Chapter 474
Chapter 0474 Hannah
The prison van was already waiting outside by the time Marcus realized that he had been wholly, truly, trapped.
"Did you really think that no one here would record your evil villain speech, Dad?" Noah said, clapping his hand on his father's shoulder. "I thought you were smarter than that."
Marcus didn't respond. He just hung his head and grumbled something about wanting a lawyer, but it was no use. Emily, the illustrious journalist who had produced our documentary over the past year and a half, had just captured her final encore. Not even a man like Marcus could talk his way out of that one.
"This is going to make an amazing final episode," Emily mused as she watched the footage on her phone. "Thanks for these glasses. They really came in handy."
I offered her a smile. "Keep them. You never know when you'll need a hidden camera." At that, I glanced over at Zoe, who was as pale as death.
Taking a deep breath, I walked over to her. She didn't look at me right away, although her gaze finally slid to me when I cleared my throat.
"Noah promised to reduce my sentence if I came," was all she said.
I shot a look at Noah, who was busy with his father across the room. "That's a promise for him to decide whether to keep or not," I replied. "Personally, I wouldn't."
Zoe's eyes narrowed. "I told you what you wanted and came to your little party. Isn't it enough-"
"For me? It'll never be enough, Zoe. Not after what you did. Not just to me, but to the man I love." I swallowed the sharp lump in my throat. "Maybe Marcus coerced you into doing awful things, promised you the glory you always felt you deserved. But at the end of the day, you were an adult who made her own decisions."
She was silent, although I could practically feel the hatred radiating off of her. I nodded to her guard, who pulled her in the direction of the prison van, before I moved to Alvin.
"As for you," I said, eyeing my cousin up and down, "I could say much the same. The things you did...'
Alvin shook his head and looked away. "I didn't know it was that bad."
"But you knew the risks of what you were doing," I pressed. "You said yourself that you wouldn't have been surprised if I'd died of that eating disorder and taking all those pills. Nothing can remedy that."This content © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
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My cousin opened his mouth to say something else, but I was finished talking to him. His guard whisked him away, and I turned to Doctor Patel and Scott.
"Doctor Patel," I said, "your license to practice medicine has been formally revoked by the Alphas of Silvercrest. You have the right to a fair trial, if—"
"No." The doctor shook his head. "I accept whatever punishment you will give me. No trial needed."
I nodded. "Very well. You will be placed under house arrest for six months, after which you will be required to perform community service for an additional eighteen months."
I nodded to Viona, who handed the doctor a packet with his sentence. "There are volunteering positions open at the eating disorder center. You'll be assigned to the cleaning crew there."
With that, the doctor was taken away by his correctional officer, who would handle the rest.
Finally, I turned to Scott.
I had no words for him-for the man I once trusted. The man who Noah trusted for many years. The man who I had confided in, who I believed to be my only ally when I needed one the most, who lied to my face and I'd been stupid enough to fall for it. We just looked at each other. I stared into his red-rimmed eyes and pressed my lips into a thin line.
He sniffled and lowered his gaze.
By the time I returned to Noah's side, Marcus had already been loaded into the prison van. If he had any other plans for Zoe and Scott, who were both his responsibility, then he didn't tell me and I didn't have the heart to ask tonight.
We watched in silence as the van drove away, the tires crunching down the gravel driveway. Neither of us said a word until the van moved past the front gates and disappeared down the road.
Finally, I turned to the guests, who had gathered on the front lawn.
"Is this... Is this a real engagement party or not?" Amber blurted out first.
I snorted; leave it to Amber to ask about the party first and foremost.