A Half Truth

Trial

"Greetings My Lord, My name is Mr. Bruce William and I'm a defender lawyer," Mr. Williams rose from his seat as he introduced himself to the judge and the court. Afterwards, he takes his seat on the chair next to his two assistants

"Greetings, My Lord.. I'm a public prosecutor and I'm going to prove my premise from the plaintiff's side. Sorry! My Lord, the plaintiff didn't want to reveal their identity for some reason, please permit us to run the trial without a plaintiff," the public prosecutor also followed the same etiquette as Mr. Williams but he didn't give the name of the person who filed a petition against her.

He presented some documents to the court lawyer, who handed them over to the judge after a brief reading.

The man who sat in the judge's chair was nearly fifty years old. His spectacle rested on his bald head and was fastened with a string/chain that was securely wrapped around his neck.

He received the papers from the court lawyer, adjusted the position of his spectacles, placed them on his nose bridge, and began reading the documents.

While reading the affidavit, he gave Olivia a sceptical and disgusted look.

"Request granted," the Judge announced professionally, and the public prosecutor's smile spread wider.

"Thank you. My Lord, then I take the lead and plead to call Mrs. Freya Clinton as my first witness... she is a close friend and associate of the offender," he bowed his head to the judge and asked for permission, Olivia's heart racing because Freya was like a sister to her.

"Permission granted," the judge said, and her gaze was drawn to the figure sitting between the guests in the gallery.

Freya rose from her seat and approached the witness box near the bench. She climbed up to the witness box stand near the chair and adjusted the microphone to her preference.

A recorder was attached to the microphone to capture the witnesses' testimony.

The clerk also rose from his perch and marched respectfully toward the witness box, holding the holy book in his hand.

He handed her the holy book and asked her to raise it into the air. He invited her to follow him in reciting the pledge of truth.

"I swear by the almighty God. That is the evidence I will give to the court in this case. Shell be the truth, the entire truth. And nothing but the truth," she repeated the clerk's words in the microphone and handed it back to him as she finished the pledge.

The clerk instructed her to follow basic court etiquette by stating her full name, address, and occupation.

"My name is Mrs. Freya Daina Clinton. I live in mainstream Imperial Garden, House no. 14/B, and I work for the HR department in Revolt Corporation as Mr Robin Decuz's secretary," she enunciated in a sweet voice, but what bothering Olivia was that she made no eye contact with her at all.

She was looking everywhere else except Olivia.

"Mrs. Clinton, could you please inform the court how long you have known the offender? What kind of relationship do you have with her?" The public prosecutor started his appeal with a formality.

He waited patiently for her to take her seat and inquired in a soft yet professional tone.

"I have known Ms Hart for the past five years. We are best friends and colleagues. Our family relations are good, and I am pretty close to her daughter Megan and an old friend of her husband Jonathan," she knowledged softly to the court.

Olivia's gaze caught her expression. She appeared uneasy, and her hands were trembling.

Meanwhile, she lifted a small bottle of water from the table beside her chair and drank from it.

"Mrs Clinton, what type of person is Ms. Hart? Or should I say, what type of relationship does he have with her husband and daughter? Could you please inform the court about this?" when she calmed down, the public prosecutor asked her more questions.

His voice was full of mockery and arrogance, as he knew what she would say.

"I have known Olivia, I mean Ms. Hart, for a while, Sir. She is a good mother and wife until she starts going to rave parties and experimenting with drugs. It exacerbates the conflict between her and her husband Mr. Jonathan Adams-"

"-Her social life caused her marriage to fall apart," she took a brief pause after the stances to adjust her emotions. She appeared to be hiding more than what she was telling the court.

"It had been three years since her personality had changed significantly as a result of drug use. As a good friend, I have tried to advise her several times, but she ignores me every time-"

"-She begins to neglect her motherly duties and occasionally hits Megan as well-"

"-The poor little girl goes through a lot. My heart was still breaking for her when she told me that her mother injected some kind of syringe into her system and witnessed all of her actions-"

She again paused in the middle of her sentence before sobbing. Everyone waited for her to calm down a little, but Olivia was furious with her statements and actions.

She was staring at her with disgust, her hands curled into a fist. Following Nathen, Freya was one of her most trusted confidants.

Today she learned an important life lesson. Humans were always deceiving creatures and could not be trusted. There were only a few gems like Nathan.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mrs. Clinton," the prosecutor politely dismissed her. The clerk carefully cross-examined her testimony.

However, Mr Willam remained glued to his seat, unsure how to file an objection. The man's behavior was ambiguous.

"My Lord, next, I would like to request that Mr Robin Decuz be called as my second witness," the public prosecutor appealed to the next witness, and her stomach dropped. Mr Decuz employed not only Freya, but also Olivia.

He was the one she showed her middle finger to after being expelled, so she knew he was bad news.

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