Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike

Chapter 595 - 566: Trial (2)

Zane Forrester took a deep look at Sienna Thornton before being led away by the court police.Sienna Thornton caught up and asked, "Do you have anything you want to tell me?"

Zane Forrester glanced again at Simon Forrester, who was sitting at the back coldly watching, and sighed, "Annie, there are some things that can’t be known by Jules and his mom. I hope you understand your dad. This time, it’s all up to you."

Sienna Thornton nodded, "Don’t worry, I will do my best to help you get acquitted."

Zane Forrester closed his eyes and followed the court police away.

Sienna Thornton returned to the lawyer’s seat to pack up, during which she quietly consulted with the lead attorney, "You handle the first witness in the afternoon, leave the others to me."

The lead attorney nodded and smiled, "I’m looking forward to it, good luck!"

The two shook hands briefly and firmly.

At this time, Simon Forrester, who had been watching from the back, got up and came over with a bad complexion, saying, "Are we going back to the firm or the hotel?"

Sienna Thornton glanced at her watch and invited the lead attorney, "How about having lunch together?"

The lead attorney readily agreed.

.

As there was a court session at one thirty in the afternoon, lunch was held at a restaurant near the courthouse.

The lead attorney is a named partner at the firm, around forty years old, tall, handsome, humorous, and one of the top ten eligible bachelors in Los Angeles.

He has always appreciated Sienna Thornton. Although the strategy initially discussed by the legal team wasn’t like this, he chose Sienna Thornton’s defense strategy before the trial not only because she is part of the Forrester Family but also because he found her approach unique and felt it might turn the situation around.

Judging by the morning trial’s situation, her strategy seemed to be effective.

Throughout lunchtime, besides eating, they focused on researching Zane Forrester’s case, while Simon Forrester remained silent, keeping a close eye on the lead attorney’s conduct.

After lunch, they returned to the courthouse to prepare for the afternoon trial.

At one thirty, after the judge and jury took their seats, Zane Forrester was brought in by the court police and seated next to Sienna Thornton.

Having married Simon Forrester for more than a year and known the Forrester family for three or four years, Sienna Thornton had never sat side by side with Zane Forrester before. It was unexpected to be so close to him in a courtroom in the M. Republic where she was the defense attorney and Zane Forrester the criminal suspect.

It really was poignant.

The trial began.

The prosecution summoned the third witness for this case, a forensic expert, who testified on the court that the human skin residues under the defendant’s fingernails came from the victim.

The lead attorney waived the cross-examination but summoned another defense witness, a hotel staff member.

Once the witness took his seat, the lawyer said, "Witness, please introduce your work."

Witness: "I work at the business restaurant of XX hotel, responsible for customer service."

Lawyer: "Please describe to the judge and jury what you saw on the night of the incident."

The witness glanced at Zane Forrester sitting in front and facing him, and said awkwardly, "That night, I was on duty at the men’s restroom, and I saw... saw the defendant with a blonde girl in a stall of the men’s restroom..."

The witness couldn’t continue, blushed, and looked at the judge.

The judge leaned toward the witness, kindly saying, "It’s okay, just tell us what you saw."

The witness continued with a red face, "They..."

Lawyer: "What were they doing?"

Witness: "They were holding each other..."

Lawyer: "Do you remember the blonde girl’s hairstyle and outfit that night?"

Witness: "Yes. The blonde girl had long hair, with a lot of volume, long curls, and she wore a black strapless short dress with an open back."

At this point, the lawyer displayed a photo on the electronic screen and asked the witness, "Please look at the screen, is the girl you saw that night this one?"

The witness turned to look, "Yes."

Lawyer then asked, "Can you remember when this happened?"

Witness nodded, "Around half past eight p.m. on January 17th."

The lawyer faced the jury, "So, on that night, before the incident, the defendant and the victim already engaged in intimate actions in the restaurant men’s restroom. Therefore, could the suit and fingernails of the defendant have materials left by the victim?"

Prosecution: "Objection!"

Before the judge could speak, the lawyer bowed and said, "Your Honor, I have no further questions."

The jurors lowered their heads to record notes.

The prosecution rose, prepared to question the witness, with a bad face.

Prosecution: "Witness, it’s been over a month since the incident. How can you remember so clearly what you saw that night, including the outfits and hairstyles of the defendant and victim?"

Witness: "Because afterward, I shared this gossip with my friends via text messages, describing in detail what the man and the woman looked like." Saying that, he pulled out his phone and displayed the chat records.

The court police handed them over to the judge, prosecution, and jury to see one by one.

The witness indeed detailed the encounter in texts around nine at night, gossiping on social media about the steamy scene he witnessed. He described Zane Forrester wearing a seasonal suit from a particular brand; the victim in a sexy strapless black dress, with the golden long curls desired by all American men...

This explains why the witness remembers the details and timing of that night so clearly despite the incident occurring over a month ago.

The jury lowered their heads to record the case as the prosecution became frustrated.

The trial continued as the prosecution summoned the victim’s roommate.

The witness explained the events of that night in detail: "Carly returned to the room at half past nine, showered, and received a call before ten. Then she changed clothes to go out. I asked her where she was going so late, and she said the owner of The Forresters was staying upstairs and had promised her a job, so she was going up to meet him."

Prosecution: "And then?"

Witness: "Then Carly went out, and I went to sleep. Around two in the morning, I was suddenly woken by noise. I turned on the light and saw Carly collapsed naked in front of the wardrobe. I hurried to help her up. She said she was beaten and raped; I saw she was injured all over, and then I called the police."

Prosecution: "Did she say who attacked her?"

Witness: "She said it was the person she met that night."

Prosecution: "Your Honor, I have no further questions."

The judge nodded, looking toward the defense table.

Sienna Thornton stood up, smiled at the judge and jury, then walked to the witness, also giving a gentle smile.

The witness returned the smile.

Sienna Thornton: "How should I address you?"

Witness: "I’m Bailey."

Sienna Thornton smiled, "Hi, Bailey."

Witness relaxed a bit from his nerves, "Hi."