Marcus’ claims shifted the entire nature of the case. By casting suspicion on Abigail’s motives for going to prison, he painted her not as a victim, but as a manipulative conspirator—someone who had outplayed everyone and weaponized the law to grab power.
That kind of accusation carried serious weight in court.
Todd pushed back. “Mr. Crane, she had already been accepted into top universities in the country. Her future was bright, and there was no reason for her to take the fall for anyone. And as for her shares, 10% came directly from the late Mr. Wyatt Gibson. The other 10% simply put her on par with Stephen. Is that really so suspicious?”
At this moment, Todd was already on the defensive.
Marcus doubled down. “According to my research, Abigail held no shares previously,” he said coolly. “And even if she claims the late Wyatt Gibson cared for her so deeply—if he was truly willing to die for her—why didn’t he give her shares back then?”
Abigail didn’t say a word the whole time. Ultimately, Todd requested a recess, citing the need to gather additional evidence.
As they exited the courthouse, Jeremiah told Todd, “This is our only shot.”
Todd frowned and said, “Marcus’ strategy is to recast her from a victim into a schemer, and that would fundamentally alter the nature of the case.”
Jeremiah said, “The Prescott family’s working both ends. They’re drumming up public opinion online while planting seeds of doubt in court, suggesting she took the fall years ago with ulterior motives. They’re trying to stretch this case out as long as possible. Even if she’s acquitted in the end, her reputation will take a serious hit.”
After speaking, Jeremiah turned to Abigail and said, “Mr. Robinson has reviewed both court hearings and will arrange for a better lawyer for you. As for you, Mr. Mitchell, just continue with what you’re doing for now. I suspect they have someone following you to systematically gather evidence against you.”
“Don’t be too discouraged,” Abigail reassured Todd. “We just got our hopes up and weren’t fully prepared.”
Later, after they went their separate ways, Jeremiah couldn’t help but ask while driving her, “The late Mr. Wyatt Gibson clearly cared about you. Why didn’t he give you any shares? Given how long she’d been back, if he truly saw her as part of the family, he should’ve granted her some stake in the company.”
“There was a clause at Gibson Group,” Abigail explained calmly. “Any share transfer or gift had to be approved by at least half the shareholders. At the time, aside from Grandpa, no one else supported giving me shares. So, it just never happened.”
Jeremiah’s expression turned grim. “That’s a critical detail—it explains exactly why you didn’t hold shares back then. It’s also something we can use. But don’t worry. With the Prescott family pulling this stunt, Mr. Robinson won’t let them get away with it so easily. What’s Ms. Prescott like?” Abigail asked curiously.
“Nothing special,” Jeremiah replied.
“That’s it? So how did she meet Seb?” Abigail pressed.
“I really don’t know,” Jeremiah replied gently. “I haven’t worked with him for long, and as just an employee, how would I know about—"
Abigail dropped the subject. Jeremiah kept his eyes on the road and said steadily, “If you want to know, just ask him yourself. He’d never keep anything from you. He’ll tell you everything.”
“Let’s wait until he gets back,” Abigail said, propping her chin against her hand as she stared out the window.
Chapter 263
It had already been 15 days, and there was still no word from him, not even a phone call. She had no idea how things were going for him in Chesterwick.
The day after the court recessed, when Abigail arrived at the office, she immediately noticed something off—one of the women in Jeremiah’s team had been replaced by someone unfamiliar.
“That’s odd,” Abigail thought to herself.
As Abigail settled into her seat, the woman handed her a cup of coffee and said gently, “Ms. Gibson, I’m the attorney Mr. Robinson arranged for you. I’d like to discuss a few things with you. Would now be a good time?”
“Okay.” Abigail finally realized that Sebastian had hired the woman to assist her now. “Go ahead and ask me.”
“Let me introduce myself first,” the woman said, her tone both professional and approachable. “I’m Ivy Murphy, and you can call me Ms. Murphy. Regarding the matter of Mr. Wyatt Gibson not giving you any shares, I’ve reviewed the case. But simply stating this in court likely won’t carry much weight. So, think carefully—were there any witnesses present at the time? Or perhaps you could talk to Stephen and see if he’d be willing to testify.”
After a brief pause, Abigail asked, “So what you’re suggesting is, you want Stephen to admit it himself in court?”
“Yes. No matter how much paperwork we submit, nothing compares to Stephen personally explaining how the shares were handled. From what I’ve gathered, the other shareholders at Gibson Group resent you deeply. Most of them have been quietly colluding with Marcus. Any one of them could easily testify against you,” Ivy said seriously.