THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 433: The Final Verdict

"I’d have loved to see her face when she is condemned, to probably life imprisonment. It would have been the best reward for all the trouble she had caused everyone. Maybe she might even give us an earth shattering display to last us for a lifetime."

Cheryl took a moment to consider Lauren’s words, her mouth pouted as she donned a thoughtful look. "That can be arranged if you want."

"Really? How do you... don’t tell me it’s what I’m thinking." Lauren asked suspiciously.

"You seem to have forgotten that apart from being a legal luminary, I also have the very special identity of being the wife of Jason Wyatt, the only son of Director Robin Wyatt of ’The one and only Wyatt Corporations," Cheryl reminded with a proud look that sent Lauren reeling in a bout of hearty laughter.

"Now that you mentioned it, I suddenly remembered," Lauren said when she was composed enough to speak, "So?"

"I’ll have it arranged then. I’ll make sure that the criminal is ceremoniously brought in just at the right time."

"Aren’t you a darling?"

"I know, right? Just get ready to treat me to an unforgettable dinner afterwards," Cheryl said and caught sight of Steffan with his family. I think we need to join the others."

"Yeah, let’s go meet them."

****************

At the end of the thirty minutes recess, the door of the courtroom opened and everyone filed inside.

Dolly’s seat remained empty and Mr Callaghan sat stiffly at the defense table with a pale face tight with frustration.

Across from him, Cheryl sat with a calm confidence that earned her further admiration from everyone.

The jury returned and of course, no one could tell the outcome of their deliberations from their expressions.

The judge entered last, taking his seat and as he settled into his seat, all eyes turned toward him.

The bailiff called the court to order, and the room went silent once again.

"Will the foreman of the jury please stand?" the judge said.

The foreman, a middle-aged man with graying hair and an unflinching expression, rose from his seat, holding the verdict slip in his hands. His eyes swept briefly over the courtroom before fixing on the judge.

"Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?" the judge asked.

"Yes, we have, Your Honor," the foreman responded in a steady voice and handed one of the two slips in his hand to the bailiff, who in turn passed it to the judge.

"Can Ms Benita Dawson step forward," the judge said.

Benita, who had been a silent observer for the remaining part of the case after giving her testimony took a deep breath and stood to her feet, but not before darting a frantic glance in her parent’s direction.

After getting an encouraging nod from them, she stepped forward.

The foreman of the jury cleared his throat and opened the other slip in his hand.

"We find, Benita Dawson, who had been earlier sentenced to twenty five years in prison for attempted murder, not guilty of attempted murder but guilty of reckless endangerment and unlawful possession of unregistered firearms."

After the jury’s words, Benita’s hanging heart relaxed a bit but not completely as the judge was yet to pronounce his judgment and she dared not open her eyes yet as she waited for the final words that will decide her fate.

"Thank you, jury," she heard the judge say. "Based on the jury’s verdict, I now pass my judgement."

He paused briefly and that brief pause of less than ten seconds seemed to last for eternity as Benita and her family waited anxiously.

"Ms Dawson, you are sentenced to probation, mandatory counseling, and community service for six months."

As soon as the judge’s words registered, Benita’s knees buckled, and she clasped her hands over her mouth, stifling a sob of sheer relief.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and her face crumpled into an expression of inter disbelief. She didn’t believe she was finally exonerated.

She glanced quickly toward her parents, who were already on their feet, hands raised in the air as they embraced each other.

Her mother was openly crying, her face buried in her husband’s shoulder as he held her tightly.

Her father, normally so composed, also had tears streaming down his own face as he repeatedly whispered,

"Thank God, thank God." He rushed forward and pulled Benita toward him, wrapping her in a fierce hug that nearly knocked the air from her lungs.

Their collective joy filled the courtroom with emotion, and the bailiffs hesitated before moving forward to quiet the family. It took nearly two minutes for them to contain the tearful moment.

Even as the judge waited patiently, a small smile touched his otherwise stern expression, understanding the gravity of what this verdict meant to them.

The murmurs from the courtroom began to quiet down, and the bailiffs gently signaled to Benita’s parents to take their seats. With a final squeeze from her father, Benita wiped away her tears and returned to her place, still trembling with emotion.

The judge nodded, signaling the transition to the next matter.

"The next case to be decided is that of Dr. Dolly Thompson," he announced, his voice returning to its previous authoritative tone.

The atmosphere in the courtroom shifted instantly and everyone sat up in their seat as if the first case was just a rehearsals. ’Here comes the real deal,’ they seemed to be saying.

He took a moment to review the slip before him, his face betraying no emotion as he scanned the words then cast a glance at Dolly’s empty seat.

"Dolly Thompson can now be brought into the courtroom to hear the final verdict," he announced.

A minute later, Dolly was escorted inside, sandwiched between two security officials and sent straight to the witness box.

The judge gestured to the foreman of the jury who adjusted his glasses on his nose and began reading aloud.

"On the charge of attempted murder of Ms Lauren Holmes, we find the defendant, Dr Dolly Thompson, guilty."

A ripple of tension moved through the courtroom, but it remained silent.

"On the charge of conspiracy to commit murder by manipulating Ms Benita Dawson, we find the defendant guilty."

"On the charge of possession of an unregistered firearm with the intention to cause harm, we find the defendant guilty."

The jury continued. "On the charge of unlawful drug administration to Dr Steffan Rosse, we find the defendant guilty."

"On the charge of kidnapping and unlawfully restricting Dr Steffan Rosse from his freedom of movements and association through deceit, we find the defendant guilty."

"On the charge of fraudulently impersonating Dr Steffan Rosse’s wife, we find the defendant guilty."

"And finally, on the charge of obstruction of justice, we find the defendant guilty."

Dolly stood rigid as the verdict was read, her knuckles white from gripping the edges of the witness box.

With every count of "guilty" that echoed in the courtroom, her expression shifted from disbelief to outrage. Her lips twitched, her eyes darted wildly around the room as if searching for some escape from the suffocating truth closing in on her.

The jury took a deep breath before he continued.

"Dr Dolly Thompson has been found guilty on all eight counts brought against her."

Afterward, the jury bowed and went back to his seat.

The judge’s gaze swept through the courtroom, his face grim as it settled on Dolly, then moved back to his notes for a moment before delivering his final judgment.