Chapter 63 The Loser. #2
Iris shook her head immediately, wiping her tears with her free hand "No. Kaya ko to. I will meet you later this evening." She turned to Attorney Villor, eyes steady even if they were still red..
"Alright then." He nodded. "Just so you both know—everything he said was recorded properly. It is admissible in court, no question about it."
"Thank you, Attorney." I said quietly.
"But let me remind you again." He looked at both of us seriously.
"He is still Eric Valenti. He still has money, he still has connections. He can still try to do something to mess this up. So be careful, okay? We need to think thoroughly and act accordingly. We don't want to lose this. We already have a strong case, we just need to make everything perfect.
If we can finish this tomorrow, we will finish this tomorrow. No delays, no more waiting."
"Don't worry about it, Attorney." Iris said firmly. "We can do this."
"I know you can." He gave her a small, sad look. "But I know this isn't easy, because aside from everything else... he is your—"
"No." Iris cut him off sharp, no hesitation at all. "He's no longer my father. You think this is hard because you think I'm too soft for this? No, you are underestimating me, Attorney Vìllor. I've been ready for this for a long time."
I squeezed her hand gently and stepped in a little. "Attorney, thank you so much for today. We'll just message you later for the time."
"Noted. Take care of yourselves." He gave one last nod and walked out, closing the door softly behind him.
I turned to Iris right away, brushing the hair away from her wet cheeks.
"Hon... you don't have to act tough all the time, okay? It's okay to be scared. Just calm down muna. Mag-prepare na lang tayo para bukas. We need to face him again, so kailangan natin maging handa. But we'll do this together, okay? I'm not going anywhere."
Almost 3 months....and finally. We are so close.
________
The day everyone waited.
________
The courtroom felt so cold and dead quiet, parang huminto lahat ng oras the moment they stepped inside.
Walang reporters, walang ibang outsiders, strictly confidential talaga ang kasong 'to.
Dark wood lahat ng pader, sobrang linaw ng ilaw pero masakit sa mata, at kahit yung mga bakanteng upuan parang nakatingin lang sa kanila nang tahimik.
Zarya gripped Iris's hand tight under the table.
They kept telling themselves they were ready, they had the recordings, the statements, lahat ng ebidensya na pinaghirapan nilang hanapin.
Pero deep down, alam nilang hindi sapat yung "handa lang".
Not when the man sitting across them was Eric Valenti—ang taong kayang wasakin ang buhay ng iba nang walang alinlangan.
Iris barely let Zarya stay up with her last night.
She practically pushed her to rest na lang, sabi niya siya na lang muna sasama kay Attorney Villor para sa last minute preparations.
Wala nang nagawa si Zarya kundi sumunod, kahit gustong-gusto niyang makatulong.
She had no idea kung ano pa pinag-usapan nila, pero alam niyang ginagawa lang 'yun ni Iris para makapagpahinga si Zarya ng mabuti.
Before things got more tense, Iris squeezed her hand back gently, rubbing slow circles sa likod ng palad niya. She gave a small, firm nod.
Everyone stood up agad when the judge walked in. He wore his black robes, looked calm but so serious. When he spoke, his English was formal and clear, pero ramdam mo pa rin yung distinct na Italian accent sa bawat salita niya.
"Please be seated." He opened his folder slowly. "This is the arraignment for Case Number 417: People versus Eric Valenti. Counsel, please confirm your presence."
Attorney Vìllor stood straight. "Present, Your Honor, for the prosecution and private complainants."
"Present, Your Honor, for the accused." Attorney Scotland stood up too, looking sharp and confident.
The judge looked at Eric. "Mr. Valenti, please rise."
Eric stood slowly, cuffs glinting on his wrists. Wala na yung dating angas, pero yung tingin niya, parang nananakot pa rin.
"Mr. Valenti," the judge said firmly, "you are charged with two counts of murder. Do you understand the charge?"
Eric nodded slowly. "I do, Your Honor."
"How do you plead?"
Biglang umangat ulit yung mukha ni Eric, parang nagbago agad ang ugali. "That is false. I admit to nothing. They manipulated me. They forced those words out of me. I have done nothing wrong."
Attorney Scotland spoke right away. "Objection, Your Honor. The alleged confession was obtained without proper legal representation. My client was coerced, pressured, and questioned outside all legal protocols. Any statement they claim he made is inadmissible in this court!"
Nang marinig 'yun ni Zarya, namutla siya saglit at akmang tatayo, pero pinigilan niya ang sarili. Alam niyang bawal siyang sumabat—lalo lang hahaba ang proseso at baka masira pa nila ang lahat. She gripped the edge of the table instead, forcing herself to sit still.
Attorney Villor stood up calmly but firmly.
"Your Honor, the accused was fully informed of his rights at every stage. He was offered counsel and personally declined. The entire interview was recorded, witnessed, and conducted strictly by official procedure. His own words are the strongest proof we have."
"Speculation!" Attorney Scotland countered quickly. "There is no signed waiver, No independent witness confirmation! That recording could have been tampered with!"
They argued back and forth, paangat nang paangat ang boses nila. Attorney Scotland was dominating the floor, mabilis magsalita, maayos mga argument, parang sigurado talaga siya sa panig nila.
Eric leaned close to his lawyer, whispering low, "We can beat this, right? Tell me we can still win this."
"As long as we keep denying and they don't have solid proof... we still have a chance. But if they do...this is gonna be hard." Attorney Scotland whispered back.
Attorney Vìllor went quiet for a moment, assessing the situation, and the tension in the room got thicker and thicker.
The judge raised a hand, voice authoritative but calm. "Order in this court. Both counsel will take your seats. One will speak at a time, with proper respect. No further interruptions."
Umupo silang dalawa. Then Iris leaned in so close to Attorney Vìllor, her voice soft but sharp and professional, walang ibang nakarinig kundi siya lang.
"Play the full unedited recording. Let his own voice destroy every lie he just said. The timestamp logs and witness certifications are attached to the back of the file."
Attorney Vìllor gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod.
The judge looked at him. "Counsel Vìllor, you have the floor. Present your evidence."
"Thank you, Your Honor." Attorney Vìllor stood up slowly. "We do not rely on claims. We do not rely on words. We rely on facts that cannot be changed."
He took out his phone, held it up properly. "This is the complete, unedited recording of the interview yesterday. Timestamped, backed up in three separate secure systems, and witnessed by authorized officers."
He pressed play.
At agad umalingawngaw ang boses ni Eric—malinaw, malakas, at walang ibang nagsalita kundi siya. Every admission, at lahat ng sinabi niya kahapon tungkol kay Isaac at kay Yana—lahat 'yun narinig ng lahat sa loob ng kwarto.
Nang matapos tumunog ang recording, parang tumigil ang ikot ng mundo sa loob ng kwarto. Walang gumalaw, walang umimik—hanggang sa biglang tumayo nang mariin si Attorney Scotland, ang boses niya ay puno ng diin at pagtutol.
Namutla agad si Attorney Scotland. He opened his mouth to object, pero wala siyang masabi. He looked at Eric, then down at his notes, and slowly sat back, parang tanggap na niyang talo na sila.
Eric stared at the phone, his face turning pale. He glared at his lawyer, na parang pinag-babantaan ito. "Do something, Stop it! Fix this!" Attorney Scotland just shook his head slightly, there was nothing left to fix.
Attorney Vìllor put his phone away, looking at the judge. "Your Honor, this is the accused's own voice, speaking freely and voluntarily. There is no coercion, no tampering, no room for doubt."
"Objection, Your Honor!" Attorney Scotland declared firmly, slamming one hand lightly on the table.
"I was never notified of this interview! As legal counsel for Mr. Valenti, I should have been present to ensure my client's rights were protected! This recording was made without oversight, without verification, and we have no way to confirm that it was not edited, cut,
or altered to fit the prosecution's narrative. This court cannot accept this as absolute proof—we must conduct our own independent review before any weight is given to this material!"
The judge adjusted his glasses, at tinitigan si Eric. That soft, distinct Italian accent carried clearly across the room.
"Mr. Valenti." he said calmly. "Look at me. Did you speak those words that were just played, during the interview conducted yesterday?"
Eric lifted his chin, pero nakakuyom ang mga kamay sa ilalim ng desk niya. "No, Your Honor. I did not said those things. That is not what happened. That is not my voice."
Sa kabilang panig, halos mapatayo si Zarya sa sobrang gulat at galit. Nagtataka paano niya nagagawang itanggi nang ganun. Bawat salita niya narinig nila nang malinaw, She gripped the edge of her seat so hard her knuckles turned white, her breath hitching in her throat.
Iris felt it immediately, she reached over, wrapped her hand around Zarya's tightly, and gave one small, firm shake of her head.
The judge nodded slowly, making a note on his paper. "Noted. However—aside from this recording, the prosecution has stated they have additional witnesses to present. Bring them in."
The heavy wooden door creaked open. May dalawang american looking men na pumasok sa courtroom kasama ang dalawang mga police officers. Their hands bound in steel cuffs behind their backs. Heads bowed, at dahan dahan na lumapit palapit.
There were the men who pulled the trigger that morning. The ones who changed everything.