The New Assistant

Chapter eighteen

The final witness stepped up to the witness stand, and Ryan and Mia could see that she was visibly nervous. She was a Hispanic woman, and Ryan knew that she had worked for his father for many years before quitting in disgust.

"Miss Hernandez, can you please tell the court what your experiences working for Mr. Thomson were like?" Ryan's lawyer asked, his voice gentle and encouraging.

Miss Hernandez took a deep breath and looked out at the jury. "It was a nightmare," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. "Mr. Thomson treated me and the other Hispanic employees like we were nothing. He would make racist comments and jokes, and he would always give us the worst assignments and the smallest raises. It was like he didn't even see us as human beings."

"Can you provide specific examples of the racist comments and jokes that Mr. Thomson made?" the lawyer asked, his eyes focused on Miss Hernandez.
"Yes, I can," she said, her voice growing stronger. "He would make jokes about our accents, and about how we were all lazy and stupid. He would call us all sorts of names, and he would always belittle us and make us feel inferior. It was horrible."
"And how did this make you feel?" the lawyer asked, his voice soft and sympathetic.

Miss Hernandez's eyes filled with tears. "It made me feel like I wasn't good enough. Like I was worth less than him because of the color of my skin and my accent. It was a constant battle to prove myself and to try to earn his respect, but it was impossible. He didn't see me as a human being, he only saw me as a stereotype."

As she finished her testimony, Ryan and Mia felt their hearts fill with a newfound sense of hope. Miss Hernandez's emotional and powerful words had clearly touched the jurors, and they could see that they were starting to look more sympathetic. For the first time in a long time, they felt like they had a chance of winning the case.

But as the trial drew to a close, they knew that they still had a long way to go. The jury would have to deliberate and come to a decision, and there was no telling what that decision would be. All they could do was wait and hope that justice would be served.
———————————————————————————
The trial came to a close, and the jury retired to deliberate. Ryan and Mia sat in their lawyer's office, their hearts pounding with anticipation. They had done their best to present their case, but they knew that it was out of their hands now. All they could do was wait and hope for the best.

After what felt like an eternity, the jury returned with their verdict. The judge read it aloud, and Ryan and Mia held their breath.

"In the case of Thomson vs. Thomson, we the jury find the defendant, Dominic Thomson, guilty of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race and ethnicity," the judge said, his voice ringing out in the courtroom.

Ryan and Mia let out a sigh of relief, tears of joy streaming down their faces. They had done it. They had stood up to their father's bigotry and racism, and they had won.

"Thank you, your honor," their lawyer said, shaking their hands. "This is a huge victory for Ryan and Mia, and for all the victims of discrimination and harassment. We hope that this case sends a strong message and serves as a warning to anyone who thinks that they can get away with treating others unfairly because of the color of their skin or their ethnicity."

As they left the courtroom, hand in hand, Ryan and Mia knew that their fight was not over. There was still a long way to go in the fight for equality and justice, but they were determined to keep fighting. They had proven that they were strong, and that they would not be silenced. And they knew that, together, they could overcome anything.