How Death Became My Rebirth by Evelyn Florence

Chapter 22

The following day marked the trial, and all the students from Honors Class One were in attendance. Samuel, whom Cas sandra had withdrawn the lawsuit against, was also

present.

All the students were accompanied by their families. With Cas sandra’s absence, the charge would be considered null, allowing the possibility of seeking compensation from her.

Among those seeking justice was the Yates family, supporting Yulissa. How could they stay at home while their beloved daughter was unjustly sued by an ingrate in their eyes?

But they didn’t worry much because Leonardo had settled the matter.

At nine o'clock, as the court session began, the panel of judges took their positions, and, lawyers from both sides were present. “The plaintiff, Cas sandra, please make your statement.”

There was no response.

Leonardo sat in the family and friends section, wearing a smile. “There’s no way Cas sandra can come, he thought.

“Plaintiff Cas sandra Yates?” the judge asked again.

Sure enough, no response came this time either.

“Mr. Youngblood, where is your client?” the judge, Hayden Fairchild, asked in a formal

tone.

“Your Honor, please give us a moment. My client will be here in a minute,” Jonathan answered.

The opposing lawyer remarked, “What a joke. According to protocol, if the plaintiff fails to appear on time, it will be considered as conceding, and the plaintiff is expected to withdraw the lawsuit and apologize to my clients.”

In a deadlock, Hayden found it challenging to reach a decision..

With Cas s andra almost ten minutes late, there was a possibility of declaring an adjournment or deeming the plaintiff to be withdrawing her case, as per protocol.

Consequently, Hayden stood up. “I hereby announce...”

Unexpectedly, the door creaked open, and someone entered.

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It was Cas sandra.

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She intentionally delayed her entrance. Despite being near the door, she held back from entering the courtroom, allowing a sense of control to settle among the people inside. Her strategy involved making them believe they held the upper hand, only to later expose them to a harsh reality that would humiliate them.

That was why she opened the door and walked in just as Hayden was about to adjourn the trial.

Seeing Cas sandra, Leonardo was visibly shocked. The surprise on his face betrayed his thoughts. ‘Hasn’t she been kidnapped by my men? Why is she here? And she’s here just

in time!’

“Apologies for the delay, Your Honor, Cas sandra walked up to Jonathan, then addressed Hayden politely. Every gesture she made exuded confidence, and it seemed she showed no remorse for being late.

“Plaintiff Cas sandra Yates, you are ten minutes late. Please explain yourself.”

“| apologize for my tar diness, Your Honor, but | have a compelling reason. Someone didn’t want me to attend this trial, so they sent people to abduct me, causing the delay,” Cas sandra explained. Her gaze shifted from Yulissa to the section where the defendants’ friends and families were seated, ultimately landing on Leonardo.

Leonardo wore a grim expression. ‘Does she know the mastermind behind her kidnapping? Even if she does, there’s little she can do about it, he mused.

“Do you have any evidence?”

Kidnapping was not a small matter, especially when the plaintiff was kidnapped before. the court session.

“| have the kidnappers’ confessions, and the kidnappers are currently outside. Your Honor, may | sue the mastermind as well? Cas sandra looked at Hayden with an innocent expression, portraying herself as the clear victim in this situation.

Hayden was stunned.

After careful consideration of the panel of judges, Hayden stated, “If it’s linked to the defendants, it can be considered as part of this case and investigated collectively.”

Yulissa was shocked by Hayden's words.

She wondered, “Who could be behind Cas sandra’s kidnapping? Could it be Leo? If it is, I'll feel embarrassed once his involvement is revealed by the kidnappers.

Yulissa felt her legs tremble, struggling to remain standing.

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“It's related to one of the defendants. It’s Leonardo, Yulissa’s brother. He orchestrated my kidnapping and promised a reward of 1 million dollars to the kidnappers. | possess. the kidnapper’s confession. Your Honor, you can listen to it.”

Hayden motioned for the staff to play the evidence, and the initial part of the recording began. It was the conversation between Cas sandra and the kidnapper.

“You have two choices. Either you tell me who sent you here, or I’'ll call the police and have you tell them yourself. The choice is yours. | see you're still remaining silent. | assume you choose the second option.”

“Don't call the police. It’s Mr. Yates.”

“Who is Mr. Yates?”

“Leonardo Yates from the Yates family in Drieso.”

Following that, the second part of the recording played. It was the conversation between Leonardo and the kidnapper.novelbin

“Have you caught her?”

“We... we did.”

“Great to hear.”

“Mr. Yates, may | ask why you asked us to kidnap this girl?”

“She wants to sue my sister. | want to teach her a lesson.”

Leonardo's expression darkened upon the presentation of the two pieces of evidence. He didn’t expect the kidnapper Sean to record their conversation from the previous night. All of this was orchestrated by Cas sandra.

She intended to deceive him into believing that she was kidnapped and couldn’t attend court when in reality, she had already handled the kidnappers.

“Cas sandra, why did you fake evidence to frame Leo? He is your brother, too. Even if

hate me, you can’t harm him like this. How could he possibly kidnap you?”

you

Yulissa was the first to speak, disavowing any knowledge of the kidnapping and implying that the entire scheme was orchestrated by Ca s sandra.

By doing this, Yulissa could distance herself from the accusation even if Leonardo admitted to the kidnapping.

“The kidnappers are outside, willing to testify in court in exchange for me not pressing charges against them. They took a check from Mr. Yates, which hasn’t been cashed yet,

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bearing Mr. Yates’ signature and a timestamp...”

It was a plethora of evidence. Everyone was present on this occasion, except for Raymond, who was still in bed recovering from his injuries. It was too late for them to destroy the evidence.

If Cas sandra hadn't been late, she wouldn't have forced them into this dilemma.

Yulissa’s face turned pale with fear, and she didn’t say a word, but tears streamed down her cheeks.

Observing Yulissa’s tears caused by Cas sandra’s aggressive tactics, the Yates family felt heartbroken, and it intensified their resentment toward Cas sandra.

Hayden summoned the kidnappers to testify, and they disclosed the truth. They then. presented a check for 1 million dollars signed in Leonardo’s name.

“Is Mr. Leonardo Yates here?”

Leonardo stood up in response to Hayden's call.

“Your Honor, | firmly deny kidnapping Cas sandra. She’s my sister. How could | kidnap her? It was just a prank. | didn’t think she would take it seriously.” Leonardo tried to downplay the incident as a harmless prank between a brother and his sister.

“Mr. Yates, this prank isn’t amusin

in the least. Honestly, do you genuinely consider me your sister? Would you even glance my way if | hadn’t put beloved sister in the

your dock? Your idea of a prank is certainly unique, Mr. Yates, spending 1 million dollars on eight kidnappers just to jest with me.” Cas sandra continued, “Moreover, if my memory serves me right, | have no connection whatsoever with the Yates family. Hence, how could | dare claim myself as your sister, Mr. Yates? | might lose my life for it.”

Cas sandra showed no mercy and revealed to everyone that the Yates family favored their adopted daughter.

Leonardo couldn’t maintain his fake smile anymore. He didn’t expect that Cas sandra would dare to refute his words.

“Is she really not planning to go back to the Yates family? Does she think this will attract our attention? What a joke!’ he sneered inwardly.

“Cas sandra, it is wrong of you to take legal action against your classmates. Now, withdraw the lawsuit and apologize to them in front of the judge, and we will forget about this.” Ridiculously, Leonardo played the role of a concerned elder brother, adv ising Cas sandra to withdraw the lawsuit in the presence of Hayden.

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In response to Leonardo’s unusual plea, Jonathan questioned, “Mr. Yates, you threatened me and asked me to withdraw the lawsuit in the name of my client Ms. Cas sandra Yates. Could you enlighten me on the reason behind this demand?”

Observing the prejudiced family, Jonathan couldn’t help sympathizing with Cas sandra.

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