The more Hillary refused to plead guilty in the case where evidence was conclusive, the less likely she would receive mercy in court.
Her stubbornness was, on the contrary, a positive for Tanya.
The judge frowned, and the way he looked at Hillary changed.
Hillary’s legs went limp and she fell onto the chair. She hadn’t expected them to still be able to find evidence of her bribing the nurses when two years had already gone by. On top of that, they even managed to get the two nurses to testify as witnesses!
It was all over.
Everything was over!
Tanya’s attorney was still speaking. He said, “Your Honor, my client is a dancer with a sizable income, but every year, she pays most of her money to private detectives to engage them in search for her child…
“The millions of dollars she spends on the search each year are nearly the entirety of her income. If she had really abandoned the child, why would she spend that much money searching for her child?!
“Ms. Jones is still slandering my client even at this point. Not only that, but she even bribed reporters to create public pressure on my client in an attempt to reverse the lawsuit’s outcome!
“I implore the judge to take serious action against her!”
As the attorney’s loud and powerful words rang out, the courtroom fell silent.
After discussion, the judge finally announced, “Given the severity of Ms. Hillary Jones’ crime in stealing the child, and the fact that she shows no intention of pleading guilty, let alone any sign of remorse, we will submit the case to the judiciary and have the Attorney-General’s Office bring charges against her, so that they may give her the maximum sentence possible!”
Upon hearing that, Hillary slumped onto the chair.
The maximum sentence was thirty years of imprisonment!!
Thirty years!
By the time she came out of prison thirty years later, she would be old!
No, she didn’t want to go to jail!!
The court had its own procedures. The court hearing today was for Joel and Hillary’s fight for the custody of their daughter. Therefore, the case was closed without even the need for a full trial.
Hillary was arrested on the spot. She would be under the judiciary’s supervision while she waited for her next court hearing.
The comments in the live-stream had undergone a complete reversal. Everyone was censuring Hillary.
“My god, that’s so disgusting! She is so wicked!”
“Let me give everyone a summary of what happened. Not only was Jones the third wheel in their relationship, but she even stole their baby and claimed that she had given birth to her. And now, she is actually fighting them for custody of the girl? She’s so wicked! That woman is beyond salvation!”
“The fact that Turner has been searching for her daughter for so many years has suddenly moved me so much. I apologize for the derogatory remarks I made against Turner when I wasn’t aware of the truth.”
“I also apologize!”.
“A woman like Hillary Jones should be sentenced to death!”
“Yes, not only did she steal a child, but she even thinks that she’s right in doing so. She shows no signs of repentance at all. If she isn’t sentenced to the death penalty, then she should at least be sentenced to life imprisonment! People like her should spend the rest of their life in jail!”
“I agree with the life imprisonment sentence!”
“Thirty years is too little. I agree with the life imprisonment sentence!”
“Agree with the previous comment!”
“+1!”
“+(my cell phone number)!” “+(my ID number)!”
The public opinion reversed in an instant, and the people took Tanya’s side.
When the handcuffed Hillary was being led away, Jill rushed over and hugged her. “Let go of my daughter! Let go of her!”
The sobbing Hillary yelled, “Mom, save me! Save me! I don’t wanna go to jail!! Sob, Dad, save me!”
However, even after the two of them cried their eyes out, none of the police officers were moved. They dragged Hillary out.
Jill was stunned to the spot. The next moment, she grabbed Hillary’s attorney and shouted furiously, “Why didn’t you say anything just now? We paid money to hire you! Why didn’t you defend my daughter?!” The attorney said with a sense of resignation, “Mrs. Jones, it was stated clearly in our contract that the client is not to conceal any information related to the case. Are you actually demanding an explanation from me when your daughter hid such an important matter from me?!”
He was also rather angry. “Besides, if I had known that the child was stolen from someone else, I would never have taken up the case! I have children, too. People like her should go to jail!”
Jill retorted furiously, “You’re the one who should go to jail, you trash lawyer!”
The attorney sighed and said, “Alright, I’m not going to argue with you anymore. I just want to tell you this now-you and Hillary were the ones who directed public opinion on the case, right? Now, she shall have to undergo the backlash!”
Jill was taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“Previously, the two of you created a buzz to make people take your side in order to put pressure on the court, but all of those people are furious now! They are now strongly demanding that your daughter be sentenced to death! Under such circumstances, I’m afraid your daughter will be sentenced to life imprisonment, at the least, for her malicious actions!”
“Life imprisonment…”
Jill stared straight ahead of her blankly when she heard those two words. She stared at the lawyer incredulously. “She just stole a child, that’s all! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!”
Seeing that she was being so unreasonable, the attorney didn’t want to talk to her anymore. He merely shook his head and turned to leave.
At the sight, Jill grabbed his arm and said, “Don’t go! Tell me how I can save my daughter! Tell me!”
The attorney sneered, “Is there even any hope of salvation left for someone like your daughter? What’s the point of saving her and bringing her out of prison? So that she can steal other people’s children? Even if you offer three times the remuneration, no one will take up your case anymore, let alone me! Unless they don’t wish to work in this line of business anymore and wish to be attacked instead!”
Jill didn’t dare to lose her temper anymore. She held on to the attorney and said, “D-don’t go, I won’t lose my temper with you anymore. I won’t ask for a refund on the legal fees, either. Just tell me what I should do now. I can’t just watch as my daughter is sentenced to life imprisonment!”
Seeing that she had taken a step back, and thinking of how he needn’t return the exorbitant legal fees anymore, the attorney looked around. He lowered his voice and said, “There is only one way to lighten your daughter’s sentence.” “What is it?”
“Beg for the victim’s forgiveness! If the victim can forgive her, she may still have a chance of a reduced sentence.”
The victim’s… forgiveness…
Jill’s head turned abruptly to Tanya, who was about to leave with Joel.
He was right. Tanya was the plaintiff of the case now, which meant that she was the victim.
Jill let go of the attorney and went straight to Tanya. When she came up to her, she grabbed Tanya’s arm and said, “Tanya, my daughter, don’t go. Help Mom out. You’re the only one who can help Mom now. Go to the judge and tell him that you’ve forgiven Hillary. Tell him that you don’t hold it against her anymore! Go and tell him now! Immediately! Right away!”
Her words made Tanya sneer. All she could feel at the moment was just incredulity.
