𝔗𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔩𝔢𝔡 𝔏𝔬𝔶𝔞𝔩𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰 : 𝔉𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔅𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔶𝔞𝔩

CHAPTER 13

The air in the courtroom crackled with tension, thick enough to choke on. Yeonjoo, a picture of steely resolve, sat ramrod straight on the defendant's bench. Her dark eyes, devoid of emotion, held a glint so sharp it could cut diamonds. Beside her, Seol, her identical twin, mirrored her icy composure, a silent storm brewing beneath the surface.

Across the aisle, Mrs. Kim, a caricature of her usual socialite grace, preened nervously. Her bright lipstick, a shade too red for the occasion, seemed to mock the seriousness of the situation. The prosecution droned on, weaving a clumsy web of lies to implicate Yeonjoo in poisoning Mr. Lee, a business rival of her father. Yeonjoo remained unfazed, a testament to years spent navigating the treacherous waters of power alongside her family.

"Seol," Yeonjoo whispered, her voice barely audible above the drone of the prosecutor. "Think Ms. Park can break through their BS?"

Seol leaned in slightly. "She's our best shot," she murmured, a flicker of concern momentarily disrupting her icy exterior. "The truth will come out, Yeon. One way or another."

Their hushed exchange went unnoticed by the watchful eyes in the courtroom. When Ms. Park, their powerhouse lawyer, rose to her feet, a flicker of respect passed between the twins. Ms. Park's voice, sharp as a stiletto heel clicking on marble, sliced through the inconsistencies in Mrs. Kim's testimony with surgical precision.

"Mrs. Kim," Ms. Park began, her voice dripping with honeyed sarcasm, "you claim to have witnessed Yeonjoo drugging Mr. Lee. Can you tell the court the exact time and location of this alleged act?"

Mrs. Kim faltered under Ms. Park's unwavering gaze. The carefully constructed narrative she'd clung to began to unravel at the seams. "I... I saw her enter the room with a glass of water," she stammered, her voice cracking.

Ms. Park arched an eyebrow. "A glass of water, you say? And based on this singular observation, you accuse Yeonjoo of being a villainous poisoner? Fascinating deduction." A ripple of suppressed laughter spread through the courtroom, momentarily breaking the tense atmosphere.

Mrs. Kim's face flushed scarlet, her carefully cultivated smugness evaporating faster than yesterday's news.

"Did you, at any point," Ms. Park continued, her voice dropping to a steely whisper, "witness Yeonjoo administer any substance to Mr. Lee? Did you see even a hint of interaction between her and the glass of water?"

Mrs. Kim squirmed in her seat, her carefully rehearsed lies dissolving under Ms. Park's relentless questioning. "No, but-"

Ms. Park cut her off, her eyes flashing with a fierce determination. "Then your accusation seems to be based purely on conjecture, fueled perhaps by a personal vendetta against Yeonjoo, wouldn't you agree?"

Mrs. Kim opened her mouth to retort, but no sound emerged. Shame and anger contorted her features, a silent admission of her guilt.

The lawyer pressed on, her voice a soothing counterpoint to the rising tension. Then, she dropped a bombshell - a sharp-eyed nurse who testified to seeing Mrs. Kim tampering with Felix's medication earlier that day. Felix was Mr. Lee's son, and the real target of the alleged poisoning.

A collective gasp resonated through the courtroom, loud enough to shake the building. The judge, a woman commanding respect with a mere flick of her wrist, leaned forward, her gaze pinning Mrs. Kim like a butterfly on a collector's board.

"Mrs. Kim," the judge boomed, her voice leaving no room for argument, "do you have any explanation for this new information?"

Mrs. Kim's facade crumbled entirely. Her voice, when she finally managed to speak, was a pathetic whimper. "I... it was a misunderstanding," she mumbled, her eyes darting nervously around the courtroom.