The entire courtroom fell silent as President Winchester walked toward the witness stand.Everyone sat up straight in their seats, eager to hear what the most powerful man in the country had to say. Reporters raised their cameras, while several people in the audience whispered among themselves.Having the president appear as a witness in a case involving the ownership of a wealthy family's assets was unusual enough. But what made the situation even more interesting was that he had once been a close friend of Derek Hilton, the man trying to recover those assets.After taking the oath, Winchester settled into his seat and adjusted his suit.The defense lawyer approached him with a respectful smile.“Your Excellency, thank you for agreeing to testify today. We understand that your schedule is very busy.”“It's my responsibility to help the court establish the truth,” Winchester replied calmly.The lawyer nodded.“Your Excellency, could you tell this honorable court how long you have know

Walters took a disk from the table and handed it to the court clerk.“Your Honor, this is the evidence I mentioned. I ask that it be played in open court.”Judge Steven examined the document before looking at Walters. “What exactly does it contain?”“CCTV footage recorded inside President Winchester’s office yesterday. It captures the conversation between the president and Joseph Whitmore, including the promises Joseph made to secure the president’s support in this case.”The courtroom erupted in whispers.President Winchester’s expression changed. Joseph, who had been sitting comfortably beside his lawyers, straightened in his seat. Neither man seemed prepared for what Walters had just revealed.The defense attorney was the first to react.“Objection, Your Honor!”Judge Steven looked at him. “On what grounds?”“Your Honor, this is an outrageous attempt to incriminate my client and the president of this country. How could the prosecution possibly obtain CCTV footage from inside the

The courtroom was in an uproar.Anderson's confession had completely changed the atmosphere. The man who had earlier testified against Derek Hilton had now admitted that Joseph Whitmore threatened him into giving false testimony.The defense attorney could no longer remain seated.“Your Honor, this is unacceptable!” he shouted, rising to his feet. “The prosecution has intimidated this witness into changing his testimony. Mr. Anderson already gave his statement under oath, and now Mr. Walters has pressured him into saying whatever suits their case.”Walters turned toward him. “Are you suggesting that I threatened him?”“You have been asking questions designed to frighten him with the possibility of going to prison! You are clearly trying to force him into making statements that are not true.”“Objection overruled,” Judge Steven said calmly. “The witness has answered the questions put to him. If you believe his answers are false, you may challenge them through proper questioning.”The d

Not long after President Winchester and the other influential figures left the courtroom, almost all of Joseph's supporters had disappeared.The people who had cheered for him earlier were nowhere to be seen. Those who had confidently declared that Derek Hilton would never recover his properties had abandoned their seats, unwilling to be associated with a man whose crimes had been exposed before the entire court.Joseph sat at the defense table, his face dark with anger.Everything had happened too quickly. Only a short while ago, he had been certain of his victory. He had believed that Judge Steven was firmly under his control and that the prosecution would never be able to overturn the situation.Now, his witnesses had been exposed as liars, the president had abandoned him, and Felicia had revealed the blackmail scheme he had carefully arranged.He looked toward his lawyer, hoping for some reassurance, but the man could barely meet his eyes.At the prosecution table, Walters rose to

As they approached the waiting car, Derek suddenly stopped and turned toward Jeff.“Jeff, I need you to contact the lawyers immediately. Tell them to begin the process of reclaiming every property that belongs to the Hilton family. I want a complete report showing the ownership status of our properties before tomorrow morning. I don't want any delays.”Jeff nodded firmly. “Understood, sir. I'll contact them right away and make sure they get started.”“Good. There is no reason to waste any more time.”With that, Jeff hurried away to carry out his instructions.Derek entered the car with Darren, and they set off. However, instead of returning to the mansion where they had been staying, Derek instructed the driver to take them to the Hilton family's original mansion.After months of being separated from the property that had once represented his family's wealth and success, Derek was finally returning as its rightful owner.Darren sat beside his grandfather, watching the scenery pass th