Chapter 842:
She’d poured everything into building her livestreaming career. And in a matter of weeks, Elena had stomped it all to ruins.
Sylvia didn’t let a day pass without muttering Elena’s name like a curse, praying the universe would bring that woman to her knees.
Using what little she made from the bag—one hundred and sixty grand for something worth nearly four times more—she scraped together enough to retain a lawyer in Foiclens.
The lawyers in Foiclens didn’t stand a chance against the powerhouse law firms dominating Klathe’s courtrooms.
Elena got herself a senior lawyer from one of Klathe’s most feared and respected firms. The kind of lawyer who didn’t take calls from just anyone.
When the trial began, Elena strolled into the courtroom with her lawyer beside her, poised like a queen surveying her domain. From the opening statements, her lawyer came out swinging. Every word landed like a blow, reinforced with hard facts and airtight reasoning. No loopholes. No doubts. Just a clean, brutal takedown.
Sylvia’s defense, on the other hand, came up empty, lacking anything that could tip the scales in her favor.
Without hesitation, the judge handed down the ruling. Sylvia was commanded to compensate for the damages and make a public apology. The verdict? She owed Elena 1.5 million dollars for defamation and had to make a formal apology across every major online channel.
One and a half million dollars—it was an amount so enormous that it nearly knocked the breath out of Sylvia. Where in the world was she expected to dig up that much cash? Forget 1.5 million—she couldn’t even pull together 150,000. And still, that incompetent lawyer of hers had the gall to demand tens of thousands in legal fees.
Fury twisted in Sylvia’s chest as she stared at Elena, eyes seething with venom. A public apology smeared across every corner of the internet? That was no different from slapping herself in the face for everyone to see.
𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: ⲅ𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀﹒ⅽ𝗼𝗺
Sylvia didn’t want to do it. Not the payment. Not the apology. But refusing meant facing enforcement, and the court wouldn’t show mercy.
The moment the court ended, Sylvia rushed after Elena, her voice trembling with desperation. “Elena, I swear I didn’t mean for this to spiral out of control. Please, I’m sorry. Can we just forget about it? You don’t need the cash, and you’ve never cared about gossip. Why not let go of the apology and the money?”
Elena let out a sharp, cold laugh. “You really think your apology’s worth 1.5 million? Sylvia, you’re nowhere near that valuable.”
Elena didn’t budge an inch, which only made Sylvia angrier. Sylvia snapped, “You’re not broke! The Harpers have more money than they know what to do with. Forget 1.5 million—15 million wouldn’t even leave a scratch on your fortune. You’re being unbelievably petty! And the Reed family? We’re flat-out broke. Where exactly am I supposed to come up with that large amount of money? If you’re so set on getting 1.5 million, why don’t you go ask my mom for it?”
After losing the trial, Sylvia turned to dirty tactics, hoping she could claw back even the tiniest upper hand. But Elena wasn’t someone who cracked under pressure. Petty schemes bounced right off her.
Without so much as a frown, Elena gave her lawyer a nod. He pulled out a recorder and held it in full view. “Go ahead. Say it again. The judge’s still in the building. We can keep this going if you’d like.”
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