Chapter 175Chapter 175 Trial
Hearing the smooth sound of Peach‘s heart beating in his ear was comforting, and Elijah ran his fingers
through her hair slowly, enjoying the gentle sensation as she lay in the comfort of his arms on the
hospital bed.
A soft smile crossed Peach‘s face as she snuggled closer to him, and he chuckled at how cute she
was, cuddled in his arm, and he gently ran his hand down her arm before letting it rest there on her
stomach.
“I feel huge.” Peach whispered, meeting his eyes with a pout.
Feeling the warmth from Peach‘s abdomen, Elijah‘s palm relaxed against her skin, and he could only
imagine with a smile on his lips, what it felt like for their child to be growing inside of her.
“It feel like days ago that you were complaining that you were not showing and now look at you…
glowing with your bum.” Elijah mumbled, rubbing her bare stomach slowly.
“I can‘t believe little Munchkin turned seven months two days ago …” Peach giggled softly, closing her
eyes and nuzzling into his chest.
N
Absent–mindedly, Elijah kissed the top of her head and then mumbled, “I can‘t believe it either that
Jewel Trial day, and I have
to leave you again.” “I understand why you have to though… You had to be in Syldavia for Elmer‘s
case, then Cora, Amelia, Eli and Matthew, Tommy, and now, it is Jewel‘s turn…” Peach muttered,
turning her head slightly to glance up at him with a sad look on her face. “You should leave early before
you miss your flight.”Sighing, Elijah knew he didn‘t want to leave that bed… to leave her
again. These past few months had been hard for him to bear since his days had been consumed with
court cases, one after another and he could hardly spend as much time as he wanted to with her. It felt
like he was missing out on the pregnancy, and each time he travels and gets back, her bum has grown
just a bit bigger than the last and it leaves him with bits and pieces of regret.
“I hope she will get a longer sentence than twenty–plus years as her children did. For what she did to
my grandfather, the Hayes name, and my father, I want her to pay.” Peach spoke softly, stroking her
hand over his leg.
“I am hoping for a life sentence for her,” Elijah added with a sigh. Then he pulled away from Peach,
getting off the bed, and then immediately frowned when he saw her trying to wake up too.
“Doctor Harry said that you should be on bed rest at all times and not strain or put pressure on your
body,” Elijah said immediately, looking at her worriedly. “So can you please lay back and rest?”
Slowly, Peach got back into the hospital bed, looking over at him wearing his shirt, and then she
suddenly grasped, making Elijah‘s heart dropped, and he moved quickly towards the end of the bed,”
What is it?”
“Munchkin is moving,” Peach cried, lifting her pajama blouse again for him to see her stomach. A smile
instantly spread across Elijah‘s lips as he stared at it, feeling his heart skip a beat as her belly moved
again, and then Peach grabbed his wrist and rested it on the spot.
For the very first time, Elijah felt his child moved against his palm, and he felt his chest tighten, and
tears stinging in his eyes, but he blinked them away.
Slowly, Elijah pulled his hand back and then looked away from her, saying, “I should get going.”Trall
When Elijah turned his back to leave, Peach stared hard at him and said, “If it ever gets to that
question, Who to choose… Little Munchkin will be your answer, right?… Right, Elijah, you will choose
our baby?”
When Elijah turned around and their eyes met, Peach felt her throat tighten in panic, and then when he
looked away, she let out a shaky breath.
For about five minutes, neither of them spoke, and those words. left a suffocating feeling in the
atmosphere.
“I got to go,” Elijah mumbled, turning away from her.
Staring at his back grewing further and further away from her, Peach called out slowly, “Elijah-”
But he walked out, shutting the door, and leaving her staring blankly for a while until the door opened
again, and Mrs. Maxwell walked inside, “Why are you crying, darling?”
Immediately wiping her tears with the sleeve of her shirt, Peach looked up at her mother–in–law and
then said with a forced smile, “Nothing.”
“Are you sure?” Mrs. Maxwell asked, placing her hands on her hips, “Your cheeks are still flushed.”
As Peach was about to lie about being fine, the door opened and Mr. Maxwell entered the room with
Miss Grace, and he gave Peach a tender glance, asking, “Hello are you doing today, dear?”
“I am fine,” Peach mumbled, smiling a bit wider at her father–in law.
After darting her gaze around for a moment, Miss Grace asked, Where is Elijah?”
(C“He has already left for Syldavia… Jewel’s Trial is today.” Peach answered her mother.
A knock on the hotel suite made Elijah stop tying his tie and then looked over at Matt when he asked,
“Are you expecting any guests?”
“Bryan is supposed to come over for us to ride to the courthouse together,” Elijah said, focusing back
on the mirror as he continued with his tie.
Chuckling slightly, Matt teased, “Damn, that dude has been your plus one to all the court hearings, and
I thought with the heat of the election campaign rising, he will sit this one out. But I guess, in this case,
Bryan made a vow to you, till death do us part.” “I don‘t mind him sticking by me through this and also
you guys. Having you all and him in the courtroom helps distract me from… You know.” Elijah trailed off
as he recalled Peach‘s words from earlier.
21
1 VI.
A look of grief settled on Matt‘s face and he nodded sadly. Then he cleared his throat and said, “She‘s
going to come out of this fine.”
“Oh, she will. I am going to make sure of it that she will.” Elijah said his face hardened at his reflection.
Suddenly Bryan walked in on them, and when Elijah turned to meet his eyes, he smirked and then
asked, “Who‘s ready for sweet old mother justice to drag that old hag where she belongs?! Heh, huh?!”
A faint laugh escaped Elijah’s lips and his gaze softened, and he replied calmly, “Don‘t you have the
campaign to run today or some speech to give somewhere that‘s not here?”
“Dude! Jewel trial is not something that I am going to miss for the world, so I clear my schedule to be
able to make it today.” Bryan chuckled, walking to the bed and plopping next to Matt. “I can‘t believethat that old hag went through arraignment and pre–trial and she pleaded not guilty. What the hell…
with all the evidence
against her! Damn, talking about living in denial.” “Well, Jewel never takes accountability for her sin,
and that‘s going to be her downfall,” Elijah said, finishing tying his tie and then turning to face Matt and
Bryan. “Let‘s get going.” The Supreme Court yard was soon crowded with black SUVs a while later,
and when their doors opened Jerome and the other men stepped out of the cars, shielding Elijah and
Bryan as they walked into the courthouse.
“Hello, boss.” Deacon said on the phone, watching them from his car window. “Your son is with the
Maxwell heir again. The two just entered the courthouse together.”
LLLL
“That bastard is really testing my fucking patience!!” Senator Landon screamed, making Deacon
withdraw his phone away from his ear. “It is because of his connection with that boy… That is why he‘s
getting all this support from high–up powers and politicians. I have never been so poorly supported in
my election like I am being now, and I can bet hundred percent that it has something to do with that
Maxwell boy!”
The line went silent for a while, and Deacon mumbled, noticing Dean walking into the courthouse, “I
can‘t believe he‘s attending this other case… If all my siblings have already got sentenced to twenty–
plus years in prison, I don‘t think I will have the heart to watch my mother‘s trial…” “Who are you talking
about?!” Senator Landon snapped angrily.
“Sorry, boss. I forgot that you were on the call.”
“Just speak up!!” “It‘s Dean,” “Jewel‘s son?”
“Yes,”Another silent stretch off a while before the Senator spoke up again, this time more calmly than before,
“Right, Dean. Elijah made this case a private FDR… But Dean is Jewel’s son so he’s allowed to be
present in the court room. Right… Yes.”
The courtroom was partly empty as Elijah walked in with only Bryan and Matt, leaving the others
outside, and then he walked over to the desk where Ryan was.
Knowing what his boss and Peach have been going through, Ryan immediately stood up and went in
for a hug, patting him on the back, saying quietly, “How are you doing, boss?”
novelbin“Not good, but I will be…” Elijah whispered before pulling away from Ryan.
Then he smiled at him and then teased, “After winning five cases, are you ready to ace this one?”
“More ready than I have ever been,” Ryan said with a straight face.
A moment later, Dean bashed into the courtroom and as he walked over to his seat, he and Elijah
made eye contact, and the look he gave Elijah could have killed him if a glare were a weapon.
Then when Elijah drew his gaze away from him and sat down next to Ryan, Dean looked over at
Madam Jewel, staring at his mother as she looked back at him angrily.
“How dare you not visit your mother while she’s in prison!” Jewel screamed, turning to wake from her
seat, but her lawyers held her down quickly as she struggled.
“Order in the courthouse!” The officer shouted, and then everyone calmed down.
A couple of seconds afterward, the announcement of the judge’s arrival was made and everyone stood
up as a middle–aged woman, wearing a black an academic robe walked into the courtroom.When she took her seat, everyone else then started taking their seats too until the last person was
seated.
The trial began with both Ryan and Jewel‘s lawyer giving their opening statements that lasted for a
while.
Since the burden of proof was on the state, Ryan first presented his case and when that time came, he
said, “I will like to call Dr. Jacob Robert to attest to our first evidence.”
Calmly, the police officer escorts Dr. William to the stand and then he swears in before Ryan comes to
question him.
“Mr. William, do you confirm that the content within this video was taken by you?” Ryan asked, showing
him the phone screen. “Yes,” Dr. Williams said. “So is it your testimony that this is the exact event that
took place on January 8th, 2001 in the private hospital room of Mr. Hayes on the day he died?”
“Yes,”
Looking over at the judge, Ryan waited, and then she asked, “Does the defense have any objection to
this evidence?”
“No,” Jewel‘s lawyer calmly uttered. The judge then looked back at Ryan and then said, “Go ahead, Mr.
Katz,” “I am going to play the recording now and let it speak for itself,” Ryan said.
A moment later, the sound of Mr. Hayes‘s voice echoed in the courtroom, “What are you doing in here,
Jewel?! I told Jacob that I didn‘t want to see any of you guys! Get out! Get out of my room now!!!
Squeezing his eyes shut, doctor Williams‘s tears slowly fell down
his cheeks, and then he wiped them away.“You dare go behind my back and change the will?! How dare you take all the properties and put it in
that brat‘s name?!” Jewel‘s scream vibrated from the speakers.
“If you think for a second that I will leave my inheritance to you and your bastards, then you might just
be sick in the head! After cheating on me and borning seven children for your lovers, you think there‘s a
place for you in my life!” Mr. Hayes‘s words made Jewel scowl at Ryan.
“So what?! Do not play righteous with me. You were cheating on your wife with me, and you expect me
to be some faithful woman after you married me, huh? I don‘t think you are that stupid!”
“I am divorcing you once I get out of this place… You will never have access to a drop of my penny
again… ever in your pathetic life!!”
“No, no, sweetheart. It doesn‘t work like that. Did you think I bear these years with your sorry ass out of
love… It was always about the money, and I am getting my share of it.” “Over my dead body will you
touch my fortune!!!”
“If that‘s your wish, I can make it happen right now.”
Shutting his eyes, Elijah listened in pain as Mr. Hayes‘ scream echoed, “Jewel, what are you doing?!
Get off me!! Stop!! Jacob!! Nurse!!”
Burying his face in his palm, Dr. William started to weep like a baby as he listened to the choking
sound, and the courtroom went cold with the echoes of his sob disturbing the silence.