Chapter 237

Lainey rotuggd to surrender.

She thrashed violently, shiriekirig und Her volce brdks with hysterfa.

"No!I didny do tt!" she shouted. "Thls ts a lle! You'ro setting me e양!"

Her gaze locked onto the kneeling man, 'blazing with desperate intenslty.

"Who put you up to this?" she stopped fust short of narning Eleanor aloud.

"Quiet!" The judge, growing intolerant of further disruptions, struck the gavel and flxed Lainey with a stern stare. "The evidence cannot be disputed. What more remains to debate? If you continue to accuse others without proof, defamation oharges will follow!°

He declared a ten-minute break, allowing the panel to deliberate before rendering the verdict.

At thls, Lainey's energy drained completely, and she collapsed into the defendant's chair,paralyzed by fear.

Before the trial began, the Gilbort family's lawyer had repeatedly urged her to deflect responsibility,insisting she claim coercion had forcod her hand.

That way, she might endure prison but still preserve her life.

She did not want to die; she genuinely feared death.

From the spectator seats, voices rose in sharp condemnation.

"Who would've imagined? She seems harmless but hides a cruel heart."

"Exactly.She nearly destroyed Enigma. Serves her perfectly!"

"Justice will triumph!"

Desperation clawed at Lainey as she scanned the room, clinging to the tiniest spark of hope. Her eyes fell on Jeff, seated prominently in the front row.

A flicker of relief lit her expression. She stared pleadingly, silently begging for aid.

He had once cherished her, treating her like a daughter.

Now, his gaze returned nothing but revulsion.

If not for this malicious woman, he wouldn't have confused her for his real child, losing precious time with the daughter he truly loved.

Because of Lainey, Eleanor still refused to call him Dad.

He longed to strip Lainey of everything, caring nothing for her survival.

When she saw Jeff remain unmoved, Lainey's last fragile hope disintegrated.

Rage engulfed her, and all pent-up resentment erupted violently.

"You stubborn, foolish man!" she screamed toward him. "Everything is your fault! Had you not taken me in,would I suffer like this now? Every one of you deserves death! I'll haunt you eternally!"

Eleanor's lips curved faintly, a cold smile forming in response to the frenzy.

She tilted her head slightly and spoke, voice smooth yet chilling. "You misunderstand: Considering the atrocities you've committed, haunting us might not even be possible."

The ten-minute break ended abruptly.

The judge returned, and the courtroom rose, weighted with solemn tension.

Lainey trembled uncontrollably.

The judge lifted the verdict, preparing to announce it, when an unassuming man in the crowd, hat pulled low, spoke. "Your Honor, I believe Lainey Gilbert is not a citizen of this nation."

Nolan's gaze tightened with intensity, and the judge's words froze midair.

This fact had been overlooked entirely. The judge scanned the files quickly, his expression shifting with each page.

Documents confirmed that after studying abroad, Lainey had obtained Zerovia citizenship.

According to Daulcan law, foreigners could not receive the death penalty unless involved in extreme offenses, like drug trafficking.

Lainey, who had been shaking with dread, suddenly erupted into manic laughter.

She wasn't finished.

She leveled a defiant stare at Eleanor and Nolan.

Despite their wishes, she had survived this battle.

Nolan and Eleanor held their silence, eyes tracing the voice's source, but the man had vanished completely.

Following an urgent consultation with the Zerovia embassy, the court adhered to international extradition and trial agréements.

Lainey was convicted on multiple counts but sentenced to life imprisonment instead of execution.

The courtroom erupted in disbelief. Anger and outrage filled the gallery as voices clamored in protest.