Chapter 11
Joanna lowered her eyes and said disappointedly, "Just do your best. I'll find other ways to get the evidence."
Joanna glanced at her mother, who had already fallen asleep, and couldn't help but sigh. She hadn't dared tell her mother about Chad yet. She still needed to recover, so it's better to keep it from her for now.
Her mother's follow-up care would cost a lot of money, and Henry definitely wouldn't pay for it. Joanna needed to earn more.
She called Luke directly and asked whether there had been any particularly difficult surgeries at the hospital recently.
"There's one that specifically requested Dr. J to do the surgery! Fifty million. You taking it or not?"
Joanna asked casually, "What's the patient's condition?"
Luke sounded very excited. "It's David Cooper—and he's right in your city now! You know Cooper Corp? The one backing our pharma lab through William? William reached out himself and asked me to get Dr. J on board personally." He paused for emphasis. "If you agree to do it? Cooper's ready to throw in an extra hundred million and bankroll two brand-new labs for us outright! Can't pass that up!"
William?
Is that the famous professor Cynthia mentioned?
Joanna refused. Luke was shocked. "Jo! Why? This is fifty million! I know you don't chase money, but you'd have to be nuts to walk away from this kind of cash!"
"This patient is my ex-husband's grandfather. I don't want any more involvement with my ex."
Luke immediately went quiet. He knew Joanna hadn't had a good time after getting married, and that her husband's family didn't seem to like her.
Luke felt a bit sad, but still expressed his understanding and recommended a few other cases to her. Joanna said she would review the cases before deciding, and they hung up.
Joanna rested at home for three days. By the court date, her vocal cords had mostly recovered.
When she arrived at the courthouse, she saw many reporters surrounding Chris and Cynthia. That's when Joanna realized the two cases were being heard on the same day.
"We'll pay whatever it takes to make the dog owner happy and get him to drop the charges against Cynthia. She got chased and bitten by that dog. She's a victim, too. I hope everyone will cut a young woman some slack." Chris had his arm around Cynthia, blocking the reporters from getting too close.
Joanna saw this and felt pain in her heart. He never showed this kind of care for her, his actual wife. He would just let reporters come at her and subject her to their interrogation.
Chris spotted her but barely gave her a look, then kept walking Cynthia into the courthouse like she was his wife and Joanna was nobody.
Joanna no longer felt sad about these things. She looked away and was about to enter the courthouse when someone blocked her path. "You useless girl, why didn't you get Sean to take your brother's case? Are you trying to kill him?"
Joanna looked up and saw her angry father, Henry.
After she hung up on Henry's accusatory call last time, she had blocked him and focused entirely on the case.
Today was the court hearing, and as the defendant's father, he also needed to be present.
"Peter is just as good as Sean. The hearing is about to start. If you want to argue here, neither of us will make it into the courthouse."
Hearing this, Henry reluctantly let go. "If we lose, you'd better watch out!"
Joanna didn't have the energy to argue. She followed him into the courtroom and took her seat.
Chad wasn't brought out until the hearing started.
After being detained for a few days, he looked much more disheveled and haggard. But when he saw Henry, Chad still cried out, "Dad, save me!"
Henry's heart ached. "Don't worry, son. Your sister will figure something out."
On the plaintiff's side, there were many emotional people as well. The courtroom only quieted down after the officers called for order.
The dead kid's family broke down crying as they talked about what a good student he was, how he never got in trouble, really tugging at the jury's heartstrings. The dirty looks they shot at the three Jones family members could've killed.
Just like Peter called it, the court still pinned it all on Chad since they couldn't prove the other guy started the fight.
The case was lost. Chad was sentenced to prison for fifteen years, and the Jones had to pay three million to the deceased's family.
Chad could no longer control his emotions and made a scene in the courtroom. Henry was also heartbroken.
After the officers kicked them all out, Henry remembered Joanna.
He strode over, pulled Joanna away from her discussion with Peter about finding new evidence, and slapped her across the face.
"You're useless! You got some third-rate lawyer to handle your brother's case. You clearly want him dead! Joanna, you're his own sister. How can you be so cold-hearted!"
Joanna covered her right cheek, sad and in disbelief. "I did my best! If you didn't want something to happen to him, why didn't you control his behavior better and stop him from causing so much trouble!"
"Don't you dare mouth off to me! I'll knock you into next week!" Henry raised his hand and smacked Joanna across the face again.
He grabbed Joanna and was about to hit her again when someone restrained him.
"Stop! If you hit her again, I won't be nice about it!"
Henry didn't recognize Angelo. Seeing him dressed like a regular guy, he immediately pegged him as a nobody.
"What's it to you? This is our family business. Who asked you to butt in! Joanna, where did you meet these damn lunatics! I've told you a million times. Stick with your own kind when making friends. No wonder Chris treats you like dirt and won't even be seen with you in public. You're such a train wreck, who'd want anything to do with you!"
Joanna didn't expect Henry to not only hit her but also humiliate Angelo like this.
The Smith family that Angelo belonged to wasn't as high-profile as the Coopers. Angelo never accepted media interviews. If Joanna hadn't happened to receive funding from Smith Group, she wouldn't have known Angelo's identity either.
It was normal for Henry not to recognize Angelo, but that wasn't a reason to humiliate him!
"If you really want him to get out of prison safely, stop making trouble for me! This gentleman hired the lawyer. He's already done his best to help us. You should apologize to him!"
"What status does he have to deserve my apology! Tell him to take a good look at himself! This kind of person isn't even fit to be a servant in our house!"