Chapter 82 The Shadow of the Courtroom
You don’t get in 'til...
When the bell kind of reply was that…
That woman was stubborn as hell; she’d rather snap in half than back down.
“Ub sure. F’ll pass along Andy, sad he suddenly had to rush back to the hotel; something urgent came up. He didn’t get the chance to cry goodbye, Sony!” she replied with a cheeky emoji.
Jude then typed and added a smiley face. “No worries?”
Tilda could only stare, her face practically twitching.
"Dude, that smiley from Jude just… Ugh. Why does it feel less like ‘no worries’ and more like ‘oh God, something’s about to…'"
That night, Tilda and Jude kept chatting, their conversation drifting on and off until late. It wasn’t until she finally got home, claiming she needed a shower and some sleep, that he let her off the hook.
Jude said, “Goodnight,” and added a moon emoji.
Tilda typed the same words with a cute emoji.
She scrolled back through their chat history again and couldn’t help smiling.
What kind of century were they even from, texting like that?
It was hilarious.
That night, both of them actually slept soundly.
Half a month slipped by in a blink.
At the Jenson Villa, Russell’s expression was dark as he stared at the court summons in his hands.
“Two days until the trial… Damn it.”
His jaw clenched so tight his teeth nearly cracked.
For days, he and Blair had tried every trick in the book. But nothing worked. They couldn’t reach Andy, let alone persuade him to drop Tilda’s case.
What was Andy’s connection to her anyway? Or worse, what secret was Tilda hiding?
How the hell could she joke around with Andy like old friends?
With no other choice, they switched targets.
They needed to find someone powerful enough to go up against Andy in court.
After all, Tilda didn’t have the most crucial piece of evidence – the surveillance footage that proved Russell had framed and hurt Una.
Thankfully, Blair had ordered Howard to destroy it all back then.
Sure, Tilda had other evidence, but without the footage, the Jensons felt a little safer.
Still, no matter how many big-name lawyers they approached – lawyers who usually fawned over the Jensons’ money – once they heard Andy was on the opposing side, their tune changed instantly.
Going up against Andy wasn’t just a gamble; it was suicide. In the legal world, his name carried the weight of a god. Losing to him wasn’t shameful; no one would laugh at them for that. What ruined reputations was daring to challenge him in the first place – proving they didn’t even know their own limits.
Which was why, even after all their searching, Russell and Blair still couldn’t find a single lawyer willing to take their case.
That was when Blair entered the study, her expression tight and grim. Howard trailed in behind her.
“Honey, I’ve already asked every top lawyer in the neighboring city. No one will take the case…”
No matter how tempting the price they offered, the moment the other lawyers heard Andy’s name, they double-checked – then immediately refused and hung up.
They didn’t care if it meant offending the Jensons.
Clearly, crossing Andy was every attorney’s worst nightmare.
Blair had always known Andy was formidable, but she never imagined his very name could strike this much fear across the legal world.
Frustrated, Russell raked a hand through his hair, pulled out a cigarette, and lit up. He took a long drag, exhaling a slow ring of smoke.
He almost never smoked – only when he was pushed to the edge. Ever since Jenson Group had gone legitimate and business had been booming, he had quit smoking for Blair’s sake.
But this time, Tilda had driven him past his breaking point.
Blair, seeing his mood, didn’t try to stop him. She only stood there, her face tight with worry.
Their last confrontation with Tilda had ended in complete fallout. Russell and Blair thought they might find another angle, some other way to turn things around – but the truth was clear now: the Jensons’ power alone wasn’t nearly enough. The situation had spiraled beyond their control.
Which left Blair stuck. Even if she wanted to fall back on “family ties” and plead with Tilda again, that option was gone.
It was then Howard finally spoke up. “Dad, Mom… maybe we should tell Dominic about this.”
So far, with the trial still ahead, the Jensons had thrown everything they had into burying the problem, keeping it hidden from the other Jenson brothers who were tied up with work.
Russell and Blair had made it clear that no one else in the family was to know. Not yet. They didn’t want the others worrying – or worse, panicking.
In the family’s WhatsApp group chat, it was always good news only – laughter, lighthearted banter, never a trace of the storms underneath.
Dominic was the one they all looked to. Now the CEO of Jenson Group, he was the real power behind the company. After Russell stepped back with the honorary title of CEO, he handed the reins without hesitation to his pride and joy – the one every other Jenson respected as their leader.
He was brilliant to the point of unnerving, a strategist who could read people like an open book and bend the business world to his will. He had inherited the best of both Russell’s and Blair’s traits, and in many ways, surpassed them both.