Chapter 547 - 543: The Best Result

Lawyer Quincy said this because, as the defense attorney, he knew in his heart that he had already done everything he could—and had done it to the best of his ability.

Based on Wesley Yates’s history, even if he hadn’t committed any major crimes, once his activities were classified as gang-related, the accumulation of smaller offenses would have been enough to put him behind bars for at least a decade.

Fortunately, he was farsighted and shrewd, having begun the process of going legitimate and washing his slate clean long ago, erasing most of the traces of his past.

Coupled with Lawyer Quincy’s professionalism and exhaustive efforts to downgrade several charges that would have significantly increased the sentence to lesser equivalents, they had achieved this very satisfactory outcome.

He had said long ago that if everything went smoothly, he would get the sentence down to under six years.

Five years and eight months. Zelda Warner was already very satisfied with that.

He had also received the shortest sentence of any gang leader taken down during the recent crackdown on organized crime—the so-called "cancers of the city."

Cecilia Sterling let out a huge sigh of relief. While this was a long time for an ordinary person, for her brother, it was an incredibly short sentence.

"Thank you for all your hard work, Lawyer Quincy," Cecilia said with sincere gratitude.

Lawyer Quincy smiled faintly, a hint of exhaustion in his eyes. It was clear that today’s defense had not been easy for him either.

But the old woman didn’t understand. At her age, hearing a sentence of nearly six years was devastating; she herself might not have that many years left.

"Lawyer Quincy!" The old woman clutched the car window, tears streaming down her wrinkled face as she pleaded, "Let’s appeal! Is there a chance to reduce the sentence if we appeal? I’m afraid these old bones of mine won’t last long enough to see Jeb get out!"

"Mom!" Zelda Warner quickly tried to comfort her. "Don’t say that. You’re in such good health. You’ll definitely be there to see Jeb get out."

"Ma’am," Lawyer Quincy replied earnestly, "even if we appeal, we won’t get a better result than what we achieved today."

The old woman’s eyes were red from crying. In her desperation, like a drowning person clutching at straws, she turned to Mr. Young. "Young, you’re the most capable one here. Can you help Jeb? Pull some strings and get his sentence reduced, please?"

"Ma’am, you can’t do that! Using illegal means to fraudulently reduce a sentence is against the law!" Lawyer Quincy immediately interjected.

Mr. Young gave a wry smile, understanding the old woman’s genuine worry for her son. "Ma’am, if Jeb behaves well inside, there will be opportunities for sentence reduction. He might not have to serve the full term. If I were to pull strings to help him, and it ever came to light, it would only end up hurting him."

The current outcome was already more than ideal.

Hearing this, the old woman couldn’t help but cover her face and sob. The thought of her son suffering in prison made her heart ache with a wrenching pain.

But when one looked at Zelda Warner, her expression was already calm.

She suddenly spoke with a serious expression, "I’m very satisfied with this outcome. Jeb himself said that he was forced by circumstances back then and made mistakes, doing many things that broke the law. He deserves to be judged and punished by the law, so he will accept whatever verdict it delivers."

Zelda Warner looked up at the others. "Jeb doesn’t believe he’s clean, and neither do I. But when he gets out of prison, he will be a completely new man."

Cecilia Sterling squeezed her sister-in-law’s hand, offering silent support for her rational perspective and her words.

’Because I feel the same way. I believe Mr. Young thinks so too. To us, my brother isn’t an evil person, but he did do many things that hurt others.’

’We can’t ignore or erase those things just because of our perspective. We have to face them and correctly view the cause and effect of it all.’

’My brother has to go to prison. He has to pay the price for what he’s done.’

Feeling the strength from Cecilia’s hand, Zelda Warner looked at her and smiled.

Finally, Lawyer Quincy made sure to tell them the most important details. "After the verdict takes effect, Jeb will be transferred to a penitentiary within about ten days to a month. The family will then receive a ’Notice of Incarceration’ from the prison, after which you can apply for visitation."

"Visits are generally once a month and last no more than an hour. For the first visit, remember to bring proof of kinship, like the household register or marriage certificate. If you need me to accompany you the first time, you can contact me in advance."

"Thank you, Lawyer Quincy," Zelda Warner said gratefully. Hearing that she could visit him soon gave her something to look forward to again.

That evening, when she returned home, her mother was busy in the kitchen. After changing her shoes, Cecilia Sterling walked to the kitchen doorway. A rich, fragrant aroma wafted out, and she recognized it at once. "Mom, why are you making God Jumps Over the Wall all of a sudden?"

Jasmine Sterling jumped, nearly dropping the ladle in her hand into the pot. "Geez, you walk so quietly! You scared me."

Cecilia smiled and leaned in, glancing at the color of the broth. "You haven’t been stewing this for long, have you?"

"I started it this morning. It hasn’t even been twelve hours yet." Jasmine Sterling skimmed the scum from the surface, put the lid on, and looked at Cecilia tentatively. "You seem to be in a good mood. So? Was it a good outcome?"

Cecilia smiled and nodded. "Five years and eight months. It’s much better than what my sister-in-law and I were expecting."

Jasmine Sterling smiled at the news. "In that case, if there’s a chance for parole, he might be out in just three or four years, right?"

"It’s possible, but not guaranteed." Lawyer Quincy had secretly messaged her to temper her expectations. Given her brother’s situation and the length of his sentence, the requirements for parole would be much stricter and not so easily met.

"That’s still very good. It’s just hard on Zelda, having to take care of two children by herself, especially with Phoebe being so young." As a mother herself, Jasmine Sterling knew better than anyone how difficult it was to raise children, so she felt a deep empathy. "Your house is empty anyway. Just let them stay here. It’s better to have them close by so we can look after them."

Cecilia hugged her mother, moved. "Mom, you’re the best. You love everyone around me because you love me."

Jasmine Sterling glanced at her daughter with a doting look and patted her head. "Of course. It’s like they say, ’love me, love my dog.’ Besides, Mom knows you only help others so tirelessly because they’ve shown you great kindness first. I trust that everything you do and every friend you make is the right choice."

"Then tell me," Cecilia changed the subject, catching her mother off guard, "why are you suddenly making God Jumps Over the Wall? It’s not a holiday or anything."

Her mother was always meticulous when making God Jumps Over the Wall, insisting it be stewed for the proper amount of time—usually more than thirty hours. In the past, she only made it for the New Year, stewing it in advance. She rarely made something so time-consuming and labor-intensive on a regular day.

Jasmine Sterling shot her daughter a playful glare but explained honestly, "Your Mr. Jennings is coming over for dinner tomorrow night, and he specifically requested my God Jumps Over the Wall."

As she spoke, she picked up a high-end package from the side to show Cecilia. "He bought all the ingredients and had someone deliver them. They’re all top-shelf."