The Conglomerate's Hidden Legacy

Chapter 4: New Bill

Time seemed to pass slowly; every second was like punishment and humiliation for him, but now it was time for Zayn's trial. The man couldn't sleep all night because he had to lie on the cold floor with only a thin sheet.

The police are now removing Zayn and taking him to the court, where his trial occurs. Zayn looks completely limp and disorientated. No one seems to be coming to his aid.

The man doesn't have a lawyer to represent him properly in court. Since Zayn had no legal representation, the court provided Zayn with an unreliable volunteer lawyer, as most were not yet competent interns.

Moreover, volunteer lawyers who help oversee cases like this are not paid by their clients, so many of them seem reluctant to defend their clients, especially when they have to compete with a team of public prosecutors who are experienced in their field.

Zayn had heard his defence lawyer's advice, who advised him to admit his guilt and beg for mercy from the court and the prosecution service. If Zayn does that, then it is likely that he will only have to serve a year in prison, and if he is of good behaviour, then he may be free in just nine months. However, if Zayn decides to resist, then the public prosecutor can request that Zayn get the harshest sentence of 2 to 3 years' imprisonment.

Both options are certainly things that Zayn did not expect at all. The man was not entirely at fault, so the punishment must have been severe.

"Zayn Hayes!" a clerk called Zayn's name as he entered the courtroom.

A few people only witnessed the trial because it was a closed session. Zayn could see that the public prosecutor looked ready to destroy him at any moment. Zayn sat on the opposite side of the prosecution team, accompanied by a volunteer lawyer. The trial was now beginning.

"Mr Hayes, let me ask you once again. Do you not have legal representation that will represent you in this trial and agree to have the assistance of a volunteer lawyer?" a judge asked to make sure.

"I..." Just as the resigned Zayn was about to answer 'yes', the courtroom door opened.

"Wait. Sorry for my delay, Your Honour Judge," a man in a neat suit with a briefcase in his hand said. The man surprised both the prosecution team and the volunteer's lawyer. But there was something even stranger than that.

"Bianca!" Zayn muttered in disbelief as his wife entered the courtroom carrying a lawyer.

Zayn could see Bianca with a bossy appearance. The woman proudly strode into the courtroom.

"I, Mr White, will be the lawyer and legal representative of Mr Hayes. Your Honour Judge, may I have two minutes to speak briefly with my client?" The man authoritatively stepped in and immediately approached Zayn along with Bianca.

"Request granted!" responded the judge.

With Mr White present as Zayn's legal representation, the volunteer lawyer had to leave his chair.

"I can't believe what you're trying to do here, Bianca?" Zayn asked angrily to the woman in front of him, who looked haughty with a smirk.

"Calm down. I'm just showing my good intentions to help you. My mum called me last night and said you were at the police station and needed a lawyer. Condition yourself well and consider this my last good deed. You can rethink our divorce. I'm the only one who can help you and get you out of jail," Bianca replied, happy that she finally had a chance to discuss her divorce.

"It's up to you. Let me out, and maybe I'll consider your wishes," said Zayn, who had no other options.

A moment later, the trial resumed. Bianca sat in the audience with the officers in charge and the volunteer lawyer representing Zayn.

Mr White was a well-known and reliable lawyer the Brown family used. He had a good reputation for handling his clients' cases. It made the prosecution team a little worried.

The trial was intense for the next hour or so, and the outcome was exactly what Bianca wanted and Zayn expected. Mr White managed to win the case, and Zayn was completely free from punishment by simply posting bail. They walked out of the courtroom smiling, leaving the public prosecution team upset that they had lost.

"I have shown my intentions well. I even proved it to you. It's time you showed yourself to be a good husband. Let's talk about our divorce," Bianca told Zayn.

The man looked agitated again. For a moment, Zayn was happy that his wife had just been so dutiful, but Bianca reminded Zayn just how bad she was.

Mr White put the divorce documents into Bianca's hands before the man finally excused himself to leave.

"Can-" said Zayn, who Bianca cut off. "I was expecting you to try and evade me."

"I'm not trying to evade. I've just been in an accident and had to sleep in jail and have just been acquitted of a very aggravating charge. Don't you see how messed up your husband is?" Zayn raised his tone of voice in annoyance.

"Husband? Babe, you always look so messed up, enough to drag myself into your mess again. I guessed that you would try to get away with it. God only knows how tired I am of being your wife," Bianca said haughtily.

"Bianca..." Zayn looked even more annoyed.

"Stop calling my name with that filthy mouth of yours. I knew that this would happen. So, the truth is that I'm not helping you with complete sincerity. Of course, I won't spend a cent on the husband I will divorce," Bianca responded angrily while throwing a letter at Zayn.

The man opened it immediately, and it was an invoice charged to Zayn for all the expenses needed to settle Zayn's case with the police and the court.

Zayn couldn't believe that his wife was being so cruel to him. Zayn had doubted Bianca's good intentions from the start, which was true.

Bianca, who had taken a step away, turned around slowly; with a smile, she said, "Ah yes, I forgot one thing. The bill for the loss of your startup company arrived at home this morning. You suffered a huge loss. Your company's finance team was forced to make a decision this morning, and since they couldn't reach you, I, as a wife, had the power to give them the green light."

Zayn saw Bianca getting closer; the woman took a pair of sunglasses from her bag and put them on. Bianca whispered in Zayn's ear, "Mr Hayes, I'm afraid that you have become unemployed from today. I hope you still have money to pay the remaining bills. You useless rubbish husband!"