Carlos clarified that Matthew had decided to hold off the case because there was some conflict between him and his wife.
The man sitting beside Carlos believed the explanation. After all, Matthew's wife was defending her husband's portraiture right in the case, and Matthew's seal and fingerprint were on the documents. He concluded, just like Carlos, that the disagreement between the couple had affected the case.
"Mr. Huo, you know I can't afford to offend either you or your son. May I make a suggestion? How about I call your son and let him know..." Telling Matthew that his father had come to visit him might reduce some of his wrath. Otherwise, he might offend Matthew if it seemed as though he had heard Carlos and supported him.
'Alas! The father and son made an interesting pair.'
"That is your choice. I approached you as I want to conclude the matter. I hope the case can be held as scheduled," Carlos said. As far as he knew, the young couple argued because of Phoebe. If the trial could be held as planned, Phoebe would come to a miserable end, and he wouldn't have to deliberately remove the source of trouble between his son and daughter-in-law.
It would be like killing two birds with one stone.
As the couple was still in a stalemate, the case was going to be held as scheduled.
When Matthew received the phone call, his face darkened with anger.
But his wife was pregnant. He had no choice but to let her do what she wanted.
The night before the trial, the pregnant woman stood by the bed with an arm around her baby bump, and proudly declared, "Oh, my God! You can't protect your mistress anymore. Your wife is going to turn the tables!"
A hint of danger glimmered in the man's eyes as he said, "Are you happy now?"
"Of course!" She was so overjoyed that she didn't notice she was inviting trouble.
"Come here!" Matthew ordered with a wave of his hand.
Erica was so excited that she didn't overthink. She glided up to him, and lovingly ran her hand over her smooth belly. "Do you want to greet your sons?"
"Okay."
This had been Matthew's routine every night since he learned of her pregnancy. Without hesitating, Erica climbed onto the bed and put her belly close to him.
What began as Matthew bonding with his unborn children soon turned into something more passionate. Despite her slight unwillingness at the beginning, Erica gave in to his desires.
Later, in the middle of the night, she placed her hands on her hips and groaned, "My waist hurts..."
The man had just stepped out after a shower. After a moment's pause, he thought he knew a way to cure what ailed his wife. "How much money do I have to give you to treat your affliction?"
Erica smiled shyly, "Don't be like this. Well, one hundred thousand!"
"That's too little. It's not even worth the trouble of fetching my checkbook!" His eyes bore into his wife as he waited for her to change her answer.
"One million!" she said after some hesitance.
The man didn't even blink.
"Five million!" Erica cried.
It was only then that Matthew put down the towel in his hand, took out a check from his briefcase, wrote down the number, and threw it beside her. "Does it still hurt?"
The pregnant woman's eyes lit up. She kissed the check a few times and shook her head. With a flattering smile, she replied, "No, it doesn't hurt anymore."
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Matthew's mind. With a grim expression, he turned to the pregnant woman, who was still happy, and said, "Erica."
"What?" The joy glimmering in her eyes disappeared when she saw his expression. She held the check closer to her chest and asked, "Did you change your mind?" She wouldn't return the money to him!
Matthew sat on the edge of the bed and looked into the eyes of the woman lying on the bed. "I want to tell you that you shouldn't fear people whom you know are bad. However, those who don a moral and righteous facade but are actually bad, are far more dangerous." The key point was in the second half of the sentence.
'Huh?' Erica tilted her head and shot the man a puzzled look.
'So, is he saying that a bad person, like Phoebe, is not to be feared?' "I know. I won't trust those people easily!" she said with a nod.
Matthew breathed a sigh of relief as he thought she got his point—but she didn't. "It's good that you've understood." Erica was a simple girl. He was afraid that she would not be able to see people's true intentions and would naively believe manipulative people.
Soon, the day of the trial arrived. Many reporters, who had heard that Erica was taking legal action against Phoebe, arrived at the court gate early. They eagerly waited for Erica to appear.
Matthew was still unhappy about this matter, and so, he didn't accompany Erica. However, he sent Paige and several bodyguards with her.
At the Supreme People's Court of Y City
As soon as Erica stepped out of the car, the reporters rushed forward and surrounded her. Questions flooded her from every direction. "Mrs. Huo, are you going to defend Mr. Huo's portraiture right?"
"Mrs. Huo, are you suing Phoebe Su?"
"Aren't Mr. Huo and Phoebe good friends? Why would he take legal action against her?"
Several bodyguards stopped the reporters from crowding Erica. Concerned that they'd be overwhelmed, Paige asked in a low voice, "Mrs. Huo, shall we go straight in?"
As there were too many reporters, and everyone was pushing and pulling their way closer to Erica, her concern was justified.
"Okay." Erica had never been interviewed by reporters, and she didn't want to answer their questions either.
Before they could cut through the crowd, another car stopped at the court gate. The reporters turned as the driver got out and opened the passenger door. A clamor arose when they saw Phoebe, who was wearing sunglasses, step out.
Erica didn't need to turn and see who had arrived as the reporters eagerly called out Phoebe's name.
Desperate to get some information, some of the reporters ran to Phoebe. Now that the crowd had thinned, the bodyguards took the chance to escort Erica and Paige into the courthouse.
Phoebe had hired a female lawyer, who was over forty years old, to represent her. Both Phoebe's and Erica's attorneys waited in the same office for the official commencement of the trial.
A moment later, representatives of both sides entered the trial court. When they arrived at the door, Phoebe deliberately walked slower so that she could be by Erica's side. She lowered her voice and asked, "Do you know who referred my lawyer?"
Erica glanced at the female lawyer, but nothing about her seemed familiar. Uninterested in debating with Phoebe, she replied, "Whatever! Even if she is a high-ranking lawyer, you will still lose today!"
Fury surged through Phoebe when her plan backfired. She bit her lip, but soon, she quashed her emotions. Just as they were going to separate, she told Erica, "She is ZL Group's lawyer. Matthew asked her to help me."
Erica wanted to wipe the smug grin off of Phoebe's face, but it was too late. They had already walked to their respective positions in the courtroom.
Paige sensed that something was wrong, and so, she walked to Erica and whispered, "Mrs. Huo, are you okay? What happened?"
Erica shook her head to dispel the negative emotions coursing through her. She smiled at Paige and said, "I'm fine." 'Humph! She is just a lawyer. Phoebe would lose the case even if Matthew were physically present.'
"That's good. If anything happens, call me at any time, Mrs. Huo!" Paige said before she took her seat a short distance from Erica.
"Okay."
Now that the proceedings had formally begun, it was Erica's turn, as the plaintiff, to make a statement regarding her claim, before the defendant, Phoebe, could explain herself.
According to the H Country's law, the plaintiff and defendant could negotiate about suitable compensation on the day of the trial. If the plaintiff and the defendant couldn't reach an agreement, the court would make a final decision.
In this case, Phoebe didn't need to defend herself. The portrait of Matthew she had sketched was taken by someone who worked for Erica. Now, it was Matthew who had entrusted his wife to sue Phoebe. This left no chance for her to reverse the situation.
So, she and the lawyer started with the compensation negotiation. Erica asked for ten million dollars, while the defendant had hoped that the court could settle the matter with damages amounting to one million dollars.
Of course, Erica didn't agree. 'Matthew's portrait right is worth one million only? How dare she undervalue my husband's right!'