Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike

Chapter 596 - 567: Trial (3)

Sienna Thornton pursed her lips and nodded, remained silent for a few seconds, then smiled briefly and asked gently, "Before Carly (the victim) went out, she mentioned she was going to meet with the boss of the Forrester Group that evening. Did she refer to him as ’the boss of the Forresters’ instead of using the defendant’s name?"The witness nodded, "Yes."

Sienna Thornton: "That night, several senior executives from the Forrester Group were having a meeting at the hotel. How can you be sure that the ’boss of the Forresters’ Carly mentioned is the defendant and not one of the other executives?"

The witness was at a loss for words, staring blankly for a moment before saying, "Everyone in Los Angeles knows that the boss of the Forresters is him." While speaking, he pointed at Zane Forrester.

Sienna Thornton smiled and looked at the jury, "Are you all aware that the boss of the Forresters is the defendant?"

Most of the jury members shook their heads with a smile.

Sienna Thornton maintained her smile and continued questioning the witness, "You said Carly told you that after she got hurt, she was raped and assaulted. Did she tell you who did it?"

The witness nodded, "Yes. She said it was the person she met with that evening."

Sienna Thornton: "Did she explicitly tell you how many people she met with that night?"

The witness shook his head, "No."

Sienna Thornton: "Did she explicitly tell you the name of the person she met with that evening?"

The witness shook his head again, "No."

Sienna Thornton put away her smile, her voice turning from gentle to sharp and pointed, "So, you think Carly was hurt by the defendant simply because she mentioned before going out that she was going to meet the boss of the Forresters? And from this, you inferred that the person Carly met with in the evening was the defendant, and the person who harmed Carly was also the defendant?"

The witness was stunned and did not respond.

Prosecution: "Objection!"

The judge glanced at the prosecution, "Overruled." Then, turning to the witness, "Witness, please answer."

The witness hesitated for a moment, "...Yes."

The jury members shook their heads.

Sienna Thornton turned to look at Zane Forrester and nodded at him.

Then Sienna Thornton requested to call the second defense witness, namely the victim, Carly.

Carly took the witness stand.

She appeared young and beautiful, a typical American beauty with blonde hair and blue eyes, the kind of woman any man would be attracted to. However, she looked very frail, her face pale, and her gaze timid. She didn’t dare to look at Zane Forrester, nor did she exhibit the usual hatred and fear that victims show towards their aggressors; instead, there was a sense of guilt.

Sienna Thornton understood a bit more.

Prosecution conducted routine questioning: "Witness, please introduce yourself."

The victim lowered her eyes and said softly, "I am an intern at XX Company."

Prosecution: "How did you come to know the defendant?"

Victim: "That evening, I was dining at a buffet with colleagues, waiting for freshly brewed coffee when I encountered the defendant, who seemed very interested in me, asked where I worked, and said he wanted to arrange a position for me at the Forrester Group after my internship ended."

Prosecution: "Please continue."

Victim: "Later, we exchanged phone numbers. After dinner, I returned to my place, and the defendant called me, saying he wanted to discuss work matters and invited me to his room. Once I went in, he wanted to... I didn’t want to, but he forcibly took off my clothes, I resisted, then he started hitting me hard..."

The victim began to weep while speaking, crying very sadly. The prosecution took the opportunity to display the photos of the victim’s injuries from back then.

Sienna Thornton glanced at the jury. The female jury members were tearily red-eyed, while the male jury members shook their heads regretfully.

Prosecution: "Your Honor, I have no further questions."

Sienna Thornton took a deep breath silently, stood up, and walked to the witness stand.

She comforted the victim, "I’m so sorry, Carly, for making you recall such a sad event."

The victim shook her head, "It’s okay."

Sienna Thornton gently reassured, "I sympathize with what you’ve been through, and I don’t want to stir up your painful memories, but this is my job, and I must ask you a few more questions. Can you bear with me a bit longer?"

The victim wiped her tears with a tissue and nodded, "I am fine."

Sienna Thornton smiled, "On the night of the incident, which floor were you staying on?"

Victim: "I was on the 6th floor."

Sienna Thornton: "You said you went to the defendant’s room, did you have a key?"

Victim shook her head, "No, I knocked on the door to get in."

Sienna Thornton: "Did anyone see you enter the elevator?"

Victim didn’t even think about it, "No."

Sienna Thornton: "Are you sure?"

Victim nodded, "I’m sure. I didn’t want anyone to see me, so I waited until no one was around to get into the elevator."

Sienna Thornton repeated, "You didn’t want to be seen, so you waited until the elevator was empty to enter?"

Victim nodded, "Yes."

Sienna Thornton: "During the time in the elevator, did anyone else come in?"

Victim confidently, "No."

Sienna Thornton: "How did you get the elevator access card to the floor the defendant was on?"

Victim was taken aback, clearly not understanding what she meant.

Sienna Thornton repeated, her voice slightly louder, "How did you get the elevator access card to the floor the defendant was on?"

Victim looked puzzled, "There was no access card, I simply pressed the button for the 12th floor and went up."

Sienna Thornton: "Are you sure you just pressed the button for the 12th floor and did nothing else, and there was no one else in the elevator?"

Victim: "I’m sure." Her eyes still reflected timidity.

At this moment, Zane Forrester, sitting next to Sienna Thornton, suddenly smiled.

Sienna Thornton picked up the remote control on the table, and an electronic screen immediately played a hotel promotional video clip. The clip clearly showed that the hotel prioritized the privacy of its premium business residents, requiring a special access card to reach business suites on the 10th floor and above, with only one card per room and no additional cards issued.

Sienna Thornton explained to the judge and jury, "This means that on the night of the incident, if the victim wanted to reach the defendant’s room on the 12th floor from the 6th floor, she must have had this access card. Without it, she couldn’t have reached the defendant’s floor, let alone his room. And since each room is equipped with only one access card, with the defendant himself already inside, it’s impossible for his access card to have been handed to the victim. The victim’s testimony also confirmed that she performed no other operations, simply pressing the button for the 12th floor!"

The victim, sitting on the witness stand, was taken aback, "Maybe... maybe I went up to the 12th floor with someone else at that time!"

Sienna Thornton smiled, "Is that so? But I distinctly confirmed with you twice earlier whether there was anyone else when you entered the elevator or if you performed any other operations. You said no because you didn’t want anyone to see you, so you specifically waited until it was empty to go up. After getting in, you only pressed the button for the 12th floor, with no other actions. Are you now trying to change your testimony?"

The judge frowned at the witness, "Witness, please answer."

The victim was at a loss, then covered her face and burst into tears.

The courtroom erupted into an uproar, filled with discussions and chaos, and the judge banged the gavel, announcing a temporary recess.