Free Web NovelChapter 153: Skyla’s Bold Stance
"Miss Skyla tell the court why you chose to marry such a man who had already revealed he wouldn’t love you?" Sylvia questioned next. Skyla could sense all eyes on her, burning her for an answer. She took a few deep breaths, steadying herself as Zyair had taught her and answered.
"I did that because my father chose him for me. He had terminal cancer and didn’t have many days to live. I couldn’t burden him on his last days by telling him the man he chose wouldn’t love me. I thought I could melt his cold heart with my love but I was wrong. All he offered me was pain and suffering."
Skyla concluded with a slight shake of her head and sniffled. Doran watched her with a blank face. The word love had no meaning in his dark life.
Lawrence and Caleb were too shaken to hear the type of life Skyla had been living. That bright smile on her face and her calm attitude never revealed how much she had been suffering inside.
Sylvia continued to question her about the various incidents in her life and Skyla answered in detail for the Jury to hear.
Sylvia asked one final question before concluding her session.
"Can you elaborate on your relationship with Mr Zyair?"
Skyla cleared her throat, threw one cursory glance at Doran and continued to speak with a confident stance.
"I met Mr Zyair roughly a year ago when he came to acquire B-Couture’s sixty per cent shares to help Doran during his low time. We had an official dinner where he was impressed by my knowledge of Anime. Since that was a department he was setting up and needed someone with extensive knowledge of it. He offered me a job to become his secretary and also the advisor on anime-related designs. I was reluctant to accept because I had never done an office job and knew nothing about being a secretary. But Doran forced me to take it. He wanted me to spy on Mr Zyair, steal his and his company’s secrets and inform him."
Skyla paused to catch her breath and took a sip of water from the glass that had been placed for her. Water cooled her parched throat and she continued.
"Doran is jealous of his boss and his success. And when I refused to give him any information he took me to a secluded place, slapped me, choked me, burnt my hand with a cigarette and left me there with night falling. I had no money or cellphone."
Skyla explained the rest of the incident and how Doran cleverly turned it into kidnapping, while Robsan again shouted.
"Objection! That’s outrageous and false accusations against my client. Miss Skyla herself gave an official police statement that she was kidnapped."
"Sustained!" She told Robsan, who victoriously smiled. Doran was muttering something to him in a hushed voice but Skyla at this point didn’t care. She would expose his lies, all of his lies.
"But if you have any evidence or witness related to this incident, kindly present it to the court."
Judge Marione addressed Sylvia who had been waiting for this moment. Her team was already in motion, turning on the projector in the courtroom to show the footage Zyair had obtained.
"As a matter of fact, we do. The statement was given under pressure from Doran, he threatened my client to do it."
Sylvia turned and urged everyone to have a look.
The footage came to life and a pin-drop silence fell in the courtroom. Doran and his legal team watched with grim expressions on their faces and so did Caleb.
A few cars passed by in the footage and then Doran’s car came into view. He and Skyla could clearly be seen sitting in the front seat. The date and time were running on the left side of the footage leaving no doubt about the day. Sylvia explained about the incident and the footage.
"Your Honour! You can clearly see that the time frame and day indicate it was indeed Doran who took my client along and performed heinous acts against her. We will be bringing further evidence and witnesses to prove the marks left on her body were from him and no one else."
Although he was keeping a calm visage the colour on Doran’s face was quickly evaporating. He hadn’t even taken the stand and yet the evidence against him kept piling up.
The Jury was taking notes and shaking their heads.
"Thank you! Miss Skyla, you can take a break now. Let’s call the defendant on the stand now."
Judge Marione announced and Skyla stood up with a slight nod. A heavy burden seemed to have been lifted off her fragile shoulders as a small meaningful smile played on her lips.
Lawrence and Huria were beaming at her and the courage she had shown. Sylvia hugged her and led her back to the seat. Caleb was deeply perturbed.
"You did great, I am so proud of you," she whispered to her with a rare smile on her ever-stern face.
"Thank you!" She answered and wished Zyair was here but knew it was for the best or more questions would have been raised.
Meanwhile, a fuming Doran took the stand. The composed visage he was faking had cracks and Skyla could clearly see them. If they were alone he would have attacked her like a furious hyena.
He took the oath just like Skyla did and then began the question-answer session.
"Mr Doran, please tell the court how long you have been married to Miss Skyla?" freewёbnoνel.com
"Nine years," he answered without revealing any emotions on his stone-cold face.
"And in those nine years did you ever hit Miss Skyla as she is claiming?"
"Not. These are all a bunch of lies and propaganda against me to hide her affair with Zyair and to steal my hard-earned money. I never laid a hand on her." He so confidently lied between his teeth without even flinching that Skyla had to scoff.
"How do you know that your wife is having an affair with your boss?" Robsan asked, flipping over the papers he was holding.
"Zyair fired someone from his company who saw them together and then tried to hush up the trial. A journalist interviewed her and learnt the truth. I will bring him to light when the time comes," he confidently replied, sending a revolting glare in Skyla’s direction. She remained perturbed. Not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her hurt or startled.
"He is bluffing," Sylvia whispered to Skyla and she just nodded her head.
"How do you pertain to the charges of taking over Adam Corporation?" Robsan questioned next.
"Mr Adams handed over the company charge to me since Skyla was his only daughter and had no clue on how to run a company or deal with business. I have the documents with his signature."
Doran pointed and Robsan’s Paralegal approached the judge with the documents. The very documents Skyla has been looking for. She shuffled uncomfortably and tried to take a closer look, knowing too well that her father had left a clause in there that it would be completely handed over to her once she learned the dealings and crossed the age of 25. Doran was only a temporary guardian.
What she didn’t know was that Doran had changed the papers and had forged fake ones. And that’s what he was showing to the court. They stated that Doran was the owner of the company now because Skyla didn’t know the ways of the trade.
