I The Jury Book 소설 & 이야기

"Yes, Your Honor. We have." The judge took the paper. She read it, her face didn't change. "On the count of first-degree murder, the jury finds the defendant..." The courtroom went silent. Everyone leaned forward. Judge Briggs looked at the jury. She held the paper in her hands. The silence stretched. Lennon felt his heart pound in his chest. He reached for Damien's hand under the table. Damien's fingers were cold. The judge looked at the paper again. "The jury is deadlocked. They cannot reach a unanimous verdict on the count of first-degree murder."

And when they return to the courtroom, the tension in the air rises. “Have you reached a verdict?” the judge asks. A representative from the jury stands up and says, “We have, your Honor.” “State your verdict.” Though I’m confident that the result will favor me, for some reason, my heart’s ease dwindles. It suddenly thuds. I hold mama’s hand tightly as I wait with bated breath on what the jury’s representative is gonna say. “We the jury, in the case of The Golden Crest Pack versus Primo Javier, found the defendant guilty of the charge of corruption. And he’ll be sentenced to death.”

, the jury filed in. My heart stopped. Literally stopped—I felt it freeze in my chest, then race to catch up. Twelve faces. Impossible to read. They didn't look at Scott. Didn't look at me. Just took their places and stared straight ahead. The judge spoke. "Has the jury reached a verdict?" The foreman—a middle-aged woman with gray hair and steady eyes—stood. "We have, Your Honor." "Please read." She unfolded a piece of paper. The room held its breath.

Wasn't the victim who'd spent weeks hiding and crying and falling apart. She was someone new. Someone forged in fire. "I look like I could destroy him," I said. "You will destroy him. This just helps you remember that." Liam stood behind me, hands on my shoulders. "The other outfits are for the rest of the trial. Different looks for different days. But this one? This is for opening statements. For walking in there and making sure everyone knows you're not to be underestimated." My phone buzzed. Text from Marcus. Jury selection finished. Twelve jurors, four alternates. Seven women, five men. Three have been through divorces themselves. I like our odds.

I square my shoulders and I look at the jury. ## "Ladies and gentlemen," I say, "I am not a criminal." The jurors stare at me. Twelve strangers with their own lives, their own problems, their own judgments waiting behind their eyes. Some of them look curious. Some look bored. Some look like they have already decided that I am guilty. "I am a husband. A father. A man who loved his wife more than anything in this world. And I lost her and it was not because I did anything wrong but because another man stole her from me."

Even though I wanted to break down. “Everything is going to be okay.” Waylon held onto my thigh. Throughout this whole thing, he would whisper encouraging words to me. The jury finally came up with a verdict. My leg shook as I stared at the man announcing what they decided. “Madam Foreperson, has the jury reached a verdict?” The judge asked as he leaned back in his chair. He looked just as tired as I did. “Yes.” Her voice rang throughout the room. My heart was pounding in my chest.

Her eyes flickered briefly toward me, a flicker of panic she quickly masked. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” I began, my voice calm, steady, but full of controlled fire. “Today, you will hear about a woman who let obsession and jealousy cloud every part of her judgment. A woman who orchestrated the kidnapping of a child. Who endangered a mother, a young boy, and countless others, all in pursuit of a selfish, destructive desire.”

"Vincent I know that you know what is our family background right and how important our job as a jury and to think that our family is the first jury" Tsk... Of course, I know and that's the reason why I'm like this I know how to fight and defend myself because since I was a child my father and grandfather trained me, although at first, I thought it's only for protection. After all, we are so rich, it happens that there's a much bigger reason and that was our family is part of the big organization that we are one of the juries and it means, we need to capture all the bad people all over the world in secret.

“For my half brother.” There was noise from the audience again, and it sounded like some of them were swaying in Grey's favour once more, the doubt creeping back in. Before I could respond, the pudgy councilman shot to his feet. “Enough!” he shouted. “The jury has heard enough. It’s time they decide.” My heart skipped. I could see it now, the returned conflict in the jury’s eyes. The hesitation. I waited for the panic but it never came. My anxiety didn't spike.

Isabella sat between Damien and Christopher, her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles were white. Judge Chen took the bench. "Has the jury reached a verdict?" The jury foreman stood. "We have, Your Honor." "On the charge of securities fraud, how do you find?" "Guilty." Isabella's heart leaped. One down. Eleven charges to go. "On the charge of racketeering?" "Guilty." "On the charge of stalking?" "Guilty." Charge after charge. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. The jury had believed them. Had seen through Monroe's spin. Had understood that Victor's actions were criminal, not just aggressive business.