Her Heart Her Terms (Lily and Xavier)

Chapternoveldrama

43

"Who are we dealing with?"

Xavier's voice was laced with icy sharpness as he placed the file aside and fixed a piercing gaze on Timothy.

Timothy shook his head and replied, "There's limited surveillance around the scene, and the dashcam didn't fully capture the perpetrator's face. The police are hoping to find leads from the driver."

The culprit must be a person with mental illness to scare people on a road in the middle of the night or someone who was holding a grudge against Lily. The specifics remained unclear. After a few moments of silence, Xavier said softly, "Have them start investigating the victim's family from Hayden's case. If they find nothing, then they can approach Mrs. Fulton to verify

details."

Hayden's trial was unfolding as expected, and a guilty verdict seemed inevitable.

He could already imagine Lily sulking, burdened with worry over both Hayden's case and the accident.

Coming home to a resentful wife every night wasn't something Xavier looked forward to.

He found himself missing the days when things were calm.

"Inform Alan that if Sarah's neighbors are willing to settle, raise the compensation to the maximum and resolve it as soon as possible."

He totally had no patience for delays.

"Alright."

Timothy noted down each instruction and left to manage everything one by one.

At Jadeford Courthouse...

Since Hayden's arrest, Lily hadn't seen him.

In just a few days, it looked as though he had aged ten years.

The once vibrant, cheerful young man now seemed broken.

His hair was shaved down to a buzz cut, his face was pale and lifeless, and a layer of stubble marred his jaw.

The moment Hayden saw Lily, his eyes immediately welled with tears.

"Lily, I didn't mean to... It was her who ran into me...".

Lily leaned closer while gripping the bars as she tried to comfort him. "I know. Don't worry, we'll find the evidence and get you out of here!" "Lily..."

Before Hayden could say anything else, the officers led him away to the defendant's seat.

Lily had no choice but to return to her spot in the gallery. She cast a hopeful glance at Sylvester.

The courtroom was filled with tension. It echoed with the anguished cries of the victim's mother and stirred the emotions of the spectators.

Many turned their sharp glares toward Lily.

Bobby and Hazel felt heartache for Hayden. However, they chose to sit further back because they feared if the victim's relatives were provoked, they might come after them. Thus, all the hostility and insults were directed squarely at Lily. She felt as if she were being sliced apart by a thousand blades, but she stayed strong and sat as close to Hayden as possible.

As the trial began, the lawyers clashed with forceful arguments. Both sides presented compelling cases, but initially, it was neck and neck.

As Sylvester presented his evidence to the judge, it gradually became clear that it wasn't strong enough to prove Hayden's innocence. As the trial wore on, Sylvester found himself on the back foot.

An hour later, the trial came to an end. Hayden was found guilty and sentenced to prison, while the Joyner family was ordered to pay 1.6 million in compensation to the victim's family.

Lily watched helplessly as Hayden broke down in tears. He looked lost and terrified as the officers led him away.

Meanwhile, the grief on the victim's family's faces seemed to vanish in an instant. They all wore subtle and imperceptible smiles.

"Ms. Joyner, let's talk outside," Sylvester said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and offered Lily an apologetic look.

Lily followed him out. She stopped at the courthouse entrance.

"I'm sorry, I did my best... but from the way the victim's family reacted, I think they're hiding something."

He had been observing them carefully during the proceedings. He had been analyzing their every expression and movement through the lens of psychological law. "Where do we start investigating?" Lily asked.