All Chapters of The Judge's Verdict: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The law clerk looked up in surprise, as if he'd misheard me. "Reject it?""Yes." I flipped through the case file one more time before giving a slight nod.Around the office, several colleagues poked their heads over curiously."You really think she's the killer?""Scarlett Kane comes from a wealthy family. Her parents have a loving marriage, her grades have always ranked at the top of her class, and she's won more awards than anyone can count.""She and the victim, Madison Hale, were inseparable best friends. I honestly can't think of a single reason she'd want to kill her.""On the other hand, there's Nova Spears. Everyone at school calls her a bully. Her parents are divorced, and she was raised by her father alone. He failed to keep a close eye on her. Not only are her grades consistently at the bottom of the class, but she's constantly getting into fights with local delinquents and bullying other students.""And based on the evidence we have so far, Nova had a serious conflic

Back then, despite Grandma's objections, Grandpa insisted on bringing Alanna home and raising her as his adopted daughter.Grandma fought with him over it time and time again. The stress eventually made her seriously ill, and before long, she passed away.Even then, Grandpa never reflected on his choices. He remained convinced that a girl who had lost both parents was more deserving of sympathy than his own daughter, who had only lost her mother.Alanna received better clothes, better food, and a better life than his biological child ever did.Alanna attended expensive private schools, while my mother wasn't even allowed to finish high school. She was forced to drop out and support herself while she was still young.My mother resented Grandpa, so she never told him about meeting my father, marrying him, or having me.Despite everything, she still longed for her father's love.Then one day, Grandpa sent her a letter claiming he was gravely ill and wanted to see her one last time

I looked up, and my steps came to an abrupt halt.The man standing there was the person most responsible for my mother's death—my grandfather, Tanner Kane.Even if I died, I would never forget that face.Whenever I encountered obstacles, whenever I felt tempted to give up, I would pull up videos of his award ceremonies and watch them over and over again.I used them to remind myself of one thing: until these hypocrites were dragged down from their pedestal and brought before the law, I could never retreat.Ahead of me, reporters surrounded him, each wearing an almost reverent expression."Mr. Kane, we didn't expect you to appear in person today. What would you like to say about this case?"Tanner let out a sigh. "Since they were young, I've always taught the children in our family to be kind and charitable. When they see someone in need, they should lend a helping hand."My great-granddaughter only got involved because she followed those teachings and tried to help a friend who

"I already lured Nova here. How are you planning to punish her?"Then Scarlett's voice rang out. It was the same voice countless people had once praised as sweet and charming, but now, it carried a chilling edge of cruelty and amusement."I'm going to ask you to do me a huge favor and die. Once you're dead, she'll be the prime suspect."Evan Roth, the school heartthrob, belongs to me. She dared to sit and eat with him behind my back. This is the price she has to pay."The moment those words ended, the recording captured the sickening sound of a body hitting the ground, followed by a piercing scream.The entire courtroom exploded.The gallery erupted into chaos as gasps, curses, and angry shouts echoed through the room.Those who had been defending Scarlett only moments ago now looked horrified and disgusted.Rachel collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.At the defendant's table, Scarlett's face had gone deathly pale. Her entire body trembled violently."Florence" sho

"You think you're worthy of calling yourself Florence Kane? You're nothing but a thief who stole someone else's life. Am I right, Alanna Meyer?"The courtroom fell instantly silent. Everyone was stunned by the name."Florence" began trembling violently."That's a lie! You're slandering me! I don't know any Alanna Meyer!"I ignored her hysterical shouting. Instead, I slowly turned toward the man sitting beside her, whose face was filled with astonishment."As for you, Tanner Kane, the celebrated philanthropist?" I curled my lips into a mocking smile."Maybe other people see you as a great man. But you're the one who sent your own daughter to her death so your late childhood friend's orphaned child could escape punishment."The color drained from Tanner's face. He slammed his hand against the table and shot to his feet."Judge! Accusations require evidence! You're making baseless allegations! Keep this up, and I'll sue you for defamation!"I looked directly into his clouded eyes