The New Assistant

Chapter seventeen

The trial was well underway, and it was clear that Dominic's lawyer was a formidable opponent. He was slick and smooth, and he seemed to have all the right answers. Ryan and Mia watched from the plaintiff's table, feeling more and more worried as the days went by.

"You're up next, Mr. Thomson," their lawyer whispered to Ryan. "Are you ready?"

Ryan nodded, trying to ignore the nervous butterflies in his stomach. He took a deep breath and walked up to the witness stand, taking the oath and sitting down.

"Mr. Thomson, you've claimed that the voice on the recording is your father's, is that correct?" Dominic's lawyer asked, a smug smile on his face.

"Yes, it is," Ryan replied, trying to keep his voice steady.

"And you have no doubt that it's him?"

"None whatsoever," Ryan said firmly.

"I see," the lawyer said, his eyes narrowing. "Then perhaps you can explain why several experts have concluded that the voice on the recording has been doctored and does not match your father's voice at all?"

Ryan's heart sank. He hadn't expected this, and he didn't know how to respond. He could see his father smirking at him from across the courtroom, and he knew that he was in trouble.

"I...I don't know," Ryan stammered. "All I know is that it's my father's voice. I recognize it."

"I see," the lawyer said, his smile growing wider. "And what about you, Miss Anderson? Do you also recognize the voice on the recording as belonging to Mr. Thomson's father?"

Mia hesitated, her eyes darting from the lawyer to Ryan and back again. She knew that she had to be careful with her answer, but she didn't want to lie.
"That is Mr. Thomson's voice," she said finally. "It sounds just like him."

The lawyer nodded, a triumphant look on his face. "I see. So 'it sound just like him' but there is no way to no for certain if that is him."
Ryan and Mia exchanged a worried look. They could see where this was going, and they didn't like it.

"I see," the lawyer said, a triumphant look on his face. "In that case, I think it's clear that this recording is nothing more than a fabrication. I rest my case."

As the lawyer sat down, Ryan and Mia felt their hearts sink. They knew that this was a major setback, and they didn't know how they were going to recover. They exchanged a worried look, knowing that their future was hanging in the balance.
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The trial continued, and it was now time for Ryan's witnesses to take the stand. One by one, they walked up to the witness stand and swore to tell the truth, their faces determined and resolute.

"Miss Davis, you used to work for Mr. Thomson's father, is that correct?" Ryan's lawyer asked the first witness, a young black woman named Kayla Davis.
"Yes, that's correct," Kayla said, her voice shaking slightly. "I worked for him for two years before I quit."

"And why did you quit?"

Kayla hesitated, her eyes filling with tears. "Because he was racist. He would make comments about me and the other black employees, and he would always treat us unfairly. He would give us the worst assignments and the smallest raises, and he would always talk down to us. It was unbearable."

Dominic's lawyer stood up. "Objection, your honor. This is nothing more than hearsay and speculation."
The judge nodded. "Sustained. The witness may only testify to things that she personally witnessed or experienced."

"I'm sorry, your honor," Kayla said, her voice trembling. "I just...it's hard to talk about. But I swear, everything I'm saying is the truth. Mr. Thomson is a racist, and I can prove it."

"Please continue, Miss Davis," the judge said, looking at her with concern.

"Thank you, your honor," Kayla said, taking a deep breath. "Mr. Thomson would make comments about my hair, and about how I spoke. He would tell me that I wasn't good enough, that I would never amount to anything because I was black. He made me feel like I was worth less than him because of the color of my skin."

Dominic's lawyer stood up again. "Objection, your honor. This is nothing more than emotional testimony. There's no concrete evidence to back up these claims."

The judge nodded. "Sustained. The witness may only testify to things that she can provide concrete evidence for."

Kayla looked down at her hands, her shoulders shaking with emotion. "I'm sorry, your honor. I don't have any concrete evidence. But I swear, everything I'm saying is the truth. Mr. Thomson is a racist, and he needs to be held accountable for it."

One by one, the other witnesses took the stand and gave their emotional testimonies, each of them recounting their own experiences of working for Dominic and being subjected to his racism and bigotry. Ryan and Mia watched from the plaintiff's table, their hearts heavy with emotion. They knew that these witnesses were risking a lot by speaking out against Dominic, and they were grateful for their bravery.

But as the trial went on, it became clear that Dominic's lawyer was not going to make it easy for them. He was skilled at tearing apart their testimonies, and he was able to find holes in their stories and cast doubt on their credibility. Ryan and Mia could see the jurors starting to look skeptical, and they knew that they were in trouble.