Too Late for Regret novel Chapter 109

Off my Chest

Chapter 109

Sasha’s POV

“See what I mean?” I cried out. I then sobbed out. “I would be better off on my own than waiting for my attorney to finally provide a defense for me.”

“Mrs. Cook, you can’t just fire your attorney because you didn’t fully apprise him of the information he needed to properly defend you. That’s on you. You’re wasting the court’s time trying to drag this out. Your attorney has repeatedly attempted to defend your actions. The problem is that evidence is steadily piling up against you. There’s no need for delay of court. We still have several more witnesses to get through today. Including yourself and Joyce Cook, taking the stand. We need to move forward with the witnesses. Bailiff, please ask Adrian to get ready. I think it’s about time. Sasha Cook has no grounds to request a new attorney or defend herself,” the judge responded.

He’s angry and deliberately trying to cause me problems. I’m not going to let him off. “You’re probably being paid off by the Caldwell’s, aren’t you? Poor people can’t win against them. It’s just not fair, and it could happen to you, too. Just like it’s happening to me. Look at what is going on. How can I expect to receive real justice here with everyone against me? This whole trial has been a travesty.” I sobbed out as I looked back at the cameras. I needed to turn the tide here. Public outcry is the only way I can achieve it.

“How can you claim foul? You’ve lied from the very beginning. Even to your own defense attorney. You always want to play the victim, Sasha. But you’ve lied this entire time. The fact that you’re being proven guilty of your charges isn’t on Ana or the Caldwells. It’s on you, where the blame lies. You started this whole thing, and when you’re proven wrong, you start crying. Suddenly, it’s unfair. Just like the lies you told about Ana. How was that fair? You know you’re in trouble because of all the evidence against you. Now you think you can get out of this by trying to slander the judge? This isn’t a game, Sasha. Even if the trial were to start again, I would still come and testify against you. You knew you were lying every single time you confronted Ana. You repeatedly confronted her with a camera crew and even lied to them to get them there. Slandering an innocent woman, just to steal her designs. How can you sleep at night knowing what you’ve done? I don’t know what I ever saw in you. You’re a vile human being, Sasha,” Roger ranted.

“No, Your wrong. William isn’t defending us like he should. He was probably paid off by the Caldwell’s. They have more than enough money to do that. Of course, they would want to defend their daughter. I haven’t admitted to anything, and I haven’t been proven guilty. So what in the hell are you even talking about, Roger? Isn’t it suspicious that my attorney has

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suddenly just given up? He wouldn’t question Dixon, those liars in Paris, or you. So, how is standing up for myself wrong? You know as well as I do that the Caldwells run this city. It would be nothing for them to set me up. I don’t want to go to prison. I’m about to become a mother. It’s not right that I could go to prison over bullshit. I could end up losing my child over this. I already said I’d go back to Paris and never return. Isn’t that good enough for Ana? My name, my reputation, is now in tatters. How will I be able to survive on my own? Let alone provide for raising my child. My life is over, but all you see is Ana. Well, boo hoo. I never cared about that b***h anyway. She’s a f*****g Caldwell. How bad could her life possibly be?” I snapped back.

I no longer cared what the judge would do to me. I knew that by my allegations, I had effectively tied his hands. What could he do to stop me now? I could stop this whole process. Maybe even slip away before the new trial. I had researched how to stop this whole trial early this morning. I was also planning to badmouth the Caldwells until they decided to let me return to Paris. They wouldn’t be able to escape the online vitriol that was coming their way. It would cost them too much; they wouldn’t be able to stand against it. That is what should have been done in the first place. This trial never should have happened. Ana was supposed to just bow out and hand over those designs. Things should never have gone this far. If we had known who she was, none of this would have happened.

“Mrs. Cook, I already had a feeling you would do this. Someone willing to do what you did, that is, vilifying Ms. Caldwell in the media. Might end up taking a…different approach, to try to get away with your actions. To that end, this trial has already included a member of our local supreme court. She’s observed the entirety of the trial from the judge’s chambers. So she is already up to speed. I will recuse myself due to a conflict of interest and step down, as you requested. I will ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted. After the investigator is complete, I plan on suing you, Sasha Cook, for slander and defamation. Your last–ditch effort to escape punishment is both vile and disgusting. I can prove I haven’t acted improperly during this case, unlike you. You’ve acted with malice, knowing what you alleged was a complete fabrication. I want you to know that it will factor into my damages. You feel like you can say whatever you want, whenever you want, even knowing it’s a lie. However, let me assure you that you’ll still receive time awarded for your behavior up to this point. Your contempt and perjury charges won’t be going away, as you hoped, by doing this. They will simply be added at the end of the trial. You haven’t stopped anything with your bogus claims. Justice will still be served, along with my damages awarded for your false allegations,” the judge said.

He stepped down and crossed to the back door that he and the jury use to enter and exit. A woman already stood there. They spoke briefly, while she watched me the entire time. I couldn’t stop the shudder that went through me. I’d been watching the judge while he spoke. I thought that by saying what I’d said, it would apply even more pressure to Ana for being so unforgiving. Force her to act properly, and let this go. Let me go. I just painted her as being

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heartless and cruel. Yet she sits there with no shame or anxiety over what I said. Doesn’t she care about her reputation? Or her family’s reputation? What is she thinking?

“Your honor, I would like to call Ana Caldwell Billingsley to the stand,” her attorney requested.

“You’re dismissed, Mr. Cook. We’ve had enough foot–dragging from your ex–wife. I will not entertain disturbances. I assure you,” the judge stopped speaking to look right at me. “I won’t be as lenient as my predecessor.”

Ana walked up and was sworn in. I was wondering why they didn’t start with the CEO of Fashion Forward, but I wanted to try to pin Ana down. I was writing furiously in my notebook before sliding it over to William. I didn’t need to see her sworn in or take her seat. William looked at me and raised his eyebrow. Surely he isn’t going to cause a problem now. What the hell? He needs to see this out. I will apologize later. I was desperate to stop this trial.

“Please state your name and occupation for the court,” her attorney asked.

“Ana Billingsley, I’m the owner and head designer for Fashion Forward,” she replied.

Chaos ensued. Loud cries of shock came from the reporters in the back. Joyce and I looked at each other in disbelief. That was where her money came from, not her parents. She was successful in her own right, and realizing that only pissed me off more. The owner of the company was elusive. Never appearing in public, and having the CEO, Gwen Simpson, act in her stead. I thought things were bad before, but now their even worse. No wonder she was working there, it’s her own company.

I glanced over at William, and he was furious. He had taken this case because he believed in protecting the underdogs. He thought this case was a perfect example of the elite bullying the weak. Now he’s mixing up in this with us, as well as having pissed off the Caldwells. He’s in a bad spot, and I knew what he was thinking. We lied to his face, just last night. He looked like he wanted to slap both of us, when suddenly he relaxed. The smile that crossed his face wasn’t a pleasant one.

He leaned towards us and whispered, “If this is how you two want to play this. I’m happy to play along.”

“How did you become the owner of the company?” her attorney asked.

“My parents gave me a million dollars to either use for school, invest, or follow my passion. They did the same for my older brother Seth. He created a business out of it, and so did I. I had earned scholarships and had a free ride, so I started Fashion Forward at eighteen. My father helped me find a CEO who was knowledgeable and helpful. He was about to retire, and most of all, was willing to help me. He was one of my father’s mentors and a bonus grandfather to me. He helped us make Fashion Forward the powerhouse that it is today. He

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fully handed the reins over to Gwen after she graduated from college with me. He stayed on as an adviser for the following six months. His help was invaluable. Since then, Gwen and I have run it, along with a talented managerial staff, and our other best friend, Emily,” Ana replied.

“With no other help? That’s impressive,” her attorney stated. “You must have been busy. Owning your own company, but still willing to help Roger Cook create his own dream,” her attorney asked.

“I saw the passion he had for design. He wanted to be successful, but didn’t know how to accomplish it. I took some of my earnings from Fashion Forward to help him get started. I’m not scared of competition. I allowed him to use my designs because I knew firsthand just how hard it was to get a jewelry business up and running. Initially, it was because I thought he was a good person. Then, during the third year of working together, I caught feelings for him. I had some incidents in my past. I wanted a gentle man. Someone who would be kind and loving towards me. I thought that man could be Roger, but I was wrong. Once I saw the real Roger, the one in that video. I realized that I didn’t actually know him at all. I genuinely helped him. Even to the point of being hospitalized, he never visited me. He clearly never appreciated anything I did for him,” Ana replied.

I wanted to say something, but the judge was looking right at me. I was scared to open my mouth. Her face was neutral, but I knew she was just waiting for any opportunity to make an example out of me.

KatVonBeck

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