CHAPTER 138: UNEXPECTED WITNESS

"Mrs. O’Brien, did you or did you not feel anger toward my client?"

"I felt hurt by what happened, yes. But I didn’t make up..."

"A simple yes or no, please."

"Objection, Your Honour. That’s not a yes or no question."

"Sustained. The witness may answer fully."

"I felt hurt," Layla repeated, "but that doesn’t mean I fabricated evidence. The dashcam footage speaks for itself."

"Or it shows a tragic accident that you’re choosing to interpret as deliberate. No further questions."

Layla returned to her seat beside me, her hands shaking slightly. I took one in mine and squeezed it gently.

"You did great," I whispered.

The prosecution called their expert witness next, the automotive specialist who’d examined Cassandra’s vehicle.

"Dr. Martinez, what did your examination reveal?"

"The brake lines on Ms. Watson’s vehicle had been cut. Not worn or damaged through use, but deliberately severed with a sharp instrument. The cuts were clean and precise."

"In your professional opinion, could this have been accidental?"

"Absolutely not. This was intentional sabotage done by someone with knowledge of automotive systems."

"Thank you. Your witness, Mr. Reed."

Harlan stood. "Dr. Martinez, you say the brake lines were cut. Can you determine when this was done?"

"Within twenty-four hours of the accident, based on the lack of corrosion or debris in the cut areas."

"And can you determine who cut them?"

"There’s no way I would know that... It’s impossible."

"So someone could have cut them after the accident to frame my client?"

"Objection!" Brennan stood. "Speculation."

"Withdrawn. No further questions."

The day continued with more witnesses: the responding police officers, the other drivers who’d witnessed the crash, Layla’s security details, and Eclipse Beauty employees who testified about the corporate espionage and defamation campaigns.

By the time Judge Reynolds called for lunch recess, I was exhausted, and we’d only confirmed the assault charge. The corporate espionage and defamation charges remained in question, pending additional evidence.

"We’re doing well on the assault charge," Brennan said as we gathered in the conference room. "But the miscarriage angle is killing us. The jury’s sympathetic to her. We need something to counter that narrative, or we’re going to be getting a reduced sentence for her on emotional appeal alone."

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out discreetly and saw Tye’s name flash across the screen. My stomach tightened.

"Layla, why don’t you go ahead and grab some lunch?" I said, keeping my voice casual. "I need to talk to Brennan about something."

She looked at me with concern. "Are you sure? I can stay."

"No, it’s fine. Just some legal strategy stuff. You should eat something before we go back in there."

Layla hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. I’ll be in the cafeteria if you need me." She squeezed my hand before leaving the conference room.

The moment the door closed behind her, I answered the call and stepped toward the window, putting distance between myself and Brennan who was reviewing his notes.

"What is it?" I said quietly into the phone.

"She’s ready," Tye’s voice came through. "Erica’s en route. ETA thirty minutes."

My blood ran cold. "What? I didn’t authorise this. I didn’t tell you to bring her today."

"You didn’t have to. The trial’s happening now, Axel, and from what I’m hearing, only Erica can prove the espionage suit. You need her now. Stop overthinking this and use the weapon you’ve got."

"Tye, this isn’t..." I ran a hand through my hair, my mind racing. "Layla doesn’t know. She doesn’t know I’ve had... her."

"Then you’ve got thirty minutes to figure out how to handle that. But Erica’s coming whether you like it or not. Let’s end this and move on to the next phase. I’ve already briefed her. She’s ready to testify about everything. She’ll flip on Cassandra to save herself."

"You can’t just..."

"I can, and I did. I swore to do whatever it takes to help and protect you. That’s what I’m doing. Erica is your silver bullet, Axel. She was there for all of Cassandra’s schemes. She knows everything."

I pressed my palm against the cool glass of the window, watching the reporters milling around outside the courthouse. "She’ll never forgive me. Layla will never forgive me for keeping this from her."

"Maybe not. But she’ll forgive you a hell of a lot faster if Cassandra’s behind bars than if that woman walks free on a reduced sentence because you were too guilty to use the evidence you had."

The line went dead.

I stood there for a moment, phone still pressed to my ear, my reflection staring back at me in the window. Tye was right. He was absolutely right, and I hated him for it.

"Axel?" Brennan’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Everything okay?"

I turned to face him, shoving my phone back into my pocket. "Actually, there’s something you need to know. We’re going to have a new witness this afternoon."

Brennan’s eyebrows shot up. "A new witness? Who?"

"Erica Chen. She was Cassandra’s accomplice and had direct knowledge of the corporate espionage and defamation campaigns."

"Wait, Erica Chen?" Brennan flipped through his files. "She’s been missing for weeks. How did you..."

"She’s been in protective custody, that’s all I can say."

It was a carefully constructed half-truth. Not quite a lie, but not the whole story either.

Brennan’s expression shifted from surprise to something resembling excitement. "This is huge. If she can testify about Cassandra’s direct involvement in the espionage and defamation, we can nail those charges. Does she have documentation? Evidence?"

"She has everything. Records, emails, and recordings. Enough to bury Cassandra on those charges."

"Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?"

"Security reasons. We couldn’t risk word getting out that we had her. Cassandra’s reach is extensive, and we needed to keep Erica safe until the right moment."

Brennan nodded slowly, accepting the explanation. "Okay. Okay, this changes everything. We’ll need to notify the judge and opposing counsel that we’re calling a surprise witness. They’ll probably object, but given the circumstances and the relevance to the charges, Reynolds will likely allow it."

"Good. Make it happen."

As Brennan gathered his materials and headed out to speak with the judge’s clerk, I sank into one of the conference room chairs. Thirty minutes. In thirty minutes, Erica would walk through those courthouse doors, and everything would change.

I thought about going to find Layla, about pulling her aside and explaining everything before she saw Erica. But what would I say? That I’d been keeping her former best friend prisoner? That I’d hidden this from her for weeks because I didn’t trust her enough to tell her the truth?

No. It was too late for confessions now. The die was cast.

When we reconvened after lunch, the courtroom was buzzing with energy. Layla slid into her seat beside me, her hand immediately finding mine.

"How was your talk with Brennan?" she asked.

"Productive," I said, the word feeling like ash on my tongue.

Judge Reynolds called the court to order. "I understand the prosecution has a motion?"

Brennan stood. "Yes, Your Honour. The prosecution wishes to call a surprise witness to address the corporate espionage and defamation charges."

Harlan Reed shot to his feet. "Objection, Your Honour. The defence hasn’t been given proper notice of any additional witnesses."

"The witness only became available today, Your Honour," Brennan explained. "She has direct, relevant testimony regarding the charges in question."

"Your Honour, this is highly irregular..."

"I’ll allow it," Judge Reynolds interrupted. "Given the serious nature of the charges and the witness’s apparent unavailability until now, the court’s interest in justice outweighs the procedural inconvenience. Mr Reed, you’ll have adequate time for cross-examination. Proceed, Mr Brennan."

Back in her seat, Layla gripped my hand tighter. I could feel the tension radiating from her.

My phone buzzed. A text from Tye: She’s here.

I nodded to Brennan across the courtroom. He stood.

"Your Honour, the prosecution calls Erica Chen to the stand."

Beside me, Layla went rigid. "What?" she whispered. "Erica? How...?"