Chapter 59 The Testimony
The second week of trial, Ariella was called to testify.
She’d been dreading this moment since the trial began. Marcus had prepped her for hours, what to expect, how to answer, what traps to avoid. But no amount of preparation made walking to the witness stand less terrifying.
“Raise your right hand,” the clerk said. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
“I do.”
Her voice sounded small in the large courtroom.
Sarah Chen approached with an encouraging smile. “Please state your name for the record.”
“Ariella Marie Hayes.”
“And how old are you, Miss Hayes?”
“Eighteen. I turned eighteen last month.”
“Can you tell the jury how you came to know the defendant?”
Ariella looked at Winters. He stared back with that same calm expression, like this was all mildly amusing.
“I knew of him through the Frost family. My husband, Aiden Frost; his father was investigating Mr. Winters for embezzlement when he died.”
“And your connection to this case is personal as well, correct?”
“Yes. My brother, Ethan Hayes, was killed six months before I met Aiden. We believed it was an accident until we found evidence connecting his death to Mr. Winters.”
“Objection,” Pierce stood. “The defendant is not on trial for any death. This is prejudicial.”
“Your Honor, the witness’s brother’s death establishes motive for the defendant’s embezzlement cover-up,” Sarah argued.
“I’ll allow it. But tread carefully, Ms. Chen.”
Sarah turned back to Ariella. “Can you explain the connection you found?”
“Ethan worked at a Frost Industries subsidiary. He noticed financial irregularities and reported them to HR. Three days later, he was killed in what was ruled a drunk driving accident. But a witness saw a dark sedan deliberately force his car off the road.”
“And this sedan was traced to…?”
“A shell company owned by Mr. Winters.”
Murmurs rippled through the courtroom.
“How did you discover this information?”
“My father-in-law, Richard Frost, had been investigating these connections for six years. After he died, we inherited his evidence.”
“And what did you do with this evidence?”
“We gave it to the FBI. And when the legal process seemed too slow, when more witnesses were being intimidated, we released some of it to the media.”
“Why did you do that?”
Ariella looked at the jury. “Because people were dying. Because waiting felt like letting him win. Because…” Her voice cracked. “Because my brother deserved people to know he was murdered.”
“Objection. Assumes facts not in evidence.”
“Sustained. The jury will disregard that last statement.”
But it was already said. Already out there.
Sarah continued for another twenty minutes, establishing timeline, evidence, connections. Ariella answered carefully, truthfully, trying not to let emotion overwhelm facts.
Then it was Pierce’s turn.
He approached with that same avuncular smile that made Ariella’s skin crawl.
“Miss Hayes or should I call you Mrs. Frost?”
“Either is fine.”
“Mrs. Frost, then. You’re married to Aiden Frost, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And how long have you been married?”
“Eleven months.”
“That’s quite fast. You’d only known each other three weeks before getting married, is that correct?”
Ariella saw the trap but couldn’t avoid it. “Yes.”
“Why the rush?”
“We…it was complicated.”
“I’m sure it was. In fact, didn’t you marry Mr. Frost because his father paid you to?”
The courtroom erupted. The judge’s gavel cracked down.
“Order!”
Ariella’s face burned. “There was a contract, yes. But…”
“Yes or no, please. Did Richard Frost pay you to marry his son?”
“It started as an arrangement. But we fell in love—”
“That’s not what I asked. Did he pay you?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“My family’s debts were cleared. About twenty-five thousand dollars. Plus a trust fund and…”
“So approximately a hundred thousand dollars total?”
“I suppose.”
Pierce smiled. “That’s quite a lot of money for a girl whose family was facing eviction. Wouldn’t you do almost anything to keep that money?”
“I didn’t marry Aiden for money…”
“But you did marry him for money. You just said so. A hundred thousand dollars to marry a wealthy teenager whose father was dying. That’s what happened, correct?”
“That’s not…it’s more complicated than that.”
“I’m sure it is. Let’s talk about this evidence you claim to have found. Richard Frost spent six years collecting it, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And he never went to the authorities during those six years?”
“He was protecting his family…”
“Yes or no, please.”
“No, he didn’t go to authorities immediately.”
“Isn’t it possible he was protecting himself? Covering his own embezzlement by manufacturing evidence against my client?”
“No. That’s not what happened.”
“But you didn’t know Richard Frost six years ago. You didn’t know him at all until shortly before he died. How can you be certain what he was doing?”
“Because I’ve seen the evidence…”
“Evidence he could have fabricated. Evidence that conveniently points away from his own crimes and toward a business rival he’d been trying to destroy for years.” Pierce’s voice was gentle but devastating. “Mrs. Frost, isn’t it possible you’re testifying today not because you know the truth, but because you’ve been manipulated by your late father-in-law into believing a story that protects the Frost family legacy?”
“No. That’s not…”
“You were seventeen years old, desperate for money, and a dying billionaire offered you a fortune to marry his son and help destroy his enemy. That’s what really happened, isn’t it?”
“No!”
“No further questions.”
Ariella left the stand shaking. She’d been eviscerated. Made to look like a gold digger, a naive teenager, a pawn in Richard’s game.
Aiden was waiting outside the courtroom, his face pale.
“That was brutal,” she said.
“You did fine. Pierce is just doing his job.”
“He made me look like an idiot. Like someone who’d say anything for money.”
“The jury knows it’s cross-examination. They expect lawyers to be aggressive.”
“Do they? Or do they just see a teenage gold digger who married for money and is now lying to protect that money?”
Aiden pulled her into his arms. “We knew this would be hard.”
“Knowing and experiencing are different.”