Chapter 9
463words
Sophia Bennett was being sued for securities fraud. She had launched an investment firm and swindled clients out of twenty million dollars.
The victims had specifically requested me as lead counsel.
When I saw her name on the complaint, a slow smile spread across my face.
After ten years, karma had finally come calling.
I took the case—my first and only non-bullying case.
At the first hearing, Sophia's eyes widened when I walked into the courtroom.
She wore Armani with flawless makeup, but her face went chalk-white.
"...Evelyn Carter?"
"In the flesh." I took my seat at the plaintiff's table, meeting her gaze coolly. "Ms. Bennett. It's been a while."
Her perfectly glossed lips trembled.
"You... how are you..."
"Why me?" I smiled thinly. "Because my clients specifically requested the best. And that's me."
Throughout the trial, I methodically presented the evidence.
Sophia's forged financial statements. Offshore account transfers. Text messages promising impossible returns.
Her defense team scrambled, but they couldn't counter the mountain of evidence.
Midway through my closing argument, Sophia cracked.
"We were just kids!" she cried out suddenly. "We were just stupid kids! We didn't know any better!"
I paused, turning slowly to face her.
"Ms. Bennett," I said evenly. "You're referring to high school, aren't you?"
She froze like a deer in headlights.
"Today we're discussing your twenty-million-dollar fraud scheme." My voice was ice. "But since you brought it up—if bullying was 'just a joke,' why did your victims suffer real pain?"
"I—"
"Was it a joke when you destroyed my homework?"
"Was it a joke when you poured ice water on me in February?"
"Was it a joke when you violated my privacy and read my diary to the entire class?"
"Was it a joke when you forged a love letter in my handwriting?"
With each question, I took one step closer to her.
Sophia shrank back in her chair.
"Ten years ago, you destroyed my life for your entertainment." I stopped directly in front of her. "I'm not here for revenge. But the law isn't joking, Ms. Bennett. Actions have consequences."
The courtroom was dead silent.
The judge rapped his gavel.
"Defendant, control yourself or I'll hold you in contempt."
Sophia slumped in her chair, trembling visibly.
The verdict: guilty on all counts. Five years in federal prison.
As they led her away, she broke down sobbing.
"Evelyn, why are you doing this to me?" she wailed.
I calmly packed my briefcase, not bothering to look at her.
"Because ten years ago, you showed no mercy. Why should the law show you any now?"
Outside the courthouse, I slipped on my sunglasses against the bright afternoon sun. For the first time in ten years, I felt at peace.
