Chapter 227: First Instance Judgment

Chapter 227: Chapter 227: First Instance Judgment

In the blink of an eye, it was almost the end of May.

At the Faulkner family villa, Vivian Lowell was packing her clothes.

"What do you think of this blazer dress? The weather is getting hotter, but bringing a jacket for the mornings and evenings is still a good idea. Oh, and this bikini! I love it so much. What do you—"

The Drake family’s seaside banquet was starting in just three days. Vivian and Julian Faulkner had booked an early morning flight for the day after tomorrow. Once they arrived, the Drake family would arrange a private car to take them to the coast.

Vivian had already done her research on the area. The seafood was incredibly fresh, and they could even go beachcombing. Lounging in the infinity pool behind the hotel or renting a yacht to sail out to sea were also fantastic options.

Vivian loved to travel. Perhaps because she had grown up inland, she held a special yearning for the ocean. The sound of the crashing waves was the perfect white noise, and she always felt she slept much better by the sea. A happy smile graced her face as she packed her bikini. After all, what suited the beach better than a bikini?

"No way," Julian interjected, pursing his lips as he walked over. He snatched the bikini from Vivian’s hands and frowned. "There’s barely any fabric here. How is this even considered clothing? Change into something else, alright? Or I can have Vance Wyatt prepare one for you."

Vivian had an excellent figure. Julian felt that if she wore a swimsuit like this to the beach, everyone would be too busy staring at her to focus on anything else. That simply wouldn’t do. She was his Vivian, and he absolutely refused to let other people freely ogle her.

Vivian snatched the bikini back from his grasp and furrowed her brow. "How is there barely any fabric? Isn’t this how all bikinis look?" She was quite displeased. She loved this bikini, mostly because she was confident in her figure. She had spent the entire winter carefully protecting her skin from the sun to keep it fair. If she didn’t show off in nice dresses and swimsuits during the summer, wouldn’t all that effort be a waste?

"Before, I—" Vivian wanted to argue further. Unfortunately, Julian’s expression remained freezing cold, radiating an intimidating aura. She swallowed hard and swallowed the rest of her words. "Then I have a one-piece," she offered instead. "Should I show it to you?"

Upon hearing this, Julian’s expression softened considerably. He nodded in agreement, but just as he was about to speak, his phone rang. It was a call from Ms. Shaw, informing them that Vance had arrived.

"Huh?" Vivian was a little surprised. "Isn’t today Saturday? We’re about to leave for the beach, and you even told Vance to go home and pack his own things. Why did he suddenly come over?"

Julian shook his head, indicating he didn’t know either. However, Vance was always incredibly reliable. Even if he had business on a weekend, he would usually just discuss it with Julian over WhatsApp. For him to suddenly show up at their door meant it had to be something important.

"Let him come up," Julian said.

After Julian hung up, Vivian glanced at the messy room and quickly tidied up. Then, she followed Julian out to the study to see exactly why Vance had come today.

A few minutes later, Vance came upstairs. He was holding a stack of documents that looked quite weighty. Vivian had been rather nonchalant at first, but when she noticed that the documents seemed to bear the official red headers of legal paperwork, her heart skipped a beat. She immediately realized what they were.

Was it the court’s verdict?

Ever since Vivian and Eleanor Rhodes had gone to catch a cat, only to be set up by Miss Bell—a plot later revealed to be orchestrated by Wendy Wynn and Rachel Faulkner—Wendy and Rachel had been apprehended. Once the two women were arrested, Julian didn’t give them a single chance to turn things around. They were immediately sent to the police station and detained.

Over the following days, Julian swiftly hired lawyers to draft the legal documents and formally filed a lawsuit against them. He even utilized his connections within the court system to push for an early verdict. Generally, a case shouldn’t take more than three months from filing to the first-instance judgment, with two months being the ideal timeframe. However, thanks to Julian’s efforts, this case had reached its first-instance verdict in less than a month! The speed was nothing short of miraculous.

Sure enough, just as Vivian suspected, once Vance sat down and pulled out the documents, they turned out to be the court’s official judgment. Vivian couldn’t wait to lean in and see the details.

As Vivian and Julian read through the paperwork, Vance began to explain. "Miss Bell has been sentenced to three years in prison for being an accessory to assault and for the illegal use of a firearm.

"Miss Wynn was charged with intentional assault, spreading false rumors, and the illegal use of a firearm. She has been sentenced to seven years in prison. Since she is not a Veridian citizen, the court decided that she will be deported after serving her seven-year sentence.

"Furthermore, due to the previous debt disputes involving Miss Wynn’s company, Mr. Faulkner contacted her former creditors. They have decided to file a lawsuit against her overseas!

"Of course, whatever verdict is reached abroad has nothing to do with us. But when she is deported seven years from now, her life overseas will definitely be miserable. Her company went bankrupt back then, and the debts she owes are substantial.

"Finally, there’s Rachel. She has been sentenced to death, with execution scheduled in six months!"

Three years, seven years, and the death penalty! Vivian’s heart pounded, and a smile was just about to grace her lips when Vance paused.

"However, the three of them are refusing to accept this verdict," Vance added.

"They’ve decided to appeal, so there will be a second trial for this case. Right now, Rachel has sought out Felix Faulkner. He’s currently running all over Aethelburg, trying to contact lawyers to fight the case for her.

"But Rachel’s case is tricky, and since Mr. Faulkner has already given advance warning, none of the renowned lawyers in Aethelburg are willing to take her case.

"Felix even called the company earlier, hoping I would contact you, Mr. Faulkner, to ask for leniency. He tried playing the card that Rachel is still your older sister.

"But I didn’t agree and hung up on him straight away. Mr. Faulkner, since Felix can’t find a suitable lawyer in Aethelburg, do you think he might reach out to top lawyers in other parts of Veridia?"

Veridia had more than one top-tier city besides Aethelburg. Valeria, the city Vivian and Julian had visited previously, also had its fair share of formidable lawyers. If Felix went there to look for legal representation, he might actually find someone! After all, he had the money for it. Vance had brought this up precisely because he believed it was better to nip the problem in the bud.

After hearing this, Julian pondered for a moment before nodding at Vance. "Since you have the connections, I’ll leave this matter to you to handle.

"Keep a close eye on Felix’s movements. No matter who he approaches, you go to them as well. Whatever price he offers, we’ll simply offer a higher one.

"There absolutely cannot be any accidents regarding Rachel’s death penalty!"

Julian spoke with absolute seriousness, every word resolute. Vance nodded solemnly, packed the documents back up, and prepared to take his leave.

After Vance left, Julian sat by the window, gazing out at the scenery of the residential area beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass. His eyes were deep and complex.

By the time Vivian finished packing her belongings for their trip and returned to the study, Julian was still lost in a daze. As she walked over, she saw what he was holding in his hands: that particular medicine box.

It was the medicine box his mother had left for him.