All Chapters of Trial by Memory: Scapegoat of the Collapse: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

News of the major construction accident at Winfeld spread like wildfire. The victims' family members and journalists from major media outlets gathered at the company's headquarters, demanding an explanation.But what I never expected was for the company to shift all the blame onto me, claiming the tragedy happened because I failed to relay the information in time.In the blink of an eye, I became public enemy number one. My personal details were exposed by raging members of the public.At that moment, I was sitting in the defendant's chair in handcuffs, quietly waiting to receive my sentence. Seated across from me were David Harper, a supervisor at City Bridgeroads, and Wallace Quinn, the person in charge of the major overpass construction project. Their presence here did not come as a surprise to me.What broke my heart the most was that the love of my life, my girlfriend Leia Holloway, was seated on the prosecution's side, accusing me alongside the others.Wallace was my senio

The trial was officially underway.The prosecution presented its first piece of evidence—a clip of security footage. The video clearly captured me walking into David's office with a black bag. After placing the bag on his desk, I turned around and left.David opened the black bag, revealing stacks of 100-dollar bills. There were ten stacks in total. In a self-righteous manner, he looked into the surveillance camera and said, "Those who have done wrong have to be punished."Don't go through life thinking that you can use these kinds of underhand tricks to escape justice, young man." The spectators were immediately thrown into an uproar."What the hell? Isn't that bribery? What else does Aaron have to say? Was he trying to use 100 thousand dollars to buy his superior's protection? In his dreams!""Earlier, Wallace had mentioned that Aaron comes from a poor family. Where did he get all that money from, then?""Maybe he was just pretending to be poor. Who knows whether he was invol

All of a sudden, Wallace pressed his hands to his chest. With a pained expression on his face, he cried out, "Hold on, Your Honor. I have a heart condition. I'd like to request a short recess."Everyone was clearly aware of his intent to buy time. Even so, on humanitarian grounds, the judge agreed to a short recess.Behind the court, David shoved a thick envelope of cash into the judge's hands. With an extremely sincere look on his face, he said, "Help us out, Your Honor. Just say that something went wrong with the memory extraction process, resulting in fake memories being played earlier. Please, I beg of you."Aaron is broke. He has nothing, but I'm different. After all this is done, I can give you half of my company's shares right away."I know you are a smart man, Your Honor. I believe you'll know what to do after this."The judge did not say a single word. He simply gave them an enigmatic look and set the black bag aside.Meanwhile, a hidden surveillance camera above them ha

One by one, David, Wallace, and Leia had their memories played back. The first memory was from before the accident. In a private room within a bustling club, David was joyfully smoking a cigarette, beaming smugly. On a couch nearby, Wallace and Leia were cuddled up together. They even began smooching one another as if they were the only ones in the room. "After this construction project is done, we will be able to rake in a fortune. Get the workers to push hard. It's fine if they cut corners. The most important thing is to get the job done fast. Once we pocket the cash, we run." "Got it, Mr. Harper. Still, the overpass will carry a massive amount of traffic once it is completed. What if an accident actually happens?" Wallace asked. Clearly, he was still somewhat concerned."There's nothing to be afraid of. Didn't you hire one of your juniors as the quality assurance inspector? If that happens, just push the blame on him."I've looked into him. He doesn't have much of a backin

An image slowly came up on the screen. It was a memory from our university days."Please spare me, I beg of you," a man pleaded, screaming in pain beneath Quentin. Yet, Quentin showed no intention of letting the person go. Each punch of his landed on the bloodied face of the man on the ground. "You are a bold one, aren't you. How dare you confess your love to my girlfriend! You deserve this beating, don't you think so?" Quentin questioned, his voice carrying a subtle hint of excitement."I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Quentin!" The person beneath him continued pleading, his voice growing softer as time passed.However, Quentin appeared as if he was still unsatisfied with the thrill of the moment. He got to his feet and began kicking the man in his chest. He didn't even notice me until I was right behind him. Even though he warned me not to say a single word about this incident, to his shock, word of this incident had gone viral on the campus network the ve