Claim Me Captain! I'm Addicted to You!-Chapter 435: Verdict (1)

Georgia’s POV

A new week rises with the kind of heavy stillness that settles in your bones. Today isn’t just another Monday; it’s the day everything ends or finally begins. Raymond and Nancy’s sentencing. The final Chapter of a battle that has stretched all of us thin.

Oliver was on sick leave, so his senior associates and Benjamin’s lawyer handled the hearings last week when Colleen and Irene gave their testimonies. Everyone who attended said it was a sure win—clean, solid, airtight.

And yet... my nerves won’t listen to logic.

Raymond’s parents, Jefferson and Solana Davis of East West Corporation, sat through every hearing with cold, unreadable faces. Nancy’s parents, owners of a nationwide hotel empire, did the same. People with wealth, power, and influence so wide it could wrap around the country twice.

People who can bend the truth... or twist justice... if they want to.

The courtroom feels colder today.

Still, hushed, heavy, the kind of atmosphere where even the walls seem to be holding their breath. Benches packed, reporters crammed behind the designated line, cameras already rolling for the televised broadcast. The tension is so thick it presses against my chest.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Nick’s voice cuts through the spiral. His fingers find mine, warm and grounding, before he lifts my hand and presses a soft kiss to the top of my head.

"I’m just... nervous," I admit quietly.

"There’s no need to be." His thumb brushes my knuckles. "We’ll win this. They’ll get the sentence they deserve. Many years of incarceration or probably even life imprisonment."

I exhale slowly, leaning into him, wrapping my arm around his as if anchoring myself. "Alright," I murmur. "I’ll try not to stress. I don’t want the baby feeling it, too."

Nick smiles down at me, gentle but certain—like he already sees the justice we’re still praying for.

His hand stays wrapped firmly around mine as we wait. Everyone whispers in soft, shaky threads. Everyone knows today ends something huge... or breaks it.

A sudden metallic click echoes from the hallway.

"All rise," the bailiff announces as the doors open.

Every person in the courtroom stands.

Raymond Davis is escorted in first. His wrists are cuffed, the chain clinking loudly in the oppressive silence. He’s pale, thinner than I last saw him, dressed in the regulation tan uniform. His eyes stay glued to the floor, jaw clenched, shoulders bowed not from humility, but from the weight of finally having nowhere left to run.

Behind him, Nancy Baskin enters with two deputies, her hands also cuffed. Her once pristine posture is gone. She looks unkempt, anxious, but there’s still a flicker of arrogance in her eyes—like she still believes her parents’ influence will sweep everything away.

People shift, murmur, glare. The bailiff has to signal for silence.

Both defendants are positioned in front, facing the judge’s bench. They don’t turn around. They can’t. The courtroom rules require them to remain still as the judge enters.

"All rise," the bailiff repeats.

Judge Marlow steps in—stern, composed, and unreadable. The room obeys, standing like a single breath held upright. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"You may be seated."

Chairs creak softly as the courtroom settles again, tension tighter than ever.

The judge folds her hands. "We are here today for the sentencing of Raymond Davis and Nancy Baskin in the bench trial before this court. Court clerk, you may proceed."

The clerk stands, papers in hand. Her voice is steady—professional, practiced.

"Regarding the matter of The People of the State versus Raymond Davis..."

My heart slams against my ribs.

Nick squeezes my hand once, grounding me.

The clerk continues, listing each crime like a hammer striking steel.

"Accessory before and after the fact to murder."

"Perjury."

"Multiple counts of kidnapping with assault. Victim one: Georgia Lewis. Victims two and three: Georgia Lewis-Knight and minor child, Katie Lewis-Knight."

"Possession of illegal firearms."

"Grand theft, in conspiracy with Jay Gambino, involving the theft of funds from Pacific Manning Services."

"Knowingly aiding in the unlawful location of Frank Lam, resulting in his death."

Each charge is a blow. Each word pulls the air tighter.

Raymond’s shoulders stiffen with every sentence. His chin trembles.

"In consideration of all submitted evidence," the clerk reads, "including testimonies, affidavits, records, videos, and the court’s findings—"

A collective inhale ripples through the room. Even the cameras tilt in closer, operators bracing for headline-worthy footage.

The clerk’s voice doesn’t shake.

"The court hereby sentences Raymond Davis to death."

For a moment, no one breathes.

Then—

A piercing wail erupts from the left side of the gallery.

Solana Davis collapses forward, sobbing uncontrollably as her husband, Jefferson, catches her before she hits the floor. "No! No, not my son—please—please!" Her voice cracks, breaking the courtroom’s stunned silence.

Gasps explode like a wave. Mine included.

Death sentence. Not life imprisonment without parole. Not decades behind bars.

Death.

I cover my mouth, shaken. I wasn’t prepared, not for something that final. Something so irreversible.

Even Raymond doesn’t seem to grasp it at first. He turns slightly, barely, toward where his parents are, and then his knees buckle beneath him. The deputies catch him before he hits the ground, but his face is ghost-white, eyes unfocused.

Nick wraps an arm around me, holding me close. "Breathe, love," he murmurs, though I can feel the tension radiating off him too. "It’s justice. You survived him. David would be in so much relief. You and Katie are safer this way."

I nod weakly, tears pricking my eyes, not grief, but something sharp, overwhelming. Relief. Shock. Closure, I didn’t expect to feel so violently.

Benjamin’s reaction breaks through the chaos—a raw, joyful exhale as he covers his face, shoulders trembling with cathartic triumph.

Prudence holds his arm, crying tears she doesn’t bother to wipe. Liam lets out a tight, relieved sigh, leaning forward as if he’s finally allowed to breathe after months underwater.

Vicky presses her hand to my shoulder, whispering, "Thank God... thank God." Her eyes shine—not with cruelty, but with the justice my family has begged for since David’s death.

Ella is crying too, beside me, quiet tears streaking down her cheeks. She turns to me and mouths... For David. I feel my throat close.

Oliver sits among the legal team, shoulders squared, expression solemn but unmistakably proud. He was the lead. He fought tooth and nail to make this verdict possible. And it shows in the quiet lift of his chin, the determination in his gaze.

This verdict not only gave justice to my brother, David, to Katie and me, but also cleared Nick’s name, who was once tainted after Raymond and Nancy lied.

And now on national television, Captain Nicholas Knight is once again proven not guilty, not even by association, and was also one of the victims.

But the clerk isn’t done... There’s more to hear...

*****

Thank you for the Golden Tickets!

Edna_R2679

Megatron93