Chapter 108 Victory
Savannah begged and begged and begged and almost got on her knees.
By the end of a marathon grovelling session, she’d managed to ge Eliza Black’s demand cut from two hundred million to fifty.
The project didn’t just fail to make money–it had bled them fifty million.
Savannah was so furious that she ended up in bed with:
Violet Lin had to cough up thirty million of that whole industry.
-induced fever the same day.
f to avoid being booted from Nyx Collective and blacklisted by the
Her family may have made its fortune quick, but dang thirty million all at once still wasn’t a walk in the park.
For an entire week, nobody at Nyx got any
Violet was too busy licking her wounds to spar w
done. A few had tendered their resignation.
- me.
Meanwhile, my follower count on social media had exploded. My inbox was full. Several companies offered me a job.
But my focus wasn’t on work at the moment.
Days before the trial, Hannah and her team finally managed to convince Priya Sharma to testify. She and her family had flown into Skyline City.
I hadn’t seen her since high school. We’d kept in touch a little–texts here and there, money when she needed it—but not a face -to–face meeting.
She hadn’t changed much. Still small, still a bit fragile–looking, though there was a new quietness about her.
Hannah’s team spent two full days prepping her for court.
With Priya’s testimony, the trial was smooth sailing.
The Brooke family didn’t bother showing up. They didn’t send a lawyer, not even a friend.
Knowing she’d been given up, Isobel didn’t put up much of a fight in court.
In the end, she was sentenced to three years for assault, false imprisonment, harassment, and a
‘She deserved more,‘ I said. ‘So muc
host of other charges.
Hannah shrugged. ‘I know it’s hard to swallow, Mira, but with the way the system works, this was the best we could get.‘
‘Best? She gets three years for all the damage she’s done? She’s basically being let off easy
Hannah sighed, rubbing her temples. ‘I get it. Trust me. But you’ve got to understand–there’s only so much we can do. We fought for everything we could.‘ She added, ‘She’ll serve the full time. No early parole, no bail, PII make sure of it.‘
“Thanks.‘ I nodded at her. ‘I know you tried.‘
The morning of the trial, there was a light drizzle.
By the time I stepped out of the courthouse, the clouds had cleared and the sun hit my face, warm and comforting.
Priya Sharma was trailing behind me when we stepped out, her hand clutching my sleeve like she was afraid she’d get lost if left alone.
‘Don’t worry,‘ I said, offering her a reassuring smile. “There’s no one here to hurt you now. The flat at Oakwood Apartments is yours for the time being. You can stay there and wait for the compensation to come through. Meanwhile, I can show you around Skyline. Just give me a couple of days, then I’ll come find you.‘
She gave a quiet, rasping “Thanks‘. Her vocal cords had been damaged beyond repair.
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+15 BONUS
I was going to take her to the flat myself, but then I spotted a black car parked near the courthouse. Ashton was stepping out of it. Tturned to Priya’s parents. ‘I’ll grab a cab for you guys. I’ve got something to take care of.‘
“Thank you so much!‘ her father said, waving me off with a grateful sinile.
Ashton was standing by the car, a conspicuous bouquet of flowers his hand. The sunlight hit his dark suit, making him look like some sort of strange, glowing creature.
For a moment, my heart skipped a beat. Then it slammed back into my chest, faster than before.
I jogged down the courthouse steps, heading straight for him.
Ashton handed me the flowers. ‘I couldn’t get away earlier. How’d t go?‘
‘She got three years.‘ I breathed in the subtle floral scent of the bouquet. ‘Priya’s testimony went smoothly. She was really brave.
Ashton reached up, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. He leaned down slightly. ‘You were brave too.‘
My pulse quickened as his clear blue eyes locked onto mine.
I held the flowers tight, feeling the paper crinkle beneath my fingers. ‘Why the flowers?‘
‘A win deserves celebration.‘
‘What if I’d lost?‘
‘Then this is consolation.‘
I grinned. ‘You have an answer for everything.‘
‘I also have a lunch reservation at La Vache Dorée.‘ Ashton held the car door open for me. ‘Your spicy steak frites are waiting.
And chocolate mousse.‘
My mouth watered. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go.‘
Ashton climbed into the car and signalled for the driver to take off. He turned to me, watching as I cradled the hyacinths in my
lap.
I found a notecard attached to the bouquet:
‘Dearest Mirabelle,
When hyacinths rest in the cold of night,
They wake with spring and reach for light.
Let shadows fade, let new days gleam-
Walk on with fire, chase every dream.
-A‘
‘You wrote this? Hooked up at him.
I’d love to claim that credit, but no, I had help.‘
‘Still, it’s nice. Thanks.‘
His faint smile disappeared altogether. ‘Like I said before, you dont have to thank me for everything.‘
‘Right, forgot.‘ Changing the subject, I said, ‘Actually, I was pretty anxious earlier. It was my first court case, after all. Even as I walked out of that courthouse, everything still felt a bit surreal, but now I feel… settled. And I appreciate you sending Hannah
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and her team to help. They are extremely professional.‘
“Appreciate” is just another word for thank you.‘
‘Right. Forgot again, sorry. But I do want to tell you that I’m grat
Before he could tell me that ‘grateful‘ was another synonym for t
Chapter 108 Victory
and her team to help. They are extremely professional.‘
Appreciate” is just another word for thank you.‘
+15 BONUS
‘Right. Forgot again, sorry. But I do want to tell you that I’m grateful.‘
Before he could tell me that ‘grateful‘ was another synonym for thank you, I craned my neck. ‘Are we there yet? I’m starving.‘
Chapter
