Chapter 359 - 343: The Outcome is Set

With the evidence against her conclusive, Quincy Rhodes was arrested and imprisoned that very day for embezzling public funds.

Her hands in cuffs, she was a far cry from the glamorous mayor she once was. Reporters swarmed her, clamoring to ask a question or two.

The scene descended into chaos as police officers tried to shield her.

It wasn’t until Quincy Rhodes was pushed into a car and the police vehicle drove away that quiet was restored.

The news of the former mayor’s imprisonment was everywhere—on TV, online, and in the papers. It was likely that not a single person in Portmire was unaware.

Georgia Thorne had been recuperating at home ever since she was discharged from the hospital.

Seeing the news brought a mix of surprise and anticipation. ’This must be the prelude to what’s coming.’

One week after Quincy Rhodes’s imprisonment, the court was scheduled to convene and hear her case.

During that week, Georgia Thorne received a call from Teacher Shepherd, asking if she was interested in teaching art to children.

The studio was in the west end of the city, not far at all. Plus, Sam Yates would be driving her to and from, so Georgia, figuring she had nothing better to do, decided to accept.

Georgia had explained to Sharon Ennis that it was just teaching children to draw, which shouldn’t be as tiring as a real job. Sharon had agreed.

Besides, she would get to spend time with children.

On Georgia Thorne’s first day, a group of very well-behaved children greeted her, "Hello, Ms. Thorne!"

Evan Shelby had been with them for some time, so the students knew him well. Some were mischievous, while others were very obedient.

Georgia Thorne had always been fond of children, and now that she was pregnant, she found herself daydreaming about her own child, which made her love them even more.

She hoped for a girl, but she also thought little boys were adorable—so strong, never crying or making a fuss.

One day, just after Sharon Ennis had brought Georgia Thorne home from a hospital check-up, Georgia got a call from Evan Shelby.

He said something had come up last minute and he couldn’t make it to the studio that afternoon, asking her to hurry over.

Georgia Thorne rushed through lunch and headed to the studio. When she arrived, she found the children were unusually quiet, not their usual boisterous selves.

She glanced at the time. ’Don’t tell me Teacher Shepherd is already here?’

She quickened her pace toward the art room, but when she pushed open the door and saw the man standing in the middle, she froze.

"You’re here!" Justin Sullivan said with a forced smile.

"Long time no see."

It hadn’t actually been that long. They had just seen each other at Erin Irving’s wedding.

Justin Sullivan grunted in acknowledgment. "What are you doing here?"

"Teacher Shepherd said he had something this afternoon and asked me to come watch the kids."

"Oh, really? I thought I was the only one he called," Justin Sullivan said, explaining his own presence.

They looked at each other and shared an awkward laugh.

Evan Shelby felt it was a real shame they had separated. Justin Sullivan liked Georgia Thorne, but unfortunately, Georgia was now a married woman.

But with Georgia’s husband currently in prison, their marriage seemed unlikely to last. So, he had manufactured an excuse for Georgia and Justin to meet, hoping they might reconnect.

’No wonder Teacher Shepherd kept bringing up Justin Sullivan over the past few days, asking if I remembered the old times.’

Georgia Thorne taught the children the fundamentals of drawing, guiding a small hand as they left strokes of color on the paper.

Justin Sullivan sat off to the side, his head turned to watch the focused Georgia.

His thoughts drifted back to the past, to when Georgia had just started learning to draw. He had been the one to teach her, hand over hand.

It was a pity he hadn’t known to cherish her back then. He hadn’t held on to her hand tightly enough, and now he no longer had the chance.

A constant stream of children needed Georgia’s help, and she was too busy to spare a moment to speak with Justin Sullivan.

The afternoon flew by. When class ended, parents began to arrive to pick up their children.

Justin Sullivan glanced at the sky outside. "Let me take you home."

"There’s no need," Georgia said, packing her bag as she walked toward the door.

Sam Yates had timed it perfectly, his car pulling up to the studio entrance right on cue.

Justin Sullivan glanced at Sam Yates in the car and understood.

"Alright then. Goodbye."

"Yeah, goodbye."

As Georgia Thorne got into the car, she took a call from Sharon Ennis. "Yes, I’m on my way back now."

Quincy Rhodes’s trial was scheduled for the Wednesday a week after her arrest.

Just when everyone thought the dust had settled, another bombshell story broke.

It was alleged that Quincy Rhodes had murdered her own husband, Connor Donovan, and framed Elliot Sheridan for the crime.

One was the now-notorious former mayor and current party secretary; the other was the man who had once stood at the pinnacle of Portmire, a man who had been out of the public eye for months.

And the lawyer prosecuting Quincy Rhodes for murder was none other than Byron Shaw.

When Georgia Thorne woke up and saw the news, she felt her quiet heart spring to life, pounding so fiercely it felt like it would burst from her chest.

Byron Shaw. She had always thought he was on the opposing side of Elliot Sheridan, so she hadn’t had any contact with him. But unexpectedly, he had teamed up with Elliot.

Byron Shaw had once personally sent Elliot Sheridan to prison with a brilliant argument. Now, by becoming Elliot’s defense attorney, he was essentially trying to overturn his own previous victory.

In fact, from the very day Quincy Rhodes was arrested, Byron Shaw had already prepared all his evidence. The appeal process was underway; he was just waiting for Quincy’s trial to begin.

When Byron Shaw filed the lawsuit, he was swarmed by reporters.

By becoming Elliot Sheridan’s defense attorney, he was essentially staking his own reputation, an act which, paradoxically, only made him more famous.

Byron Shaw remained silent before the cameras, making a cool-headed departure.

A little while later, Naomi Shaw called. "Um, Georgia, did you see the news?"

Georgia hummed in response. Naomi stammered, "Actually, he had his reasons back then. Byron... he wouldn’t..."

"I know," Georgia Thorne interrupted. "Thank you both."

The moment Byron Shaw stepped forward as Elliot Sheridan’s defense attorney, she understood Elliot’s plan.

Byron Shaw had accepted the materials from Justin Sullivan. On the surface, he let Erin Irving and Quincy Rhodes believe he was opposing Elliot, successfully sending Elliot to prison with seemingly no hope of a reversal.

Little did they know, Elliot was merely turning their own scheme back on them.

’To think,’ she mused, ’I spent a whole month losing sleep over Elliot’s imprisonment. If I hadn’t found those files on his computer, I’d probably still be completely in the dark.’

With Byron Shaw as his defense attorney, Georgia Thorne could finally rest easy.

The trial began the next day. Georgia Thorne attended, taking her seat as a family member of the plaintiff.

From the prosecutor’s table, Byron Shaw gave her a distant glance before turning to confer with his colleagues.

In a daze, she realized this was the third time she had come to this courthouse. Every single time, it had been for him.

The trial began, and Byron Shaw, as the prosecuting attorney, presented all the evidence.

"During her tenure as mayor, Quincy Rhodes repeatedly embezzled public funds. The earliest documented instance was in August 2007, the defendant’s second year of embezzlement, for an amount of three million yuan. In 2009... Over these nine years, the defendant, Ms. Rhodes, embezzled a total of over two hundred million RMB. These funds were used to purchase real estate in Portmire, as well as for other..." Byron Shaw stoically laid out Quincy Rhodes’s crimes. The figures were staggering. No one could have imagined that Quincy Rhodes, who had so carefully cultivated an image of integrity, was actually the city’s biggest parasite.

Sitting in the defendant’s box, Quincy Rhodes’s face grew increasingly pale, her eyes dull and lifeless.

In just seven days, Quincy Rhodes had aged into a sallow, emaciated woman who looked to be in her fifties or sixties.

As she listened to Byron Shaw read the indictment, Georgia’s gaze drifted across the gallery.

Not far ahead of them, seated diagonally, were Erin Irving and Joanne Donovan.

One trial concluded, and the second began immediately after. This second case was the reason her family was here today.

With or without Byron Shaw, the outcome was already set in stone. No one could change it.

Perhaps because she was already certain of the outcome, Georgia wasn’t as nervous. Sharon Ennis, on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves, covertly squeezing Georgia’s hand.

"Mom, don’t worry," Georgia said, squeezing her hand back and giving her a reassuring look.

Sharon Ennis nodded. This was their only chance to turn things around.

The man she hadn’t seen in a month appeared before her, and Georgia’s heart surged with emotion.

Embezzlement and murder were different beasts. For the latter, Quincy Rhodes had hired a defense attorney.

Setting aside the mountain of evidence Byron Shaw held, his skill alone was enough to pin the crime firmly on Quincy Rhodes.

This was all part of a trap—one that had been laid a long, long time ago.

Byron Shaw then played a recording for the court, from a time when Quincy Rhodes had been a witness.

The statements on the recording were filled with inconsistencies when compared to her defense attorney’s arguments. Byron Shaw used this to accuse Quincy Rhodes of perjury.

Quincy Rhodes’s face went white. Her gaze trembled as she looked across at Elliot Sheridan.

Elliot Sheridan leaned back lazily in his chair. He was the one who had won this case.

Byron Shaw continued, pointing out one suspicious detail after another. "I’d like to ask the defendant a question. If the gift was so important, how could you have forgotten it? Shouldn’t one remember important things more clearly?"

How could someone like Quincy Rhodes make such a muddle-headed mistake?

The only possibility was that she hadn’t forgotten by accident, but on purpose.

Quincy Rhodes’s brow furrowed. "I suppose I was in a hurry when I left and simply forgot."