Husband With Benefits-Chapter 607: Revenge

"Am I?" Gabe’s voice was cold and cutting. "Or are you the one twisting the truth, driven by jealousy and a desire to ruin Miss Autumn’s life?"

Bianca’s eyes blazed with fury. "No, that’s not true!"

"Then explain this", Gabe demanded, "Explain why you went to such lengths to malign Autumn’s character and spreading rumors. You even tried to humiliate her at work and passed on information about her to unsavoury people. Wasn’t it because you couldn’t stand the thought of her being close to the man you love? Wasn’t it because you wanted to eliminate any perceived threat to your relationship?"

"I was only trying to protect..." Bianca crumbled. As her eyes met Gregory Savoy’s blazing angry ones, she knew that she’d lost badly. Gregory would not spare her... She tried hard to cover up," Even if I was lying about Pierce, I wasn’t lying about her character. She did try to seduce her step father.. She is an enchantress! Why don’t you look at yourself Gabriel Frost? How long did you know her before you married her! A man like you! She could trap you! What about the others? She..."

Gabe’s voice however, cut through her screaming, hitting with the finality of a nail," "Your Honor, it’s clear that Miss Bianca’s testimony is driven by personal animosity rather than any objective truth. I request that her statements be struck from the record as they are biased and unreliable."

"Your Honor, I must object. Mr. Frost is making baseless accusations against my witness based on the actions of others, trying to discredit her without substantial proof. Miss Bianca’s testimony is crucial to understanding the true character of Miss Autumn."

Gabe turned to face Bennett, his expression calm but steely. "Your Honor, Mr. Bennett can object all he wants, but the facts speak for themselves. Miss Bianca has admitted to personal bias and jealousy, which clearly taints her testimony."

Judge Holden looked between the two lawyers, her gaze stern. "Mr. Bennett, do you have any concrete evidence to counter Mr. Frost’s claims and support Miss Bianca’s accusations?"

Bennett hesitated, glancing at Bianca, whose face was now pale and stricken. "Your Honor, the testimonies of other community members corroborate Miss Bianca’s account. Their concerns about Miss Autumn’s behavior cannot be simply dismissed. Even if Miss bianca agreed to stand here and testify due to her own personal reasons, others in the community have long known about Autumn’s attempt to seduce Mr Savoy. When they first came to know, many believed this to be a misunderstanding and approached Mrs Savoy to clear up the matter. However, her silence told them everything..."

Gabe, however, gave a short laugh at that and interjected, "Your Honor, community gossip and hearsay do not equate to credible evidence, neither does someone’s silence. We need tangible proof, not rumors and biased opinions. No one knoes where the rumors appeared. Tell me, Mr Bennett, if this matter was between Mr Gregory Savoy, his wife and Autumn Savoy, then how did the others in the community learn of this? Do you have any witnesses who can stand here and claim that Autumn told them that she tried to seduce her stepfather?"

Bennett shifted uncomfortably. "Your Honor, while I concede that some of the testimonies are based on community perception, it is imperative that we consider the overall impression Miss Autumn has left on those around her."

Judge Holden, shook her head and looked down at the attorney sternly," Overall impressions’ are not sufficient grounds to condemn someone’s character or determine their suitability as a guardian. We need concrete, factual evidence. In this matter, I agree with Mr. Frost. Without substantial evidence to support Miss Bianca’s claims, her testimony must be viewed with skepticism. I will strike her statements from the record." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Bennett opened his mouth to object again, but Judge Holden raised her hand to silence him. "We will proceed without considering her statements."

Gabe returned to his seat then and looked at Autumn’s pale face. Unexpectedly, he’d barely settled back, when her hand caught his, squeezing tightly. It made him realize all over again, just how much she had to go through. Listening to the hurtful comments of the people around her and her own mother’s silence had taken an invisible toll on her.

Bennett, clearly flustered, scrambled to regain his composure. "Your Honor, the next witness we call is Mr. Pierce himself. He can provide further insight into the character of Miss Autumn and her actions."

"Mr. Pierce, could you please state your relationship with Miss Autumn for the court?"

Pierce cleared his throat, his eyes avoiding Autumn’s. "We were childhood friends."

"And could you describe your interactions with her during the time you were close?"

Pierce shifted uncomfortably. "We were very close, almost inseparable for many years. We shared a lot of memories and experiences. Growing up, I always thought I would marry Autumn."

"Then, why didn’t you? Why did you drift apart?"

"It was around Autumn’s eighteenth birthday, she stopped wanting to go out, preferring to stay home. I tried to ask her to be my girlfriend, but she rejected me and claimed that she liked older men. Yet, I thought that if I stayed by her side, she would know of my sincerety. But she started avoiding me, always using her stepfather as an excuse..."

"Her stepfather?"

"She said that he’d asked her to not get close to any other males. At first I thought it was a father’s concern so I decided to approach Mr Savoy himself and ask his permission ot date Autumn. But instead of being angry at me, he encouraged me to ask her out. That was when I started to doubt Autumn. Why was she using her stepfather as an excuse to not go out with me? When the man himself was so encouraging..."

Gabe laughed then and before anyone could say anything, questioned,"Mr Pierce, you started to get suspicious about Miss Autumn’s character because you claim that she lied to you using her stepfather as an excuse. Did you not for a moment think that she might not hav wanted to go out with you. I mean jumping from liking a girl to assuming that she has something for her stepfather are quite a jump...."