~Maya’s POV~
The high court was situated on one of the busiest streets in M-City. It was smack dab in the heart of M-City. My family and I got out of the cars and strolled in, and we watched as Kelly and her family did the same thing. Her parents were successful in getting her released on bail. It is a mystery to me how that took place in the absence of a trial, yet this is where the fight took place. The family feud between the Archers and the Martins was what everyone was talking about. Kelly gave me the once over from head to toe, but after that, she began behaving as though she was extremely mentally disturbed. However, I am not easily duped. Because of this, I am currently one step ahead of them. We sat down and waited for the court to start. Today, the courtroom was noticeably busier than it typically was, most likely as a result of the presence of two of the most infamous families. I could hear murmurs and whispers filling the large hall as everyone tried to predict the outcome of today’s court. The media was all over the place. These individuals do not have a complete understanding of the situation. But the reason I am here is to tell you my tale. We all stood as the judge arrived and we were instructed to be seated. I am suddenly shaking, despite the fact that I have everything I need to end the Martins’ empire. Grandma took my hand in hers and gave me a friendly grin as she did so.
“We archers have never been defeated. We are going to prevail in this case and emerge from the courtroom victors. You watch and see.” I couldn’t help but grin as I gazed at her. I turned my attention to my father and my grandfather. The two are always seen crawling down on the floor with their grandchildren and smiling, but the stony expressions I’m seeing on their faces today are not something I’m used to seeing. Did Zion follow in their footsteps? They are all icy when they are in public, but when they are alone themselves, they are warm and inviting. What am I saying? People say I am cold too. As I turned my focus to Emma, I couldn’t help but grin at the amusing concept. She was equally icy. When Kelly was called to the stand, I gave her a quick glance. As expected, Kelly went and played mentally disturbed. She gave the impression that she was unable to recall anything at all. After that, her attorney had me come into the courtroom to testify.
“Lady Archer, you claim that my client raped your husband and drugged him to have her way. Do you have any evidence?” I responded in a collected manner as I looked at the attorney.
You didn’t incorporate all of my claims, which is disappointing. There is no need to be concerned; I will add all of them to you. I didn’t just allege that she raped and drugged my husband; I also said other things. She extorted my husband with threats of violence, kidnapped my daughter, and tortured my infant child for her own benefit. In addition to this, I am here to accuse your client of attempted murder. The entire courtroom lets out a sharp intake of breath. They were all taken aback, and the lawyer was, needless to say, at a loss for words. “I’m sorry to add all that. I had the impression that your client had already disclosed all the relevant information to you. Didn’t she?” After taking a glance at the Martin family, the attorney approached the judge and asked for a recess of thirty minutes.
“We are going to come back. I would like to discuss something with my client.” Kelly’s lawyer requested.
“Denied! You should have done your homework, advocate. You may continue with your questioning.”
When the lawyer looked at me, I gave him a sardonic smile. Then he went on to say, “I have no further questions, your honor.” I smiled. Then, my attorney appeared before the judge.
“Lady Archer, can you tell us more about your claims?”
“My sister and I haven’t seen each other in a while, so we went to a restaurant. She left immediately after her boyfriend arrived. Because the restroom was only a minute away, I left my children in the care of one of the waitresses. However, while I was in the restroom, Kelly went up to the waitress, pretended to be my sister, and stole my daughter. Then she started calling us, demanding that my husband sleeps with her in exchange for my daughter’s survival. She tortured a 2-week-old child for her own gain. When my husband finally gave in because he couldn’t watch her torture our girl, she drugged him and raped him, and from that day till this day, my husband is still unconscious in the hospital as they gave him an unidentified drug with no cure. ”
The judge shook his head as he regarded the Martin family and gazed at them. After that, the counsel for Archer called Kelly to the witness stand. Following the advocate’s brief glance in Kelly’s direction,
“You say that you have some sort of mental disorder?” The response from Kelly came really quickly.
“Yes!”
“Who gave you the diagnosis? Have you ever been admitted to a mental health facility or psychiatric hospital? Because from what I have gathered, you have been posting pictures on Instagram. When did you go to the hospital to stay with fellow mentally disturbed people?” I watched as Kelly’s face turned pale.
Didn’t she want to play mentally ill? Let her answer.
“I have someone managing my social media accounts.”
“Right when you were supposed to be at the hospital, you were busy drinking and having fun.”
“Those images were taken a long time ago.” As the advocate looked at the judge, I kept my eyes on them.
“Your honor, jails are full of mentally disturbed individuals like Ms. Kelly Martins.” After hearing that statement, Kelly completely lost it.
“No, never. I can not go to jail. Zion is mine. I met him initially. I was supposed to be his wife, not her!”
“Your honor, Ms. Martin was said not to remember what happened in the past. But here she is, yelling and ranting about things that happened in the past. How is it possible for a mentally ill individual who has no memory of the past to remember all of that information? I’m sorry, your honor, but I don’t have any more questions. After that, the advocate made a plea to bring Jacob before the judge. The man had no hope left in him as Kelly went and ruined all his efforts.
“Mr. Martins, you assisted your daughter in keeping a low profile at the time that she was responsible for the kidnapping of a child. You went to such lengths as to assist her in acquiring the medication that ultimately put Lord Archer into a coma. Do you intend to contradict me on that?” The advocate questioned him, and he ended up with a secret phone from one of the Archer bodyguards and a video of the man confessing. I watched as Jacob gulped hard and admitted,” After that, the advocate gave him a document to look over.
“It’s been three months since you signed these papers, transferring Martin’s cooperation to the Archer group. You also signed wholeheartedly claiming that your daughter wasn’t mentally ill, and you did this when you signed those papers. But then now the question is why would you state that she was perfectly well on the document and later claim she was mentally ill?” I sat back and watched as Jacob started checking the document like a madman, and once he realized what he had signed that day, the man fainted. Then the advocate continued, “I have no further questions, your honor.”
As I sat back and observed the drama, I couldn’t help but feel amazed. Immediately, Kelly failed to recall that she had a mental illness. She started ranting like a dog.
“We are poor, no way. Are you trying to say that my family has nothing? How am I going to do my nails and get massages if we have no money?” I smiled. She had just revealed herself to everyone. Then the judge cleared his throat.
“Ms. Martins, I hereby find you guilty of all the allegations that have been brought against you! Because of this, you have been given a sentence of life in jail. After that, he cleared his throat and said, “Mr. Martins, I hereby find you guilty and sentence you to 10 years in prison for helping your daughter, having a hand in the purchase of illegal substances that sent Lord Archer into a coma, and lying in the court of law about your daughter’s illness.”
The court ended and, of course; I don’t plan on taking the Martins. The wife has so far been a good person, so I transferred the company to her. She wasn’t bitter or anything as she kept on warning the two of them. Since I no longer have to deal with Kelly, my life has been much less stressful. But as we were about to head out of the hall of Justice, I heard a gunshot. I fell to the ground after the person missed, only to look up and see Kelly aiming a gun at me. But then another gunshot went Kelly’s way and hit her leg, and she fell to the floor. After turning around, I looked for the individual who had discharged the rifle. When I looked at the person who fired the gun, everything went blank.