Chapter 211 I Regret Cancelling Our Cooperation

Abigail was in her mansion watching the Press Conference crying. She didn't know that there was evidence proving that her beloved mother had been killed by her stepmother. She was shocked like everyone else when the name of the Limpopo Pharmacy was displayed on the big screen. She was reminded of her father's slap when she told him that her mother had been killed by her stepmother. She was glad when she saw her stepmother being arrested together with Rosemary. She was so angry with Rosemary for slandering her. Her husband encouraged her to press charges against Rosemary. Even though she was reluctant, she decided to press charges. Her husband went with her to the police station before he went to work. Chief Smith was waiting for them in his office. Mr Cole met with them at the police station. Abigail looked at Chief Smith and said, "I want to press charges against Miss Rosemary Gable for malicious intent. She knowingly made a false statement against me in front of my father. As a result, my estranged father assaulted me and publicly cut off ties with me. Furthermore, my company lost billions of rand because of her." When Chief Smith asked her if she wanted to press charges against her father, she shook her head. She felt that if Miss Gable didn't mislead her father she wouldn't be assaulted.

While she was reminiscing about her beautiful mother, she received a call from Victoria, "Hello Aunt Abigail, I am so sorry about all the pain Aunt Rosemary has caused you. However, I am glad that the truth about your mother's passing is out and the evil stepmother was arrested. Please note that the Anthony family loves you so much and we appreciate you." Aunt Abigail was so touched and replied, "You mean so much to me as well. Thank you for thinking of me." Then they hung up. A few minutes later, she received a call from the Sun Group's CEO, "Hello Miss Anderson, I am sorry for jumping to a conclusion. I regret cancelling our cooperation, but the door is still open should you wish to cooperate with us." Miss Abigail smiled and replied, "I believe what happened wasn't a mistake. Let's forget about cooperation for now." Then they hung up. Abigail felt that the trust relationship was broken.

Rosemary and Mrs Gates were sent to police custody. Rosemary was scared out of her wits. She was reminded of the day she was beaten silly by Victoria's fan. She wished that she had listened to her son, James' warning. He told her that Mr Anthony was not the person to offend but she didn't believe him. Since when slandering someone was a crime? She felt that they had taken this matter out of proportion. She was scared to be locked in the cell together with Mrs Gates. That woman was vicious. She regretted her decision of investigating and offending Abigail. However, there was no medicine for regret. Mrs Gates was fuming; if Rosemary didn't ask them to come to Johannesburg she wouldn't be arrested. When she thought about the way her beloved husband looked at her, her heart sank. She rushed to Rosemary and slapped her so hard. Rosemary was caught off guard. She covered her face, then she returned the slap and said, "You are so evil, you killed your best friend for a man. You deserve to rot in jail." Mrs Gates rubbed her face and replied, "There is no difference between us. We fought for the one we loved. You are not a match for my stepdaughter. She beats you, hands down. She snatched your man under your nose and you failed dismally even when you tried to use underhand methods." Rosemary was so upset and said, "Shut up. Don't spout nonsense. Your stepdaughter didn't snatch my husband under my nose but they met after we were divorced." Mrs Gates became so angry and replied, "That's not what you told us before."

She started fighting with Rosemary, she slapped her several times. Mrs Gates had the upper hand; Rosemary was beaten up black and blue. Since Mrs Gates had nothing to lose, she vented all her frustration to Rosemary. She had lost everything and she would spend the rest of her life in prison because of her. So, she sat on top of Rosemary and strangled her. She wanted to kill her. The policewoman, Claire Simon, heard Rosemary crying and she rushed to her cell to have a look. She was surprised to see Mrs Gates on top of Rosemary. She separated them. Rosemary was seriously injured. She fainted when she saw the policewoman. Claire Simons quickly called an ambulance and Rosemary was rushed to the hospital. After the surgery, she was wheeled to the recovery room. When she was awake she thanked the Lord that she was still alive. That vicious woman wanted to kill her. However, she was sad to see a cast on her right arm. She was reminded of the day when she was attacked by the reporters outside the police station. She still had nightmares of that day. Also, she found out that she was no longer on her ex-husband's medical aid. The attending doctor asked her to settle the medical bills first before she was admitted to her private ward. She was told that for two days it would cost her one hundred thousand rand. The doctor advised her to pay fifty thousand rand upfront then the rest she would pay when she was discharged. Mrs Gates broke her arm and her throat was sore from strangling. Her voice was hoarse. She tried to call James but the call didn't go through. Unbeknown to her, James' phone was switched off because he was on the flight to the United States of America to negotiate cooperation with the NY Blake Group. She didn't want to spend her money, but she still had nightmares when she thought about her experience at the public hospital. She looked at Claire Simons and said, "thank you for saving my life." Claire Simons smiled and replied, "I was doing my job." Then Rosemary took her black card from her handbag and gave it to Claire Simons. "Miss Simons, kindly go and pay fifty thousand rand. There is no pin." Claire took the card from Rosemary and went to the cashier to settle the medical bills. Claire came back and told her that the card had been declined. Rosemary was reminded that it was her ex-husband's second card. Her heart became bitter. It was clear that her ex-husband had given the card to his current wife, Abigail. Then she took her debit card from her bag, she asked Claire to accompany her to the cashier. The medical bills were paid successfully, and then she was admitted to the ward. The nurse immediately put her on an IV drip and gave her warm water with a drop of honey for her throat. She hated the Gates family to the core. She also added her ex-husband to the list.

After two weeks, the defamation lawsuit began. The court was full to the brim. The Anthony family was sitting with the Johnson family. Since they had all the evidence, Judge Harris handed down his judgement. Judge Harris indicated that Mr Emmanuel Johnson and Mrs Abigail Johnson are reputable and prominent public figures in society. Furthermore, he indicated that Miss Rosemary Gable didn't show any remorse after Mrs Johnson was assaulted by her father. Also, she didn't apologize to her ex-husband and current Mrs Johnson for slandering them. Both companies lost a lot of billions of rand when the stock prices dropped. As a result the Good News Group lost twelve billion rand. Also, they lost ten billion rand when the Sun Group cancelled their cooperation. Even though the Sun Group CEO wanted to sign the contract again, the trust relationship was already broken. Then the Johnson Group lost fifteen billion rand. In terms of the damages, I am of the view that an award of thirty-seven billion rand would be reasonable. Miss Gable, should you fail to pay this amount of money, within a month you will be in prison for two years. In terms of the slander charges, you are sentenced to five years. However, the two years will be suspended. The sentences will be served consecutively. I will give you three days to put your house in order. Please report at the nearest station to serve your term. The court is dismissed." The Johnson family and the Anthony family welcomed the judgement. They were laughing and hugging each other. Rosemary was crying sorrowfully but no one cared about her. She vowed that her ex-husband and his wife would never get a cent from her. The following day, Mrs Gates was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Mr Gates' heart was shattered. He lost everything.