the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart-Chapter 764: The Trial That Caught the Attention of Thousands Begins
The courtroom session on the second day caused a sensation throughout the Southern Isles, even drawing representatives from the Imperial City.
Delphine did not attend the hearing in person but sat in the small garden’s lounge area, watching the live broadcast.
Almost every prominent family had dispatched representatives to observe this trial, and the live site was strictly controlled.
Ignatius Leclair stood in the defendant’s dock. The man wore a custom-tailored black suit, his tall, lean figure towering like a lofty mountain. His features were as striking as they were cold and unyielding. As a man who rarely gave interviews, his sudden public appearance sparked a flurry of heated discussions. Those who couldn’t get into the courtroom stuck to the live stream, unable to reconcile the image of such a distinguished family scion with someone entangled in the accusation of murdering his stepmother.
Ignatius Leclair’s defense was handled by his personal think tank, led by lawyer Brock Gray. Representing Stone Leclair was the Imperial City’s renowned gold medal attorney, Salvador Lawrence.
It didn’t take long before Salvador Lawrence’s illustrious achievements were dug up—over 20 years of practice, handling countless cases without a single defeat.
In this absurd case of a father accusing his son, the former being a high-ranking official revered by Southern Isles’ common folk, and the latter a reserved, elite scion of the highest echelon, the general populace could only play the role of curious spectators. But for those from wealthy families, the layers of intrigue ran deeper. This wasn’t just a rupture or power play within the Leclair family; it was a contest for dominance in the nexus of the elite social circle.
For a long time, the Leclair Manor, represented by Ignatius, had maintained its position firmly at the top of the family hierarchy. If Ignatius were to fall from grace this time, who else in the Leclair Family could possibly step up to manage the chaotic aftermath? Even before the trial had concluded, many had already begun aligning themselves with the Yeager Family, looking to Jocelyn Yeager for leadership.
Among the three remaining top-tier families in the Southern Isles, the Squire Family was an outsider with roots in the Warlord’s Domain. Due to lingering feelings of exclusion among the locals, only the well-established Yeager Family remained as a serious contender.
In truth, regardless of the trial’s outcome, there would ultimately be only one victor: Jocelyn Yeager and the Yeager Family.
As one of the focal figures, Jocelyn naturally attended today’s hearing. Sitting in the front row near the lawyer teams, his scholarly, refined face carried a warm smile.
Following Beatrice Carter’s death, her husband, Stone Leclair, stood as the plaintiff’s representative. In contrast to Ignatius’s confident demeanor, Stone seemed weathered and haggard.
With just two years left before his planned retirement, facing his son’s push to destroy him left him with no options. If he didn’t fight back, he was doomed; to retaliate meant risking the ruin of his legacy. Though the evidence in his hands didn’t directly implicate Ignatius in murder, with a capable attorney, he could still push Ignatius into a corner.
At 45 years old, Salvador Lawrence had been in the field since the age of 20, handling countless cases of all sizes and complexities. The unprecedented attention on this case in the Southern Isles meant everything was on the line. A loss today would utterly destroy the reputation he had built over the past two decades, but a victory would crown him as the indisputable giant of the legal profession.
The trial entered its formal proceedings.
"May I ask the defendant, what was your relationship with the deceased, Beatrice Carter?" The 40-something lawyer began the questioning.
"Legally speaking, Beatrice Carter was my stepmother." The noble, detached man replied with indifference.
"May I ask the defendant, having resided in the United Kingdom since childhood, why did you return to the Southern Isles as an adult?"
"My mother’s passing necessitated my return to inherit the family business." His phoenix eyes dark and inscrutable, Ignatius replied serenely, preemptively addressing what the lawyer intended to pursue. "Beatrice Carter was Stone Leclair’s mistress. While still married to my mother, Stone fathered a child with Beatrice—Isaac Leclair, now 14 years old. Furthermore, there has never been any conflict of inheritance rights between Isaac and me."
