Chapter 286


    Time flies. In a blink of an eye, half a month had passed, and the trial for the case was about to


    start.


    Ines had never been to a court before. She thought she would have to sit at the intiff''s bench like


    in the TV shows, and she felt a bit nervous.


    Ethan found this amusing. "Don''t worry. You''re pregnant. How could I let you get stressed out? I''ve


    handed everything over to Mr. Lionel. He''s now your legal representative. You and I just need to sit


    in the audience like everyone else."


    Ines red at him, "You should have told me earlier so I wouldn''t have spent the whole morning


    worrying."


    "You''re now the chairwoman of apany and have attended many important events. How could


    you still be nervous?"


    "That''s different. The courtroom is a very solemn ce. I''ve often dreamed of being taken to court,


    and it scares me." Just like everyone else, she had a certain amount of reverence for such a serious


    ce.


    Ethan shook his head, leading Ines to the front row.


    Ines had been busy with the Galeana Group recently and hadn''t had a chance to formally discuss


    this matter with Ethan. She then whispered, "Ethan, won''t this cause trouble for you? There are too


    many defendants and a lot of media."


    The media can either raise you up or pull you down. Dealing with them required careful handling.


    "Don''t worry. I know where to draw the line. I won''t let things get too awkward. I just want to teach


    those irresponsible media a lesson. They shouldn''t let short-term profits cloud their judgment and


    report anything." Ethan said nonchntly.


    Ines nodded. Before she could say anything, someone on the stage knocked on the table, signalling


    everyone to be quiet. The trial officially began. Due to therge number of defendants, the court


    wasposed of a judge and jurors.


    Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    The audience was packed.


    On the court, it took a full hour for the judge to read and verify the information of 152 defendants.


    Ines was once again impressed by Ethan''s audacity. No wonder the news caused such a big stir in


    A City. It was truly a rare sight.


    The Meyer Group''swyer, Lionel, had an excellent reputation. Every time he spoke, he left the


    opposing party speechless. Ines was quite thrilled.


    "Ethan, where did you find such a powerfulwyer? He''s incredible," Ines couldn''t help but whisper


    to Ethan.


    Ethan leaned in her ear and chuckled, "Actually, my mom found him. When he was young, he was


    very fond of my mom. Even after she got married, he never gave up and pursued her."


    "Really?" Ines'' eyes lit up. She never imagined anyone keeping their admirer close. If it were her,


    she would certainly keep her distance.


    "You know how silver-tongued my mom can be. She may seem friendly on the surface, but she''s


    actually quite strategic."


    Ines had a deep understanding of this. Every time she and Ethan had a slight issue, Erica would


    persuade her with just a few words, like a sage.


    Ines felt that she still had a lot of room for improvement and needed to learn more about how to


    handle things from her.


    The morning session took three hours, and the afternoon session took another three. It took a total


    of six hours to conclude the sensational case.


    Given that the case was clear and Ethan had carefully collected evidence, virtually all the defendant


    companies were subjected to legal sanctions.


    After a brief recess, the judge announced the verdict. Winning the case was expected. The court


    ordered Sunny Day Magazine topensate Ines. Other defendants were also ordered to pay


    damages based on the severity of their cases. Those who had embellished their false reports were


    fined more, while those who had simply reposted were fined less. Major websites were also


    required to publish an apology to restore Ines'' reputation.


    Hearing the heftypensation amount, Ines was taken aback. She couldn''t help but whisper, "I''m


    really lucky. This is about half a year''s profit for the Galeana Group, and a lot of it is on credit, so the


    cash flow isn''ting in."


    But Ethan didn''t look pleased at all. He didn''t need the money. If he could, he wouldn''t want this to


    happen at all. He said indifferently, "Izzy, it''s what you deserve."


    Silvia Caldwell, sitting in a corner, clenched her fists. She truly was sick. Knowing the oue


    would be this, she still came to attend the trial, her gaze unintentionally lingering on them,


    seemingly enjoying the heartache.


    Their case was being tried, but their moods seemed unaffected.


    Ethan was always smiling, whispering something into Ines'' ear.


    Even though she couldn''t see Ines'' expression, she could imagine that she must be feeling great.


    A man doing so much for her was rare.


    Ethan, your heart changed too quickly.


    Silvia said to herself. She should havee back earlier, and expressed her feelings earlier. That


    way, Ines wouldn''t have had a chance.


    Aaron Swanson was also emotional. He didn''t know why, but he wanted toe and see, perhaps


    to find a reason to give up.


    In a short period of time, he knew that she had gone through immense pain. Her father had passed


    away, and the Galeana Group relied on her alone. But aside from sending her aforting text, he


    couldn''t do anything.


    But Ethan was different. He could always be by her side, even going as far as to make enemies with


    most of the media in A City for her.


    After some careful thought, if he were in Ethan''s position now, he wouldn''t be capable of doing such


    a thing, even if he wanted to. When the judge announced a recess, Aaron was the first to leave


    through the side door. To his surprise, he heard a familiar voice. Turning around, he saw a face


    under the setting sun that looked a lot like Le Caldwell. Although it was somewhat blurry, he knew


    clearly that it wasn''t Le because Le seldom smiled so happily.


    "Silvia? Howe you''re here?" Aaron was stunned for a second before he reacted. A warm smile


    appeared on his face.


    "Aaron, I knew today was Ines'' court day, so I thought I''d pop by," Silvia said with a chuckle.


    "When did you get back? Why didn''t you hit me up?"


    "I got back about two months ago, but I''ve been swamped with work, and couldn''t find the time."


    Aaron nodded, nced at his wristwatch, and said, "Do you have time now? If so, we could grab a


    bite somewhere. It''s about time for a meal." Silvia nodded, "Sounds good. I''m game if you are,


    Aaron."