NovelEnglish
Chapter 311 The Testimonies
Ella
The early morning mist hung low in the air as I approached the courthouse. Its grand stone steps and
impressive facade were familiar to me now, having spent countless hours within its halls.
However, today was different. Today, the weight of the impending trial pressed heavily upon me,
making each step feel just a bit heavier.
It had been a month since Logan told me about his second case. A month of hard work, of stone walls
and questionable morals. No matter how much I tried to convince him to reconsider his stance on the
case, he wouldn’t budge.
And eventually, I gave up. Before I reached the grand entrance, a figure leaning against one of the
building’s pillars caught my eye. Logan.
Even from a distance, the tailored fit of his suit accentuated his stature, and I had to admit, he looked
especially handsome. His posture was relaxed, hands buried deep in his pockets, but there was a
tightness in the set of his shoulders, a hint of unease that I hadn’t seen before.
Over the last month, working side by side with him, my admiration for his professionalism had been
tainted by the growing resentment I felt. His refusal to see the real-life consequences of his actions, his
seeming indifference to the fates of the tenants, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
As I drew closer, I noticed a somewhat sad and apprehensive look in his eyes. Was it possible that
beneath that calm, confident exterior, there lay a man grappling with his own conflicts?
Or was I merely hoping for some semblance of empathy from him?
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“Ella,” he greeted, pushing off from the pillar, his voice smooth, a contrast to the tension in his gaze.
“Logan,” I replied, nodding in acknowledgment.
“Did you sleep well last night? Are you prepared to win this case?” His question felt genuine, but it also
underscored our differing views on the case’s outcome.
I hesitated for a moment, my gaze dropping. Did I really want to win? The idea of victory meant
uprooting countless lives, leaving families, like the one we had heard in the last hearing, homeless. The
internal battle raged within me.
“I’m ready to perform my duty,” I finally said, my voice betraying none of the inner turmoil I felt. Instead,
I offered a tight-lipped smile, hoping to sidestep the deeper implications of his question.
Not waiting for a response, I stepped in through the large front doors and then immediately veered
towards the closest coffee machine. Its mechanical hum and the faint aroma of brewing coffee was
oddly comforting in the midst of the tension. As I fumbled for some change, I heard Logan’s footsteps
approach.
“Why would you waste your money on one of these crappy machines?” he asked, a hint of amusement
in his tone. “Have I note been paying you enough? You could get yourself something much better. Hell,
I could have brought you a nice cup from that coffee shop around the corner if you’d wanted.”
I paused, looking up at him. The comment was typical Logan, always seeking the finer things, always
living a life of luxury.
Normally, I ignored it. But today, it grated on me. With everything at stake, with the lives of so many
hanging in the balance, such trivialities seemed so… insignificant.
“It’s just fuel,” I responded, finally slotting the coins into the machine. “Something to keep my mind
sharp for the trial ahead. Not everything in life is about indulgence and pleasure, Logan.”
He seemed taken aback by the sharpness in my tone, his eyebrows drawing together slightly. For a
moment, an awkward silence lingered between us, punctuated only by the soft gurgle of the coffee
machine..
Logan’s gaze held mine, searching, as if trying. to decipher the layers of emotion and thought beneath
my words. I could see a flicker of understanding, or perhaps it was realization, in his eyes.
Maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to see the broader picture, to understand the gravity of what was
at stake. But he said nothing. Instead, he took a step back, giving me space to collect my drink.
The machine beeped, signaling that my coffee was ready. Taking the cup, I met Logan’s gaze once
more. There was so much left unsaid between us, so many complexities surrounding this case and our
roles within it.
“We should head in,” I finally said, breaking the silence.
He nodded. “Yes, we should.”
The courtroom was dense with anticipation, a quiet hum of whispered conversations filling the space.
As Logan’s lawyer, the weight of the case was on my shoulders, and the complexity of my feelings only
deepened the burden. Each testimony from the tenants was like a knife in my heart, a stark reminder of
the lives that would be disrupted by the case’s outcome..
“Miss Smith,” the opposing lawyer, Mr. Delaney, began, “please tell the court about yourself and your
living conditions.”
A frail woman took the stand, her tired eyes scanning the room before settling on the judge. Next to her
stood a young boy, not older than five or six at the most, with a thin face and an IV port visible on his
arm.
“I’m a single mom,” she began, her voice soft but filled with resolve. “I work three jobs just to keep my
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmson, Jonathan, in school and pay for his medical bills. He…he has Leukemia.” Her voice wavered, but
she pushed through.
The courtroom was so silent you could hear a pin drop. My gaze shifted to Logan, watching for any
sign of reaction. But he sat still, his expression masked, revealing nothing.
Mr. Delaney continued. “Miss Smith, can you tell us about your living conditions and your relationship
with your landlord?”
She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. “This apartment complex was our salvation. After leaving my
abusive husband, no one would take us in. Everywhere I went, they saw my income, my situation, and
turned me away. But the landlord at our current complex? He welcomed us with open arms. He even
lets us pay less in rent and doesn’t mind if we’re a little late sometimes.”
My heart clenched, guilt and sympathy. intertwining. I scribbled down some notes, but my mind was
elsewhere. These were real people with real problems, not just case files.
“Miss Smith,” Mr. Delaney continued, “what would happen if you and your son were evicted?”
She looked down, taking a deep breath before answering. “We’d be on the streets. We have nowhere
else to go. Without our current home, we can’t afford the treatments Jonathan needs. I can’t even begin
to imagine…” She trailed off, wiping away a tear.
The weight in the room grew heavier, each word settling in the pit of my stomach. As the testimony
continued, I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Quickly, I brushed it away, hoping no one noticed.
But when my gaze met Logan’s, his eyes were fixed on the mother and son. There was a clenching of
his jaw, a slight crease in his forehead. It was a subtle reaction, but it was there. For the first time, it
seemed the gravity of the situation was getting to him.
When the testimony ended, a hush fell over the courtroom. The words spoken lingered in the air, a
haunting reminder of the human cost at stake.
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