The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot
Chapter 217: I Will Take You Down

Chapter 217: I Will Take You Down

[A week later]

Evelyn opened the window and looked out of the car. It was finally the day to face Sophia, and she tried to calm her nerves. It had taken the officers and Damien’s men a few days to catch Sophia and bring her back. Then, it took a few more days for the cops to follow all the interrogation processes before producing her in court.

"The boys are already there. Don’t worry," Avery said, holding her hand and trying to calm her down.

Evelyn nodded with a small smile. Ronan had also flown in last night, and with Lucius, they were confident they would win easily. He was the top criminal lawyer and had collected all the evidence. Still, she had this nagging fear that something might go wrong again, keeping her on edge.

After a fifteen-minute ride, they entered the court where the media was already frenzy at the gates. For the last two months, they had gone crazy about Sophia, digging into her past, present, and everything. She had also become an internet sensation, nicknamed the "Modern Medusa."

After checking their IDs, the guards let the car through, and the driver drove them toward the parking lot. They were surrounded by bouncers who escorted them to the courtroom.

Inside the courtroom, Ronan, Damien, and Zevian were discussing with Lucius, who stood in front of them in his attorney attire.

But Evelyn’s eyes fell on Elias sitting with his mom in the front seat. A frown tugged at her lips, and she questioned, "Why is he here?"

"No idea," Avery shrugged. Evelyn had strictly told them not to involve him in anything, but it seemed like Elias wished to go through this torture.

They walked over and stood beside them. "Why did you bring him?" Evelyn asked her mother.

"He insisted on being a witness," Lucius was the one to answer.

Elias got up and faced Evelyn. Holding her hand, he assured her, "I will be fine. Don’t worry." When his sister didn’t look convinced, he smiled, "And you are here anyway. I am sure nothing’s gonna happen to me."

Evelyn sighed in response. He helped her sit, then sat beside her, not leaving her hand. Gracia, next to Evelyn, patted her back, assuring her that he would be alright.

Zevian settled beside Elias while Ronan, Damien, and Avery sat in the next row. Avery passed Evelyn the bottle. "Here, drink this." She opened the cap and passed the water. In the last week, Avery had never left Evelyn alone and had almost become her maid.

Evelyn took a sip and passed it back. Avery placed the bottle back. Damien looked at her and questioned, "Did you seriously bring popcorn?"

His men standing outside had briefed him about the scene earlier where Avery fought with the guards to let her at least carry one packet. It had broken everyone into fits of laughter.

"Of course," Avery replied seriously. Crossing her arms, she huffed, "I understand we are not allowed to carry weapons, but how can you not allow popcorn in a courtroom? All the drama happens here."

Damien shook his head, and Zevian turned around to look at his cousin, questioning if she had seriously fought over popcorn.

"Did she really bring them?" Elias asked, and Evelyn nodded with a smile.

"She brought two packets and fought with them to at least allow one," Evelyn added, making Gracia and Elias break into chuckles.

Avery sulked, recalling the scene, but later smiled, happy that it was able to distract her friend.

---

The court procedure started after a while. The judge walked in first, and the call of order was made. Everyone stood as the judge took his seat. The initial proceedings began, and then the court was asked to bring in the defendant.

Two female officers brought in Sophia. Everyone looked at her, many barely recognizing her. She had lost weight, and her long dark hair was cut short and dyed blonde. She was wearing the standard prisoner’s outfit.

Gracia couldn’t help but recall her time in the asylum. Sophia had made her look worse than her, with a bob cut and bruised beauty that she must have envied so much. Their eyes met for a brief second before Sophia looked at Elias.

Her face lightened up, a warm smile gracing her lips. "Eli!" She tried to rush toward him, but the officers held her and moved her to the defendant’s box.

"The court may begin," the judge announced, and Lucius stood up. He started submitting the evidence and paperwork, describing in legal terms what Sophia had done. He detailed how she played with many innocent lives, including Mariam and her daughter, who used to work for the Wright family, and how she had kidnapped Gracia, tortured her for years, and tried to destroy her mental health.

He took a pause and then continued, "She also hired Annabelle to get rid of Evelyn Wright but ended up killing her when she threatened to expose her."

"No, Your Honor!" Sophia spoke up. Her confidence still hadn’t seemed to falter, and she wanted to give it one last shot. "This guy belongs to a mafia family, and that man over there," she pointed at Ronan, "He is a mobster too. They all have teamed up with Evelyn to use me as a scapegoat to cover their crimes."

Avery scoffed at her words. Even with all the months of cleaning floors on ships, this woman still hadn’t learned her lesson.

Sophia started to cry out loud, "I am innocent. Please spare me."

"We have a witness, Your Honor," Lucius cut off Sophia’s performance. "I request to bring the witness to the stand."

With the judge’s permission, Lucius turned around and looked at the seating area. Sophia wondered if it was Evelyn or someone else in the backseat. When Elias got up, her eyes widened in horror.

No... Her son wouldn’t stand up against her. By now, he should have understood that she did everything for him and would help her out of this mess.

As Elias got into the witness stand, her hopes were crushed.

Lucius approached Elias and started questioning him, "What is your relationship with the defendant?"

Elias took a moment to answer, and Evelyn sighed in frustration. Yes, it was a procedure they should follow, but she just couldn’t see her brother going through it.

"She gave birth to me," Elias answered, his words surprising even the judge.

Sophia stared at Elias, who was trying his best to avoid looking at her. It felt as though he was disgusted to call her his mother, and that was enough for her will to fight shutter.

"Were you with her during Annabelle’s accident?" Lucius threw another question. When Elias nodded, he continued, "Could you briefly explain what happened that night?"

"They had gotten into an argument, and Annabelle was talking about exposing her." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I tried to stop it, but things heated up, and Annabelle slipped off the stairs."

"And then?"

"She made me believe that I was the one who pushed Annabelle. Later, with a maid’s help, she tried to cover it up and blamed Evelyn for it."

"And we have collected the evidence for it, Your Honor." Lucius submitted another chip to the court clerk. "The cops have dissected the area, and it was confirmed that Sophia, who was standing to Annabelle’s right, was the one who pushed her."

"NO!" Sophia panicked. She never expected anyone to crack it up. Looking at Elias, she continued, "I did not push her, Eli. It was an accident. You are not responsible for it either."

Elias finally looked at Sophia, his eyes filled with hatred. "Would that lie help you? Please admit it for God’s sake. You have murdered people like they were rats and even used me to cover it up."

Sophia’s heart shattered again at his words. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for Elias to hate her. "I did all of it for you. For you to have a better life. How could you still blame me for it?" she expressed, almost confessing her crimes.

"Stop using that excuse, please," Elias shouted. "Your greed made you do all of it."

Lucius stepped in, putting an end to their conversation. "That’s all, Your Honor." Elias was escorted back while Lucius took a seat.

Evelyn held Elias’s hand as he sat beside her. Elias sighed and closed his eyes, hoping to get out of there soon. It was suffocating to be in the same room as his mother.

After looking through the evidence and paperwork, the judge was ready to pass the verdict. "For all her crimes, Sophia is sentenced to life imprisonment," he declared. Looking at Sophia in the eyes, he added, "She will be serving in the Valencia Asylum for the next 15 years."

Sophia’s eyes widened in shock. She realized that everything had already been set. Evelyn seemed to have even hired the judge. She turned around to find Ronan the most pleased among all. Being there was the right punishment for her, where she would be suffocated and feel like dying every single day from the torture people would give her.

Everyone got up as the judge left, and some reporters quickly typed the breaking news on their laptops. Zevian and Damien walked over to Lucius to discuss any procedures while Gracia and Avery exchanged a hug in victory.

"Let’s go," Evelyn murmured, getting up from her seat. Elias nodded and held her extended hand. They walked toward the side door with Gracia and Avery following behind.

Sophia looked at them, her eyes burning with tears. She glared at Evelyn, infuriated at the way Elias followed her. It was all her fault! She had turned everyone against her. Maverick, her inner circle, and now even her son. As the officer tried to move her away, her eyes suddenly landed on the holster. In one swift motion, she reached out, her fingers deftly unfastening the retention strap. Like a professional with precise precision, she took out the gun and pointed it in Evelyn’s direction.

"Evelyn! You wench!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "I will take you down with me today!"

Everyone gasped in shock. Before the officer could snatch away the gun and Zevian could reach his wife, Sophia fired in Evelyn’s direction. The gunshots filled the room, followed by panicked screams.

Sophia didn’t stop at one but kept firing until she noticed someone else swiftly moving and covering Evelyn. The gun fell from her hands followed by Evelyn’s shriek.

"Elias!"

The three bullets hit Elias one by one, he groaned in pain before collapsing on the ground. Evelyn dropped to her knees beside him, tears streaming down her eyes. With her shaky hands, she scooped him over, her eyes looking at the blood dampening his shirt.

Elias looked up at her, his eyes red and glistening with tears, she cried, "Why did you do that?"

"Eli!" Sophia rushed toward her son, followed by the officers and a few more guards. Zevian and Ronan also rushed over, while Lucius quickly called his team who were not allowed inside to hurry over.

Sophia tried to reach for Elias, but he jerked her away. "Do... don’t touch me." And those were his last words before he collapsed in Evelyn’s arms.

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