Chapter 173: Chapter 173

The male receptionist brought up his wrist to check his watch for the time.

’Almost 6 pm,’ he thought.

He had worked with his boss long enough to deduce what was about to happen. At least, he was pretty certain of it because a leopard never changed its spots!

He smirked, "Well, I better get off of work now since I have an early start tomorrow, and the prosecutor probably will have a late end today."

He packed his things into his small briefcase and was gone without looking back. However, he made sure to close the door firmly behind him as if the office was closed for the day.

Inside the office, Clara took a seat in front of the prosecutor, perching at the edge of her seat.

"Mrs Wendover? I believe?"

Clara nodded, her mind wandering, trying to figure out what to do once she had the audience.

"What may I do for you this evening?"

The man dropped what he was doing and gave Clara his full attention, making Clara feel like she was important enough to warrant his attention. However, she never noticed when the widows fogged up as she was too engrossed in her inner battles.

It took her almost a full five minutes before she mustered the courage to try to say what she wanted, and the prosecutor was not necessarily a patient man. He was used to people waiting on him and not the other way round.

The prosecutor felt his patience wane thin!

"Mrs Wendover, you have no appointment, and it’s already the end of my day. Stop wasting my time and tell me why you are here today!"

Clara flinched. She seemed to have forgotten that apart from her family, especially James, no one had time for her gimmicks. It was just too exasperating! However, she had been used to being ’babied’ for the better part of two decades, and that seemed to have been stuck in her head, and the few days that she had spent without her husband had taught her a lot.

She did not feel as special anymore; people did not smile at her anymore and just brushed her aside. Those few days had taught Clara a lot, even in her adult life.

"If you have nothing to say, then please leave!"

"I’m sorry, sir! P- please save my husband!" She finally said the words that had been weighing her mouth this whole time.

He was flabbergasted. ’This is what she wanted to ask?’

"Please, save my husband. He really is innocent and-"

"Wait a moment, Mrs Wendover.... What are you asking me to do?"

Clara was almost in a fit of tears. Her face contorted in a pronounced frown and worry. She squeezed some miserable tears out of her eyes and tried to hold the man’s gaze.

This was one of her tricks that always worked on James and other men. It was also what Clara believed may have gotten her the audience with the prosecutor, even though she did not use tears, the method was similar. So far, it had never failed her... at least, not yet.

The prosecutor, a man in his prime and the best in the field, sat there perplexed and amazed. He had spent a lot of time in his chosen profession and had seen all sorts of things, but this was the first time he had seen a scene like that.

He briefly wondered if the woman was just plain stupid or if she was on the same drugs that her husband had consumed. Anyone could see that James Wendover was almost on a road of no return.... Why? He had foolishly thought that he was powerful enough to attack the one person that no one dared to.

He even felt that the trial was being done at a snail’s pace because, from the rumours about Ian that had been circulating, this was not how things would have unfolded if Ian had really pursued the case himself.

"Mrs Wendover, you know that I am the prosecutor in charge of the case, right?"

Clara nodded, wetting her lips, and waiting patiently.

"Shouldn’t you be going to your defence lawyer for such a request?"

The prosecutor, Mr. Presque, asked as he scanned the papers in front of him and the Word document on his computer that outlined the man’s crimes as well as the evidence against him.

To him, this was a jackpot case! He was at the peak of his career, but what was also peculiar for him was that his whole office had tried to bring down drug syndicates for years without any breakthrough till then. James Wendover’s case was one of the two big giants that had dominated their landscapes for decades.

In fact, he was supposed to be working with a junior colleague but had hoarded the whole process to himself. Why?

That was because all the work was done, and he just needed to present it in court. In James’s trial, the defence had very little wiggle room. To put it simply, it had been served on a silver platter for the prosecution. This was just the kind of case that Presque liked. It came with fame and fortune, so who wouldn’t like it?

On the drug front, the legal forces in T-Vino Island knew that there were two drug bosses but they had no faces to these two. As luck would have it, they arrested the first one even before they unearthed his identity and this woman had what request?

Clara continued, not knowing of these things.

"I know you are the prosecutor, and you have a say in how the case would go..."

"You mean that you want me to lose a case deliberately at the peak of my career?"

"Hahahahaha.... Mrs Wendover. You are a funny woman. I doubt you really understand what that means. Is your husband the only important person to you? Do you never think of others’ wellbeing?"

Clara froze. She had indeed not thought that far because if she did, she would not have even made that request.

He continued, "I don’t think you have thought deeply through your request. If I win the case, your husband will be convicted. If I don’t, he will go free..."

Clara further frowned and twisted her hands nervously, for at that time, she truly understood her request but was unwilling to back down.

"Please leave, ma’am. I have other things to do before I leave for the day."

Clara got up hastily and went on her knees, surprising the man.

"Please get up, Mrs Wendover."

She bit her lips as she realized the predicament that she was in. ’What can I do?’

The prosecutor sighed.

’I might as well take advantage of this. Besides, this is the peak of my career, so losing a case at the right price shouldn’t be too much."

’... but then what of Ian Thornston?’ He asked himself.

’If Ian was interested in it, this case would have been long over. Besides, he is just a winemaker and businessman; what does he know about the law?’ Presque continued his internal dialogue.

’Also, even in the worst case, with this level of evidence, we can always come back to it and trail him later. Either way, we can get him later than sooner. The end results will still be the same!’

That small thought just popped into his head, and then he asked.

"That will be too much of a sacrifice on my part -" He stroked his chin as if in deep thought.

Clara’s shoulders sagged initially as disappointment surged in her, but then she beamed in happiness at his next statement.

"-however, at the right price.... I may be able to make some concessions...."

He let his voice trail at the end and did not complete it.

"Name it! I’ll do anything for my James!"

"Well, that’s a good attitude. With the extent of James Wendover’s crimes, I think about 100 million will suffice."

"What!" Clara screamed out and then clamped her mouth shut with her hands. She was still on her knees by the side of the table.

"Why? Is that too much?" He snapped, getting annoyed.

’Where am I going to find such an amount of money? I—’ Clara was overwhelmed by the amount mentioned.

The prosecutor kissed his teeth and then got up. All this thought process and she has nothing to offer?

"Leave this office, woman!"

He had dropped all pretences from ma’am to Mrs Wendover. ’What did she think that I should do for her? She wants no sacrifices but wants to reap the benefits? What a crook!’

"Please! The amount is..."

"...just right for James given his crimes and his assets, so if you can’t, then get out! I can’t believe that I’ve wasted my time on such stupidity..."

Clara gasped, and her heart sank. ’What do I do?’

"If you reduce it just a bit more, I will try and get it to you as soon as possible..."

Presque paused. "I don’t think you can do that woman! On second thought, your husband’s assets have been frozen, so what can you ...." He stopped talking as if in deep concentration. After a while, he relaxed.

Clara’s hope surged yet again, eagerness, all around her.

"Don’t bother... there is something else you can do for me..."

"W-hat is it?" She asked eagerly.

"If you can pay with your body, then that would be an equivalent enough exchange."

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