It had been almost two weeks since anyone had seen her. Everyone was worried, and Kris Cooper, even more so, waited impatiently for her at the iron gate.
Monts later, the sound of light footsteps reached him, and the person he longed for finally appeared.
He hadn’t seen her for half a month. She seed a little chubbier, and overall, her condition wasn’t bad. However, possibly due to a lack of sunshine, her face was slightly paler.
A staff mber opened the iron gate to lead her out. Kris Cooper imdiately rushed over and pulled her into his arms.
"Are you okay?"
She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his long-missed scent. Then, lifting her face, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his chin. "You’ve been so good," she murmured, "this is your reward."
The man didn’t speak, only holding her tighter.
"I thought... you were really ignoring . You little rascal..."
Vera didn’t speak, only burying her face deeper into his chest. The corners of her lips curved up, but her eyes held a deep, unreadable expression.
"Mr. Cooper, please make good use of your ti," a staff mber reminded him from the side.
Only then did Kris Cooper release her. He kept an arm around her as they walked to the eting Room, where he held the door open for her.
Inside, Sophia Thompson, Christoper Cooper, and Bailey Hansen all stood up. Upon seeing Vera, Bailey Hansen quickly ca forward to look her over anxiously.
"Vera, you’ve suffered."
"Mom, I haven’t," Vera smiled, as if nothing was wrong. "I just read every day and sleep when I have nothing else to do. It’s quite nice."
Nearby, Sophia Thompson watched Vera’s profile and lightly shook her head. It’s rare to see soone so calm right before a court hearing, especially in a case like this.
"Shall we discuss business?" Sophia Thompson suggested.
At her prompting, Bailey Hansen hurriedly helped Vera sit down. Kris Cooper sat beside her, his large hand reaching under the table to grasp her slightly cool fingers.
Vera clasped his hand firmly in return.
The court hearing was the next day, and ti was limited. Sophia Thompson skipped the small talk and imdiately began discussing the details of the case with Vera.
Since Vera had already admitted to pushing Liliana Davis, claiming it was an accident was no longer an option. To minimize Vera’s sentence, Sophia Thompson had prepared a courtroom strategy, which she carefully explained to her step by step. This included how to handle the opposing lawyer’s cross-examination and how to best elicit sympathy from the judge.
Vera sat opposite her, listening quietly. However, Sophia Thompson sensed she was sowhat distracted.
"Vera, you need to understand that tomorrow’s hearing is crucial. You must cooperate with so we can achieve the maximum possible reduction in your sentence."
"Okay," Vera smiled. "I’ll definitely cooperate."
Soon, the visiting ti was up. A staff mber ca in to usher them out. Thanks to Lucille Matthias’s influence, the staff had already been quite lenient with Vera. Everyone understood this and didn’t want to cause any further trouble.
They all stood up to leave. Vera then turned to the staff mber.
"Could I stay with Kris for a little longer? Just a few minutes would be fine."
The staff mber considered her request and finally agreed to give them an additional five minutes.
"Five minutes," the staff mber stated.
The older adults tactfully left the room, leaving the two of them alone. Kris Cooper then reached out and pulled her onto his lap.
"I’ve missed you so much."
"I know." Vera smiled at him. "The hearing is tomorrow. Rember, when you testify, you must say that I was the one who pushed her."
Kris Cooper frowned. "But if you do that, you’ll go to jail."
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