The Bigshot Married Himself to the Heiress-Chapter 493 - 494: Sentencing

"This is a courtroom. Can you both please stop talking about such nonsense?" Adrian Desmond interrupted. He was still there, yet they were badmouthing him right to his face.

"If you don’t want to listen, you can go to the smoking area for a cigarette," Alexandria said bluntly.

"So how did you end up agreeing to marry him later on?"

Sienna Johnson was about to explain when Brett Jacobs came in. He went to Adrian Desmond’s side, bent down, and said,

"Sixth Master, the trial is about to begin."

"Let’s go."

Adrian Desmond couldn’t wait for the trial to start. That way, Sienna Johnson wouldn’t have more time to badmouth him with the old man. Also, if Sabrina Johnson were sentenced sooner, they could move on to important matters instead of wasting all their time on a woman like her.

...

「Courtroom.」

This hearing had been interrupted twice, and this was the third session. This time, it proceeded without many complications; Sabrina Johnson must have exhausted all her tricks.

The evidence in Sabrina Johnson’s murder case was sufficient and irrefutable. Furthermore, the psychiatric report claiming she had a mental illness had been overturned. Consequently, she was sentenced swiftly.

The jury foreman rose and announced, "We, the jury, unanimously find the defendant, Sabrina Johnson, guilty of intentional homicide. The circumstances are egregious, and the societal impact is profoundly negative, thus meeting the conditions for a more severe punishment as stipulated by law. For these crimes, she is sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of political rights for life!"

The judge raised the gavel and announced, "This court hereby sentences the defendant, Sabrina Johnson, found guilty of intentional homicide, to life imprisonment and deprivation of political rights for life..."

"Court adjourned."

BANG!

The dust had settled. Only then did Sienna Johnson truly relax. She felt as if all her strength had been drained, and she sat there, the judge’s stern voice still echoing in her ears.

Pauline Briggs burst into tears, losing all composure. Sienna Johnson’s eyes also reddened, but no tears fell. She watched Sabrina Johnson, who looked as if her soul had left her body, clearly unable to accept the verdict. Her steps were unsteady, and she had to be supported out by the bailiffs.

If Sabrina Johnson hadn’t been pregnant, her sentence today would have been death!

However, more than the death penalty, Sienna Johnson preferred that she be sentenced to life imprisonment, to spend the rest of her life in jail reflecting on her mistakes.

After a long day of the trial, everyone was tired. The court officials and the audience gradually departed, but Sienna Johnson remained seated, motionless for a long time.

"Sabrina Johnson... is she really going to jail?" Sienna was afraid this was all a dream, that it wasn’t real.

"Yes."

"She’s finally going to jail..."

Her emotions were complex. It was like a goal she had strived for for many years had suddenly been achieved. But now that it was, she felt lost about the future—adrift, with a profound sense of unreality.

"What’s wrong?"

"I feel empty inside."

"Alright then, let’s discuss our return to Abyanabad," Adrian Desmond said, seizing the opportunity.

Sienna Johnson smiled. "Sixth Master, you’re truly impatient. Although Sabrina Johnson has been sentenced, Frederick Stewart hasn’t been caught yet, and my father still needs a proper burial... There are so many things... so many things..." she said, her voice trailing off softly.

"Let’s go! President Johnson, hurry back, sort everything out, and then come to Abyanabad with me. We still haven’t had our honeymoon... There are so many things we haven’t done yet..."

The courtroom was now empty, leaving only Adrian Desmond and Sienna Johnson, along with their bodyguard waiting at the door.

"Still not leaving?"

Sienna Johnson stared at the imposing judge’s bench and suddenly wailed, bursting into tears. This gave Adrian Desmond quite a scare. He fumbled to wipe her tears away, but the more he wiped, the more they flowed. "What’s wrong with you now? Why are you crying all of a sudden?"

"..."

"Don’t cry! What are you crying for?"

"Adrian Desmond, I’m... I’m crying because I’m happy..." She leaned in, wrapped her arms around his neck, and sobbed. She needed this release, these tears to vent the emotions suppressed for so many years. "Adrian, I’ve really avenged my father... I’ve truly, truly avenged my father..."

"Mm-hm."

"My father’s spirit in heaven can finally rest in peace. I finally lived up to his expectations..."

Adrian Desmond gently patted her back, coaxing her softly, "Silly girl. You cry when you’re unhappy, and you cry when you’re happy. Please stop crying. If Madam Johnson finds out, she’ll think I’m bullying you again."

"...But my father... he can’t come back to life..." she sobbed.

Adrian Desmond couldn’t fathom women’s logic. When he had avenged his own parents years ago, he hadn’t cried like this. Then again, he was a man, and men were supposed to shed blood, not tears.

...

Sienna Johnson cried in the courtroom for a full hour, her shoulders heaving with sobs, before she finally stopped.

Adrian Desmond’s hands were drenched with her tears. It felt as if her sorrow had brought a rainy season to his own heart.

After such a cathartic cry, Sienna Johnson’s spirits lifted considerably. Seeing that she had finally stopped, Adrian Desmond breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "No more tears?"

Sienna Johnson nodded, letting out a small sob.

"Mrs. Desmond, can we go home now?"

Sienna Johnson nodded again.

Adrian Desmond helped Sienna Johnson up, and the two of them held hands as they left the courtroom.

Night had fallen. On the high courthouse steps, Adrian Desmond carefully supported Sienna Johnson as they descended. Her steps were light, and her heart felt equally buoyant. In all these years, it had never felt so unburdened.

"Where’s Alexandria? Where did he go? Didn’t he ask me to take him for some good food? How come he’s disappeared?" Sienna Johnson asked, puzzled, when she came out and didn’t see him.

"He’s a very busy man; he doesn’t have time for roast duck. However, I bought him a pound of Hairy Eggs, a pound of preserved eggs, a pound of Stinky Tofu, a pound of hairy tofu, a pound of fried cicadas, and a pound of fried scorpions. I had them packed so he can eat them on the plane."

"Can he eat all that?"

"If he can’t finish it, he can always freeze it and eat it next time, can’t he?"

...

「On the private jet.」

Alexandria stared at the food before him, his face turning a shade of green. The smell... Ugh, he desperately wanted to throw up.

"What in the world is all this stuff?"

Walter Klein smiled and explained, "Mr. Alexandria, these are all local delicacies. Sixth Master knows you’re a connoisseur of fine food, so he specially tasked me with procuring these for you to enjoy on your journey."

"Why didn’t you get fresh ones? These look like they’ve spoiled... Good heavens, this egg is black! How long has it been left out?" Alexandria lowered his head and sniffed, recoiling from a stench reminiscent of rotting leather. He remembered drifting at sea for six months; even the leather shoes he’d worn throughout that ordeal hadn’t smelled this foul!

"And this... why is this tofu growing hair? Heavens, do you have any idea how many microorganisms are on that? I could catch malaria from this, you know!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Walter Klein’s expression remained unchanged. He stated calmly and respectfully, "Mr. Alexandria, please trust the ingenuity of the Orientan people. Sixth Master has eaten all of these foods himself, and they are perfectly safe."

"Young Adrian has eaten these too?"