Chapter 435



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When people watching the live stream saw the lawyer stand up, everyone started ranting in the comments.

“That lawyer has no conscience! How can he help the Smiths in this lawsuit, who knows how much money the Smiths have given him?”

“I hear that lawyer has never lost any of his cases. He’s definitely going to lose today’s, isn’t he?”

“Mr. Lawyer, can you have a little conscience, how can you help the Smiths bully a weak and helpless woman? I am so disappointed in you.”

“I hope the lawyer dies along with his whole family!”

Hillary and the lawyer next to her were also paying attention to what was happening on the Internet.

In addition, there were also people constantly keeping the judge abreast of people’s opinions. After all, he had to take people’s opinions into account as well.

The judge sighed when he heard that everyone was siding with the plaintiff.

It would surely be very difficult for the defendant to win the case this time.

While he was thinking about it, the defendant’s lawyer said, “Your Honor, members of the jury. First, I would like to explain the relationship between my client and the plaintiff.”

He came out from behind the desk, looked at Hillary and said, “According to my research, Mr. Joel Smith and Miss Tanya Turner were in love since they were in high school, and their relationship continued even after they entered college. They are recognized by all as a model couple. Mr. Smith and Miss Turner’s classmates can attest to this. The plaintiff won’t deny this, will she?”

Hillary narrowed her eyes.

Her lawyer stood up and said, “That has nothing to do with the case. After all, many people’s first relationships don’t last. Do all spouses have to give in to their partner’s first love just because they’re back? Whether it is true love or their inability to forget their former lover, it is no reason or excuse for Mr. Smith to cheat and betray Miss Jones!”

His response was very well worded. A whole row of thumbs up appeared in the comments.

“That lawyer said so! Never mind, they had already broken up back then. To put it bluntly, even if Jones was the third wheel in Turner and Smith’s relationship back then, the two have already had a daughter together. Tanya Turner shouldn’t have come back.”

“I just imagined a great story about Turner coming back for revenge!”

“Say no more. Let’s hear them instead. What if the reason for Turner and Smith’s breakup back then wasn’t Jones?”

At about the same time the comment appeared, the defendant’s attorney said, “Of course. My client asked me to make that clear in the courtroom, in front of the judge and the whole country, because he doesn’t want Miss Turner to be called a third wheel.”

The plaintiff’s attorney couldn’t help but laugh when he heard what he said. He looked directly at the judge and said, “Objection, Your Honor. That has nothing to do with the case. What we’re here to talk about is the custody of Young Miss Mia Smith, and not who the real third wheel in their relationship is!”

Tanya, who was sitting in the defendants’ seat, was surprised.

She turned and looked at Joel.

The two had agreed that they would immediately present sufficient evidence at the start of the trial, and that they would change her status from defendant to plaintiff. She hadn’t expected her lawyer to come out and say something like that.

Was Joel… trying to clear his name?

The plaintiff’s attorney looked at the defendant’s attorney, as well as Joel and Tanya, who were seated. He said, “Even if my client had been the third wheel in their relationship back then, she didn’t break the law! Moreover, she even gave birth to a daughter for Mr. Smith. As a mother, she has the right and the duty to raise her daughter.”

The defendant’s attorney looked directly at the judge. “Your Honor, I mentioned the past because this case can no longer be contemplated normally. Human beings are emotional creatures. When everyone censures my client, I have the right to defend him. I ask the court’s permission to explain things clearly to everyone.”

The judge looked at Hillary, then at Tanya and Joel. Then, he nodded. “Permission granted.”

The defendant’s attorney looked directly at Hillary. “You were the third wheel in Mr. Smith and Mrs. Turner’s relationship at the time, do you admit this?”

Hillary curved her lips in disdain. “They were just dating back then. It’s not like they were married, so you can’t say I was the third wheel at all! Mr. Smith and I were also very much in love back then.”

“Is that so?” the defendant’s lawyer couldn’t help but smile. “But as far as I know, although you claim to have given birth to a daughter for Mr. Smith, the two of you did not get engaged and did not celebrate a wedding. Furthermore, Mr. Smith also signed an agreement with you at the time. The agreement states that once Miss Mia Smith reaches the age of five, Mr. Smith will terminate his marital agreement with you, and both of you will regain your respective freedom. Accordingly, the Smiths will take care of the Jones’ business for those five years. Upon termination of the agreement, custody of Miss Mia Smith will pass to Mr. Smith. Therefore, may I interpret this as a transaction, except that Miss Jones intends to go back on her word?”

Hillary was speechless.

The people who supported Hillary in the comments were also stunned. For a moment, they didn’t know what to say.

“In that case, it looks like the Smiths aren’t wrong.”

“But isn’t it too abusive to prevent the mother from seeing her daughter?”

The plaintiff’s attorney stood up. “The relationship between a mother and her daughter cannot be described as a transaction. Miss Jones is not a surrogate! That arrangement was illegal from the beginning! Furthermore, as the mother of Young Miss Mia Smith, Ms. Jones has visitation rights!”

He looked at Hillary.

Hillary immediately took the hint.

Before coming here, the two of them had already discussed how they should treat the arrangement. Hillary immediately burst into tears. “Yes, that’s why I want to ask the court for help with mediation. It was the first time I was a mother back then. The Smiths are too powerful, so I had no choice. But during the past five years that my daughter and I depended on each other, we have already developed strong feelings for each other. How can one control one’s own emotions? Your Honor, what kind of an agreement can prevent a mother from seeing her own children?”

Then she began to cry bitterly. “Please, Mr. Smith, give me a way out! I have already fallen into depression over not being able to see my daughter!”

Plaintiff’s attorney immediately produced a diagnostic report of depression. “This is my client’s diagnostic report. She misses her daughter very much. I hope the court can be considerate of her difficulties.”

Seeing this, everyone in the comments suddenly started sympathizing with Hillary again.

“The Smiths are simply too cold! The richer people get, the more domineering they become! They don’t care about people’s feelings at all! How can they let the child grow up in a family like that?”

“Exactly! It’s not right to stop a mother from reuniting with her daughter! How can they do that!”

“The Smiths are too abusive!”

“The girl’s mother is already depressed. It’s so pitiful. She just wants to see her daughter, what’s wrong with that?”

“Who knows, maybe the Smiths threatened her into signing the agreement back then!”

“My God, look where the defendants are! Turner and Smith are completely expressionless even when they saw Jones cry so hard! They are so heartless! Capitalists are the worst!”

“Yes, they are too inhuman! The little girl may not understand anything right now, but she’ll hate them when she grows up and realizes the truth!”

Everyone’s words and the stances they took were relayed to the judge.

The judge looked at the defendants. They had completely lost the support of the public.

However, at the defendants’ place, Tanya was still glaring angrily at Hillary, while Joel was expressionless. Even his lawyer seemed completely calm, as if he was completely unmoved by Hillary’s screams.

He looked down and asked, “The defendants, what else do you have to say?”

Joel and Tanya exchanged a glance.

Tanya had a steady gaze, but her eyes were slowly reddening.

Joel looked toward the attorney and nodded to him.

After the nod, the defendant’s attorney suddenly came out from behind the desk and looked at the judge. “Your Honor, I have some evidence I would like to present.”

The judge nodded.

The defendant’s attorney handed over two documents.

The judge was surprised to see the documents and his expression changed drastically. He looked at Tanya with a complicated look, then looked at Hillary with a frown. Disgust flashed in his eyes.

In the comments, everyone speculated.

“What evidence is that? It really made the judge’s expression totally change.”

“Oh no, the way he’s looking at Smith and Turner isn’t so cold anymore. Could it be that they presented no evidence but a check just now?”

“How can they bribe the judge so openly, they have no control!”

Hillary watched the comments out of the corner of her eye. When she saw all the comments siding with her, the corners of her lips curved slightly.

It was at that moment, however, that the defendant’s attorney slowly said, “Your Honor, members of the jury. On behalf of my client, Miss Tanya Turner, I am filing a lawsuit against Miss Hillary Jones for maliciously kidnapping Miss Turner’s daughter five years ago. This led to my client being separated from her daughter for no less than five years. May the law impose the most severe penalty on Miss Jones! I demand that Miss Jones compensate my client for the emotional damages as well as the material losses suffered while searching for her daughter for the past five years!”

His words caused a furor all over the world!!!!!

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