Chapter 114

The judge entered the courtroom, prompting everyone to stand and then sit after the judge took their seat. The hearing was being streamed live on television and online, ensuring that everyone, whether at work or at home, could watch. The reason for the live broadcast was to prevent any manipulation of the case by the powerful and influential Blake and Kane families. The public demanded a transparent and fair trial, with no room for dishonesty.

Lilly sat in the front row beside her two attorneys, who were managing her case, while the prosecutors sat across from them. She was called to the witness stand, where she was required to swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, with her hand on the Holy Scriptures.

Soon, the prosecutor stood and approached her.

"Mrs. Kane, can you tell the court where you were on the 6th of last month?"

"I was at Blake Headquarters."

"What were you doing there?"

"My job; I’m the CEO of the company."

"By CEO, you mean the chief executive officer, the person responsible for overseeing all company operations?"

"That’s correct," she responded.

"Good. As CEO, you have the authority to give orders to anyone in the company except the chairman. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

The prosecutor turned to the judge. "Mrs. Kane is not only the CEO of her family's company but also the heir to the Blake empire. As such, her signature is required on any significant document within the company. According to the evidence here, Mrs. Lilly Kane signed the order for the demolition of the orphanages and foundations under her family's name. What’s more, she instructed for the demolition to occur without prior notice and in the dead of night." The prosecutor handed a copy of the document allegedly signed by Lilly to the court deputy, who then gave it to the judge. The judge reviewed the document and accepted it as evidence.

"Mrs. Kane, could you explain to the court why you signed such a document? Why did you order the buildings to be demolished, and why would you endanger innocent lives? What was your motive?" the prosecutor demanded, his voice rising in accusation.

Her attorney immediately stood up in objection. "Objection, Your Honor! The prosecutor is accusing my client of murder without a guilty verdict."

Alexander clenched his fists at the prosecutor's accusation, while Sarah fumed with anger, barely calmed by Anthony's efforts.

"How dare he call her a murderer," she seethed.

Caleb sat quietly, listening intently to the proceedings. The only person who seemed to be in a good mood was Ariana. Lilly, on the other hand, remained calm and emotionless.

Alexander kept his gaze on Lilly, concerned about how she was holding up under the pressure.

"My Lord, I’m merely asking a question that the defendant needs to answer," the prosecutor continued.

"Objection sustained. Prosecutor, please keep your questions direct," the judge instructed.

The prosecutor bowed slightly to the judge before returning to his line of questioning, this time more straightforwardly.

"Mrs. Lilly Kane, can you tell this court why you authorized the demolition of the buildings?"

Instead of answering immediately, Lilly glanced around the courtroom, her gaze finally resting on Ariana, who was staring back at her. Lilly locked eyes with her, giving her a piercing look. Ariana shivered under Lilly’s cold stare, momentarily fearing that Lilly had figured out she was behind all of this. However, she quickly dismissed the thought, reasoning that if Lilly knew, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to be imprisoned. Ariana then calmed herself and offered Lilly a small, reassuring smile, as if she were on her side.

Lilly finally answered, "I did not sign any document authorizing the demolition of the buildings. I could never do such a thing. I have a conscience."

"You claim you couldn’t just wake up one day and decide to do such a thing, and I agree. According to our evidence, you instructed that the document be prepared before you signed it on the 6th. So it was a premeditated action," the prosecutor stated before turning to the audience.

"Mrs. Kane must have planned this for some time, and there’s a reason behind it that we haven’t uncovered yet. There’s an old saying: 'When one rat in a group is infected, to eliminate the threat, all the rats are killed.' Could it be that Mrs. Kane had a specific target, and to cover her tracks, she decided to get rid of everyone else as well?" the prosecutor speculated, noticing the angry glares from Alexander and the others. He quickly added, "It’s just a question."

"My Lord, that will be all for now," the prosecutor concluded before taking his seat.

Sarah gritted her teeth, tempted to stand up and confront the prosecutor for his remarks. Meanwhile, Ariana smiled, pleased with how everything was unfolding according to her plan.

Lilly’s attorney then stood up to question her.

"Mrs. Kane, it’s stated that this document was signed on the 6th. Did you come across such a document?"

"No, I didn’t. I’m very organized. My assistant is the only one allowed to bring documents to me for signing, and I always review them carefully before signing."

"Good. The public believes you instructed that this document be prepared. Did you do that?"

"No, I didn’t. I never asked for it to be prepared, nor did I authorize the demolition. I was shocked and heartbroken when I found out. The orphanages and foundations were established in my and my late sister's names because we made our father promise to build them for orphans and the less fortunate. Why would I want to destroy something so dear to me?"

Lilly’s lawyer nodded and then addressed the judge.

"My Lord, I would like to call Miss Katrina Cade, Mrs. Kane’s assistant, to the witness stand."

The judge granted the request, and Katrina was brought forward. She swore to tell the truth on the Holy Scriptures.

"Miss Cade, did you ever see a document like this?" The lawyer held up the demolition order for her to see.

"No, I never saw such a document, nor did I take anything like it to my boss for signing. I’m also responsible for organizing her desk and checking her work bag, and I never came across this file."

"Given that you didn’t see this document, what do you think happened?"

"The original document was found by the prosecution’s office among the files in the company’s file shelf the morning after the demolition. Everyone on the 49th floor, myself included, was shocked. We couldn’t understand how it appeared there, and there’s no CCTV footage showing how it got there."

"What do you think happened?" the lawyer asked again.

"My boss was framed," Katrina’s declaration caused the reporters in the room to whisper and jot down her statement.

"And what do you think of her signature on the document?" the lawyer inquired, aiming to show the court that Lilly was being set up.

"Signatures can be forged. My boss would never do such a thing. She’s an honorable woman. Someone is trying to frame her, but I’m confident that person will be exposed," Katrina said with certainty, making Lilly smile.

Ariana clenched her fists at Katrina's words.

"Thank you, Miss Cade," the lawyer said before turning to the judge.

"My Lord, you’ve heard the testimony. Someone with ill intentions fabricated that document and forged Mrs. Kane’s signature."

"What evidence do you have that the signature was forged?" the judge asked, not willing to rely solely on Katrina’s testimony.

The prosecutor felt a surge of hope at the judge’s question, while Ariana’s smug expression began to fade when the lawyer announced that they had proof.

"I understand, Your Honor. We have evidence to support our claim," the lawyer confirmed.