The Phantom Heiress Rising From The Shadows

Chapter 153 Do You Enjoy Watching Your Own Fam...noveldrama

In the audience, many seats were filled by familles, mostly parents in their fifties and sixties who had come to support their daughters.

Brenna noticed how modestly they were dressed. Their dothes were simple, and their faces showed the wear of years spent enduring life's hardships. Some had traveled a long way just to witness the sentencing of the Moreno family,

A family of three, seated closest to the aisle, stood and thanked Thiago. The woman, in her fifties and wearing a faded plaid shirt, had tears streaming down her cheeks. "Thank you, Mr. Moreno. Without you, we might never have seen that monster face justice. My daughter carried the weight of her pain alone for so long

Thiago stepped forward and gently replied, "You don't have to thank me. I'm the one who should thank you for having the courage to testify. Just like your daughter, I'm a victim, too. And together, we'll make sure that despicable family pays for everything they've done to us."

The woman nodded and dabbed at her tears with a tissue. Standing quietly behind her was a girl with long hair, her face hidden behind a black mask and large sunglasses.

Though her features were concealed, her outfit hinted at someone once full of confidence and beauty.

Brenna guessed the girl had likely endured serious emotional trauma at the hands of the Moreno family, the kind that left deep, lasting scars. That was why she was refusing to show her face.

Other families in the audience also came forward, each expressing their gratitude to Thiago in their own way.

However, not everyone found the strength to come here. Some who had been hurt chose to remain silent, still unable to face the matter.

After a while, Thiago and Brenna took their seats in the front row and quietly waited for the trial to begin. Soon, the judge entered the courtroom, took his seat, and officially announced the start of the trial.

Roberto, Jovie, and Harlan were brought out, flanked by armed personnel and dressed in prison uniforms. Roberto and Harlan had their hair cropped short and looked unkempt, yet they still carried themselves with arrogance. Their eyes brazenly swept over the audience without a hint of shame.

Harlan was the worst of the three. He didn't look the least bit concerned about being sentenced. When he spotted the victims among the crowd, he even sneered, his gaze filled with contempt.

Jovie came last. Her long hair was pulled back with a plain hairband, and she wore no makeup. Whatever charm and sophistication she had once flaunted had long faded. She now looked like an ordinary woman past her prime.

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< Chapter 153 Do You Enjoy Watching Your Own Family Fall Apart

The three of them still clung to the belief that their troubles were merely financial.

In their minds, a fine would be enough for them to walk free.

But when they spotted Thiago seated in the front row, they realized that things were about to go terribly wrong

for them.

The victims' families, furious at Harlan's smug arrogance, couldn't hold back any longer. Shouts erupted across the courtroom. Some even rushed forward, landing punches and kicks on Harlan before the guards could

intervene.

The judge banged the gavel several times. "If you don't remain quiet, you'll be removed from the courtroom."

Only then did the crowd settle down and slowly return to their seats.

Roberto didn't know that most of the families in attendance were there to testify against Harlan. The ones he did recognize were residents who had been harmed during one of the Moreno family's brutal demolition projects.

At the very front sat a grieving family-an elderly couple in their seventies and a young woman in her early

twenties.

During the incident, the son of the family had been beaten to death by the demolition team. Not long after, his wife had taken her own life.

Now, only the aging couple and their granddaughter remained in the family.

"You bastard! Give me back my son and daughter-in-law!" the elderly man bellowed while pointing at Roberto with a trembling finger.

However, Roberto showed no remorse. In his mind, he had already paid compensation for the demolition. If they had refused to move, that was their fault. Getting beaten was just a consequence of their stubbornness.

He stood at the defendant's stand, looking unbothered. His chin was even lifted with arrogance. Meanwhile, Harlan let his gaze drift toward the rows of girls who had come to testify. Only one stood out in his memory-a girl with a stunning figure and a soft, innocent face. He had tormented her for three days and nights, dragging in his friends and filming every moment.

The memory was vivid in his mind.

She had never given her consent. And afterward, he had tossed ten thousand at her and told her to disappear.

The girl came from a poor family with no money or influence.

She had reported Harlan to the police, but he had connections. Not only had he walked free, but he had also turned the tables and threatened her. If she didn't stay quiet, her entire family would pay the price.

The girl had even been detained for two weeks.

The whole thing was buried and forgotten until Thiago found the girl. Her family had agreed to testify at once. Harlan finally understood why so many victims were in the courtroom. His eyes snapped to Thiago, and he barked, "You brought them here, didn't you? You're part of the Moreno family, too. Do you enjoy watching your own family fall apart?"

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Chapter 153 Do You Enjoy Watching Your Own Family Fall Apart

Roberto turned to Thiago as well and glared at him. "You ungrateful brat. I'm your father. He's your brother. And this is how you treat your family, bringing us down?"