69novels Chapter 587 - 558: Los Angeles Trip (Part 4)
Chapter 587 - 558: Los Angeles Trip (Part 4)
(Additional update for monthly vote 10)On January 20th, 46 hours after Zane Forrester was arrested, the Los Angeles prosecutor’s office filed felony charges. Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester immediately decided to expedite the trial, so the court arranged for a preliminary hearing two days later.
During this period, with two days free, they didn’t remain idle and arranged a negotiation for another case.
The other party insisted on negotiating at the hotel where Zane Forrester had his incident. Simon Forrester, considering the place ominous, firmly demanded the other party come to the law firm, or else the case would proceed directly to litigation.
Once he laid down this ultimatum, the other party agreed to negotiate at the law firm.
This Saturday was the Chinese New Year’s Eve, yet Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester were busy in a foreign land working on Zane Forrester’s case.
It’s one hour before the negotiation.
Sienna Thornton was helping Simon Forrester with his tie at the hotel, preparing to head directly from the hotel to the law firm. For ease of handling the case, they stayed at a hotel near the law firm, just a five-minute walk away.
"Today is New Year’s Eve. Once it’s over this afternoon, how about we go to Chinatown for hot pot?" Simon Forrester suddenly suggested.
Sienna, who was tying his tie, was startled, nearly tying it wrong, "If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten it was New Year’s Eve," she smiled and finished his tie with a neat knot.
She turned to fetch his suit jacket for him, standing behind him while holding it open. After he put it on, he turned around, adjusting his suit.
She suddenly remembered something important: "You said not to let your mom and grandpa know about this case, but during the New Year, with us and your dad all in the United States, won’t your mom want to come over and be with us?"
"I told her there were some accounts we couldn’t collect, so we are here to help sue. She immediately said she wants to spend this year back at her hometown in The South."
"That..." Sienna chuckled, "Your mom is easy to fool."
Simon Forrester showed no humor on his face: "Because she and grandpa trust us so much, they would never think we’d conspire with my dad to deceive them."
Isn’t that the truth? Those who are easiest to deceive are always the ones who trust you the most. Therefore, one shouldn’t lie casually or deplete others’ trust in them.
Sienna didn’t know what to say; at moments like this, anything she could say seemed ironic and inappropriate.
She quickly changed into a smart black suit; being pregnant, she only applied maternity skincare products, as she hadn’t worn makeup for days. Although her complexion was pale and her face plain, it was all for the baby’s good.
Half an hour later, Simon Forrester carried documents in one hand and held Sienna’s hand with the other, walking to the law firm a few hundred meters away.
The Forrester’s overseas legal affairs had always been handled by this law firm. This time, since Zane Forrester had an issue, the firm assigned their best criminal lawyer for him, and the partner personally handled today’s cross-border case.
A group of six entered the conference room and sat in a row, waiting for the other party to arrive.
Sienna quietly asked Simon Forrester: "I won’t say anything later. If there’s anything you need my help with, just remind me." She wasn’t as familiar with this case as Simon was, so remaining silent was the wisest choice.
Simon Forrester nodded, moving his hand from on top of the table to under it, tightly holding hers, and whispered to her: "Remember, tonight it’s just us two at the stove."
Hot pot had always been Sienna’s favorite. Although celebrating New Year’s Eve abroad reminded her slightly of the lonely school years with no home to return to, having her beloved by her side made everything feel different.
She inclined her head toward his ear, whispering softly, "It’s not just us two; it’s the three of us!"
Her voice was soft, and the breath accompanying the words gently brushed past his ear. Yet these words weighed heavily on his heart, warmly enveloping it.
.
At exactly 10 o’clock, the other party’s people started arriving, including three executives and two lawyers.
Simon Forrester wasted no words. As soon as they sat down, he got straight to the point.
The other party had already known beforehand that it would be Zane’s son negotiating, so upon seeing how young Simon was, they assumed, like Zane, he was also an easy target, showing a bit of disdain.
Simon Forrester directly questioned them about the reason for refusing to pay the construction fees. As Sienna anticipated, they claimed it was due to The Forrester’s drilling company being six months late on the project delivery.
Simon Forrester immediately had Zane’s assistant distribute some copies of the agreement to them. After reviewing the documents, the other party’s expressions changed completely.
Other drilling companies also had project delivery delays. However, because the other party didn’t plan to declare bankruptcy then, they were in a normal operational state and paid the construction fees on time.
In desperation, the other party’s executives argued they had signed extendable agreements with those companies, so Simon Forrester instantly demanded they produce those agreements as evidence.
Knowing full well—being experienced in construction himself—that clients wouldn’t sign such agreements with project agents, his tone was firm.
Of course, the other party couldn’t produce such agreements. They came well-prepared, focusing on loopholes in the contract signed with The Forrester, claiming that The Forrester’s drilling company violated human rights during the project, thereby allowing them to refuse payment under the contract. They even brought a witness to testify about life-threatening work conditions on the drill tower, causing a worker to fall and nearly die.
The witness brought medical records of the injuries at the time. After Zane’s assistant verified the existence of this employee, Simon Forrester briefly reviewed the medical records presented by the witness.
However, after reading them, he fell into silence.
The opposing party became smug, believing the case could be closed and assuming they could avoid paying the multi-billion dollar project fees, when Simon Forrester suddenly asked the witness with a smile: "Our drill towers are all on land, so could you please explain how there was seawater in the witness’s lungs when they were injured? After falling onto sand, did they run hundreds of kilometers to the sea, inhaled seawater, and then called for emergency medical help?"
The witness was horrified, unable to say a word, his eyes darting around, frequently looking over at the other’s lawyers.
Suddenly, Simon Forrester’s demeanor changed; the smile vanished as he threw all the witness’s medical records onto the negotiation table.
The opposing party realized their defeat and scrambled to gather their things to leave, saying they would discuss internally and reschedule the negotiation. Simon Forrester firmly refused, stating that if the case isn’t resolved today, he will file a lawsuit as swiftly as possible. By then, it won’t merely be about recovering the project fees, but also demanding compensation for the capital use during the period.