CHAPTER 69: PRS 69

Five days have passed, and now the verdict regarding Romano’s sentence is about to be delivered, filling the courthouse with a sea of people eager to witness this heinous man receive his sentence.

"Listen! The trial is about to begin!" shouted one of the officers as he tried to manage the long line of people trying to enter.

"I’ve been waiting for this for days. Romano must be punished to the fullest extent!" shouted someone from the crowd.

"Based on the evidence presented and the witnesses present, the court hereby sentences Romano to death and Beca to life imprisonment for their crimes. Knock knock knock..." the judge declared firmly as he banged his gavel.

Cheers erupted throughout the courthouse as the gavel struck, signaling the verdict was passed. Beca immediately fainted, unable to bear the humiliation and weight of the sentence, while Romano continued to wince in pain.

"No! This is impossible! We don’t deserve this punishment!" Beca shouted before her body swayed and fell.

"Medic! Quick! Someone’s fainted!" the warden shouted, rushing to summon the medical team.

For Romano, the death penalty was preferable to suffering like this, so he volunteered to expedite the sentence.

"Your Honor, I beg you... expedite my execution. I can’t stand this any longer," Romano pleaded hoarsely, his face pale and covered in cold sweat.

Romano’s request was granted, as it didn’t matter whether it was tomorrow or the day after, or how many more days later, the man would still die on the gallows. So the judge ruled that the execution would be carried out tomorrow afternoon, as requested by Jorge’s lawyer.

"The request is granted. The execution will take place tomorrow afternoon at twelve o’clock sharp," the judge said, staring coldly at Romano.

Jorge, hearing the decision, could only sigh deeply. "Mr. Romano, I’ve done my best," he whispered regretfully.

Romano’s assets were confiscated by the state, which will use them to improve the city, distribute them to hospitals to purchase medical equipment for residents, and also to improve and build schools in remote towns so that education in Country S can be more equitable.

"All of Romano’s assets will be used for the benefit of the people. This is true justice," the prosecutor stated firmly.

In the case involving Romano’s two children, B and T, they were sentenced to ten years in prison for being convicted of drug users and drug couriers in the capital.

"Ten years? This is too much! We’re still young!" protested B, his face flushed red.

"You should have thought before committing a crime. Now bear the consequences!" retorted the judge firmly.

Isabella, feeling that everything was over, told her family she wanted to rest at the villa, a gift from Phoenix System, claiming to be relaxing. She actually wanted to use her teleportation card from Phoenix System.

"Uncle Andra, I want to go to the villa for a few days. I need some peace after all this," Isabella said over the phone, her voice weary.

"Okay, Isabella. You do need to rest. I’ll arrange security," Andra replied understandingly.

Seeing how hard Isabella was working with Andra and the Dark Evil members to punish Romano, the Alegra family couldn’t stop her and simply stationed guards around the villa.

Isabella, already inside the villa, locked herself in her room and began testing the teleportation card she’d obtained from the Phoenix System.

"Okay, Phoenix System. I hope this works," Isabella muttered, staring at the card in her hand with some hesitation.

Imagining the room in her apartment, Isabella immediately threw the teleportation card in front of her, and a whirlwind formed.

Calmly, Isabella stepped inside, and the whirlwind disappeared as soon as her feet were fully inside.

Despite feeling some wobbles, she didn’t stop walking, which this time felt a little further than before, when it only took two steps to reach the other location.

"This feels different... further than I thought," Isabella muttered as she continued walking through the whirlwind of light.

As soon as Isabella stepped onto the floor, she sensed a familiar scent, the distinct scent of her apartment, calming her tense nerves.

"Amazing! This is really my room!" she shouted, running around to check if this was really her room.

Isabella also ran outside, everything looked the same as when she last left it. Even the room was as clean as before. It seemed Siva had been diligently coming in and cleaning for her.

"Siva must have cleaned this place. I should give him an extra bonus," Isabella said, smiling with relief when she saw that her apartment was still well-maintained.

Realizing this, Isabella resolved to give her bodyguard-cum-driver, whom she considered her brother, a big bonus this month.

Isabella turned on the lights, relieved that the power had been restored after the violent storm.

She walked to the window and pulled back the curtains to look outside.

"It’s not completely over yet," she muttered, looking out with concern.

From behind the window, Isabella could see heavy rain and strong winds still pounding City XX, making her hesitate to go outside to see what was happening due to the strong winds and heavy rainfall.

Krucukkk....

Isabella hadn’t had a chance to eat when she left for the villa. As soon as she arrived, she locked herself in her room and told the maid not to disturb her. She quickly made her way to the kitchen.

"Ugh, there’s nothing," she muttered, seeing only mineral water in the refrigerator, while scratching her aching head.

She quickly opened the cupboard and found several packages of instant noodles, which she quickly cooked to fill her stomach.

"Luckily, there’s still instant noodles. Better than nothing," Isabella said, turning on the stove.

While waiting for the noodles to cook, Isabella, wanting to use her phone, realized there was no network, so she tucked it back into her shirt pocket.

"The network is still down. Alesio must be very worried right now," Isabella muttered sadly.

"Thank goodness the electricity is back on, so life can be a little more comfortable," she muttered, stirring the noodles as they began to cook.

After enjoying a bowl of warm noodles and washing her cooking and eating utensils, Isabella lay down on her comfortable bed to rest.

"Finally, I can lie in my own bed. I’ve missed this so much," Isabella whispered, closing her eyes with a faint smile.

***

At Xander’s residence,

Alesio Xander was still frustrated because the telecommunications network was still down. The longing he felt was making him lose his patience.

"When will the network be restored? I can’t stand hearing Isabella’s voice anymore!" Alesio grumbled, throwing his phone onto the sofa in frustration.

Putra, watching his father pace back and forth in the living room, felt dizzy and reprimanded him. "Papi, don’t walk like you’re ironing. Putra’s head is spinning just looking at him," he protested, holding his head.

Seeing Alesio only glance at him, Putra, seeing that his father’s behavior was getting out of control, spoke up again. "I’ll tell Isabella’s mommy if you don’t obey," he threatened teasingly.

"Putra, don’t interfere in adult matters," Alesio said, pointing at Putra with his index finger.

Hearing his adopted son’s words, Alesio let out a ragged breath.

"You guys, you only know how to use Isabella to threaten me," he said, pouting his lips, making his grandfather and Putra burst out laughing at the ridiculous antics Alesio had been displaying to his family lately.

"Hahaha! Daddy’s so funny when he misses Isabella’s mommy!" laughed Putra, holding his stomach.

"Come on, Alesio, be patient. Isabella will be fine," said his grandfather, patting his son’s shoulder with an amused smile.

Alesio stomped off to his office, leaving the two people from different generations in the living room.

"They really have no feelings. I’m suffering from longing here," Alesio grumbled, walking with heavy steps.

"Honey, come back quickly. Grandpa and Putra keep bullying me," Alesio complained, staring at his phone screen, which displayed a photo of Isabella’s face with a sad expression.

Meanwhile, in the apartment, Isabella, who had just woken up, immediately made her way to the bathroom to clean herself and freshen up.

"Ah, a warm shower will definitely make me feel better," Isabella said, stretching.

Seeing that her teleportation was successful, Isabella immediately returned to her villa in Country S, so that the maid assigned by her father to accompany her wouldn’t become suspicious.

Isabella, unaware of the significant time difference between the two countries, was making the maid in her villa restless. The middle-aged woman had been pacing back and forth in front of her young lady’s bedroom door for the past hour, not daring to knock, simply waiting for the beautiful girl to come out.

"Oh my, why hasn’t the young lady come out yet? I’m afraid to even knock. What should I do?" she said, panicking, biting her fingernails anxiously.

Isabella, who had just realized the time difference when she arrived, noticed it was already dark, even though the sun was just shining in my country. She immediately ran to the door to leave the room so her servant wouldn’t panic.

"Oh no! I didn’t realize it was already night! Rose must be worried!" Isabella muttered in panic as she rushed to the door.

Just as Isabella opened the door, the face of the servant her father had assigned to accompany her to the villa appeared, startling her for a moment.

"Young lady, you’re finally out. I was worried something had happened to you, having not left your room all day," said the servant, Rose, rubbing her chest several times with a sigh of relief.

Isabella, feeling guilty, could only grin. "I’m sorry, Auntie, for making you worry. I was so tired that I took a long time to fall asleep," she lied, scratching her unitchy cheek.

"Okay then. Young lady, let’s go down for dinner. You must be hungry, having slept all day," Rose immediately walked down to the dining table, her face still looking worried.

"Yes, ma’am, I’m really hungry. Thank you for waiting," Isabella said, following behind Rose.

While waiting for the food to heat, Rose offered her a few slices of cake as an appetizer.

"This is your favorite cake. I made it this afternoon," Rose said with a gentle smile.

"Wow, thank you, ma’am. You’re truly the kindest," Isabella praised, taking a slice of cake.

Isabella not only caused a commotion in her villa, but also in the apartment she had just left.

Siva, who cleaned Isabella’s apartment every morning, was shocked to find two packages of instant noodles in the trash can.

"Huh? Where did these noodle packages come from?" Siva muttered, picking them up with a confused expression.

She also noticed a pot, bowl, and spoon and fork on the sink, indicating that someone had used them.

"Could there be a burglar?" she muttered warily, looking around with sharp eyes.

Siva then traced the glass windows and balcony door. They were all still locked tightly, with absolutely no damage or signs of anyone entering through the balcony.

"Strange... all the doors are locked tight. No sign of a break-in," Siva muttered, carefully checking the locks.

She immediately entered Isabella’s room and saw that nothing was missing from the guest room and living room. Only two packages of instant noodles from the kitchen were missing, which made her feel even more confused.

Seeing that the clothes and belongings in the walk-in closet were still intact, Siva felt relieved. Even so, she continued to maintain a wary gaze.

"My clothes are all there, and my jewelry is still there. But why would someone eat here?" Siva thought, becoming increasingly confused.

She immediately entered the bathroom after hearing the sound of the faucet, which seemed to be left open.

Seeing the condensation on the mirror, she could tell that someone had just taken a shower there. She also noticed strands of hair falling out of the drain cover, raising her suspicions that someone had snuck into Isabella’s apartment. She felt the slightly warm bed, further strengthening her suspicions.

"The mirror’s still fogged up, the bed’s still warm... someone just slept and showered here!" Siva muttered, her heart pounding.

"There’s an intruder in the boss’s room!" he thought in his heart.