Chapter 189: When the Gavel Falls
At the trial's end, the Xander family was stunned by the undeniable evidence. They were forced to accept it. They couldn't understand Denise's betrayal; her meddling had severely damaged their relationship with Sierra.
People tend to shift blame, and the Xanders were no exception. They blamed Denise entirely, and Eleanor, overcome with rage, slapped her across the face.
“It’s all your fault! I was blind to have ever doted on you like a precious child, you ungrateful wretch!”
Denise was shocked. She couldn't believe Eleanor, who had always pampered her, had struck her. Looking at Evan and Sean, she saw only disgust in their eyes.
After a moment of shock, Denise laughed bitterly and spat, “Blaming me now? You’re the fools. You didn't care for your own, preferring me, a stranger by blood! Who's to blame for that? Your own bias, your own stupidity, and yet you blame it all…”
“I’ll kill you?” Eleanor was furious, ready to lunge again, but the guards held her back. Unable to reach Denise, she cursed incessantly, causing a commotion.
Sierra watched from a distance, suddenly feeling the scene was meaningless. Jonathan glanced at her, took her hand, and led her out of the courthouse.
Once outside, Sierra exhaled. “I always thought I wanted to see this, but now that it’s actually happening, it feels pointless.”
“That’s because they really are just strangers to you now,” Jonathan replied.
Sierra thought for a moment and nodded, “Yes.” Only those close to you can stir your emotions, and she had long since ceased to feel anything for the Xanders. Whether angry or sad, she felt nothing anymore. After this, she was done with the Xander family. She wouldn't concern herself with their fate in jail. If they managed well, good for them. She wasn’t cruel enough to wish them the hardship she had once suffered.
Jonathan thought Sierra was still too soft-hearted. If it were up to him, he’d ensure they paid tenfold. By now, Sierra knew Jonathan well enough to guess his thoughts by the darkening of his eyes.
“Don’t bother with excesses; it’s unnecessary. Even if they suffered as I did, what would it change? I no longer need their guilt, and it means nothing to me. Plus, dwelling on it would annoy me,” she said resignedly.
Jonathan couldn’t help but look at her admiringly. Sierra’s feelings were always clear, without any dithering. When she decided to let go, she did so completely, whether it was love or hate. This was something many couldn’t manage. Letting go of love might be easy, but hate was much harder. Yet she faced no such barriers, and he knew that if she ever fell out of love, letting go would be even easier for her. With this in mind, he tightened his grip on her hand, interlocking their fingers firmly. He wouldn’t give her a chance to let go of him.
Shortly after they left, Evan and Sean helped Eleanor out, looking utterly disheveled. People outside were throwing things at Eleanor; she was berated the harshest, people saying she would suffer karma for her treatment of her own daughter. Evan and Sean protected their mother amid the jostling and debris, finally making it to their car.
After a while, Evan said, “Mom, tomorrow I’ll check on Dad and Bradley.” Eleanor nodded repeatedly. “Think of something, don’t let them suffer.” As she spoke, Eleanor began to cry. Her son and husband had never suffered like this; it made her wonder what bad karma they had brought upon themselves. Evan and Sean didn’t comfort Eleanor; she had been crying often these days.
Just then, Evan’s phone rang. Whatever the person on the other end said, Evan’s face turned extremely grim. After hanging up, he looked at Sean and Eleanor and said, “The company can’t hold on any longer. We have to file for bankruptcy.”