome, I would have had the mood to go on with our celebration, right?
Three of them walked to the car park in silence. A group of reporters rushed toward them once they arrived at their car. “Miss Reed, what are your thoughts on the judge’s decision for Tina’s case?” one asked.
“Yeah, Miss Reed. Let us know if you’re satisfied or not!” another asked.
Sonia simply stared at the ground with an icy look on her face and completely ignored the reporters. Carl and Charles were furious, and they shooed the reporters away while shielding Sonia and helping her get in the car. It took them a great deal of effort to finally free themselves from the swarm of reporters. Once they got in the car, they sped out of the area.
On the way back, Charles saw reporters chasing after them in the rearview mirror. He smacked his palm against the steering wheel angrily. “F*ck! These reporters are like pests! They always touch on the most sensitive topics!” he grunted.
“Alright. That’s enough,” Carl muttered in a deep voice when he saw the dejected woman sitting with her eyes closed in the back seat. Charles noticed how he might have said the wrong words, and he kept his mouth sealed after stealing a glance at Sonia. The atmosphere in the car seemed especially gloomy after the three of them stopped talking.
Meanwhile, Toby stepped out of the meeting room and sent his collaborating partners off after their meeting at Fuller Group. As Toby strode toward his office, he saw Tom waiting for him outside. Tom wore a rather confused expression on his face as he spoke. “Tina’s trial is over, President Fuller.”
“How many years did she get?” Toby’s eyes lit up upon hearing Tom’s words.
“She got a five-year probation.” Tom pushed his glasses up his nose as he spoke in a rather disappointed tone.
Toby was about to let himself into the office, but he spun around immediately after Tom finished speaking. “What did you just say? Five-year probation?!”
“Yes. Tina didn’t cause any direct harm to Miss Reed and her own injuries are rather serious, so the court decided to put her on probation. She also has to pay a sum of one million for destroying Miss Reed’s reputation, and another 5 million for Paradigm Co.’s losses,” Tom replied.
Toby was so furious, all he could do was laugh. “I can’t believe she got off with a five-year probation and 6 million!”
“There’s nothing that can be done—it’s just the way our country works. I contacted our legal department after watching the live stream, and they told me the same thing.” Tom sighed.
Toby pursed his lips. After a while, he narrowed his eyes dangerously. “I want you to watch Tina closely. We can find a chance to set up a trap for Tina.” Since Tina didn’t get prosecuted this time, I’ll find a way to do something that’ll send her to jail.
Tom had been working with Toby for years, and he quickly understood what his boss meant. His glasses glowed as they reflected the light above. “Are you trying to get Tina to do something illegal during her probation period?”
“That’s right.” Toby nodded.
Tom’s eyes lit up. “I got it. I’ll find a chance to lay a trap for her.”
“Okay. You can leave now,” Toby uttered as he gestured for Tom to go. After Tom left, Toby pulled his phone out and dialed Sonia’s number. He knew that Sonia wanted Tina to be sentenced to jail, and he was certain that Sonia would be extremely disappointed with the trial’s outcome.
Sonia picked the call up soon after it began ringing. “Is anything the matter, President Fuller?” Her voice sounded rather weak. She pressed her phone against her shoulder as she jabbed the password for her condominium’s entrance. However, she kept pressing the wrong combination as she wasn’t in the right headspace. She got more frustrated after a few wrong tries.
Toby’s voice softened when he heard her frustration on the other end of the line. “I heard about the court’s decision.”
“Oh. Are you calling to laugh at me?” Sonia bent forward and tried to focus on punching the numbers on the keypad. She finally got it right. Opening the door, she kicked her shoes off without putting on her indoor slippers. She walked barefoot into her living hall, then threw herself onto the couch—she was too tired to do anything else.
On the other end of the call, Toby knitted his eyebrows together after hearing what she said. “What? Why would you think I’m calling to laugh at you?”
“What else could it be? Are you calling to show your concern?” Sonia scoffed.
“Yes. I know you must be in a bad mood now, so—” Toby replied.
“Stop! You can stop now.” Sonia stared at the ceiling listlessly. “I don’t need you to care. I’m way past that now.” In the past, he had never been around when she needed him the most. Even if he was present, he simply pretended not to realize her needs. She no longer needed him at this point. Furthermore, she had tons of people that cared for her then. Does it matter if he cares for me?
Toby felt his chest tightening upon hearing her words. He felt like he was suffocating. His fingers curled around his phone as guilt filled his eyes. “I’m sorry, Sonia. I—”
“You don’t need to be sorry. It’s all over now. Do you need anything else? If that’s all you wanted to say, then I’ll end the call now.” Sonia massaged her temples as her head started to hurt. For some reason, her head felt extremely heavy. She pressed her palm against her forehead, but she didn’t have a fever.
