Divorced Heiress
Chapter 121

The emergency launch was a great success, just like the collaboration with Innova and LC, the results have been favorable for Doinel.

Similarly, L&J was growing rapidly, which was very beneficial for better results, adding to that the capital injected by Alexander as an investment partner and the royalties from the collaborating companies.

Although everything was going as planned, the financial chaos continued, but at least we managed to recover enough to support three more collections that should be as successful as they had been for many years. It was the only viable way to avoid cutting staff and make everyone's effort worthwhile. Of course, it would be worth it.

I said goodbye for the last time to Tristan, who insisted on wanting to go with his parents and not stay with Maga, but this time I had to firmly say no as an answer.

Today was the day of the trial against the Dubois, and my son could not attend. I wanted him as far away as possible from those people, no matter how well guarded they may be. It wasn't a place for my son.

"I still think you shouldn't have let that climbing harpy go so easily. Who assures you that she didn't run to tell everything to Paul? And now they must be planning something bigger and more detrimental to all of us. If I had her in front of me, I would have stripped her bare with my own hands and then left her lying in a police station along with the recording, she would have been perfect for the trial." Abby said, still upset about letting Monica go without any punishment.

"She ended up collaborating by confessing Paul's plans. I highly doubt she will contact him again. He hasn't given her a cent and won't give her any either. His accounts are frozen, he has no way of buying people as he has been doing for years. I wouldn't gain anything by stripping his with my hands, and her statement wouldn't carry much weight in the trial. What was she going to say? Paul ordered me to end Alexander and Sarah's relationship. That's nothing compared to Paul's crimes. Monica is just a model, I don't consider her a threat to all of us." I responded for the umpteenth time as we walked towards the car where Alexander and Vincent were waiting for us.

"You're impossible, really. I just hope you didn't make a mistake by letting her go." Abby said, annoyed by my response, before getting into the back seat of my car.

Despite the doubts, I had the feeling that Monica had learned her lesson and wouldn't contact Paul again, unless she just wanted to waste her time waiting for a payment that would never come. I remained silent throughout the journey, drumming my fingers against the steering wheel and ignoring the conversation between Alexander, Abby, and Vincent.

"I can't wait to hear when they're sentenced to life imprisonment. They deserve to spend the rest of their lives locked up and rot in jail." Abby spat venom against her family as she got out of the car, as if she didn't have the same blood running through her veins, as if they didn't share the same last name or as if they were just strangers, mere criminals, and admired her strength.

"What time does it start?" Vincent asked, looking at his watch and after seeing the time, I responded.

"It will start anytime now." I said, realizing that we had arrived just in time for the trial. I had to hurry, I didn't want to miss even the slightest detail.

I linked my arm with Alexander's and walked quickly, feeling the nerves bubbling in my system. I just wanted this nightmare to end, to have them sentenced and not have to know anything more about Paul and his mother.

We arrived just in time, because as soon as we entered the courtroom, the judge ordered to begin with the case.

I stayed silent in my seat, listening carefully to the accusations of my lawyers, and I was surprised to see familiar and unfamiliar faces as witnesses.

With each testimony, I could understand who they were. Each and every one of the intermediaries that the Dubois hired to commit a crime.

The hitman with whom Rachel blackmailed Alexander. The mechanic who tampered with my parents' jet. The notary who helped Paul with the papers for the transfer of company shares. The kidnappers that Mrs. Dubois hired years ago to kidnap me when I was a child.

A couple of criminals who followed Paul's orders to make more people who interfered with his plans disappear. And to everyone's surprise and the misfortune of the Dubois, lawyer Richman, who handled all the legal cases of the family, presented evidence of illegal and fraudulent processes.

At this point, I was completely perplexed, I didn't understand what was happening, my head was a sea of confusion, I had no idea where the witnesses for each crime came from and how each one recounted the events so precisely, some with evidence in hand, despite the passing years.

Did my lawyers achieve all of this?

The Dubois' defense became increasingly ridiculous in the face of such compelling evidence, the direction of the trial was clear.

"I want to call my last witnesses to the stand." Said my lawyer, and I felt relieved and confident that his last witnesses would give as good testimonies as all the previous ones; he was doing a great job.

"Mr. Leonardo Doinel and Mrs. Joelle Doinel." He announced. My heart stopped upon hearing those names, and I couldn't move a muscle. My breathing became erratic, as if I had just finished running a marathon, and in the next moment, my heart started pounding strongly in my chest.

I focused all my attention on the witness stand, eagerly awaiting the familiar faces I had longed to see since I thought they were dead. It couldn't be that I misheard. No, I knew what I heard. They called my parents.

A genuine smile adorned my face as I saw my parents approaching the stand. The lump in my throat made it hard to breathe, and tears of happiness escaped my eyes. It was them, they were alright, they were here, they were back.

I could see the reaction of the accused when they saw my parents. The mother and son looked at each other in disbelief, and understandably so.

They swore that my parents were dead, even though their bodies were never found. I felt a hand squeezing my leg, and without looking, I knew it was Alexander, conveying his support, even without uttering a word.

The lawyer began a series of questions, and for a moment, I stopped hearing the rest of the world.

I only wanted to hear the voices of my father and mother.

I needed it.

"We have known the Dubois family for many years. Mrs. Dubois wanted me to cancel my marriage to run away with her, even though I never gave her any hope of starting a romance. I wouldn't trade Joelle for anything in the world." My father testified, and I smiled through tears. That was how I remembered my parents, demonstrating every day how lucky they were to have each other.

"I thought that would be the end of it, but it wasn't. Years later, when my daughter Sarah Doinel was a child, they attempted to kidnap her. When they failed, we hid her from the outside world to protect her, not knowing that the enemy was closer than we imagined. But since they didn't try anything else against us, we let our guard down. Mrs. Dubois was the mastermind behind the kidnapping of my daughter."

"Objection." The Dubois' lawyer objected to my father's statement, but the judge overruled it, allowing my father to continue his testimony.

"It was only years later that she, along with her son Paul, orchestrated a plan to ruin my daughter's marriage with businessman Alexander Lancaster. In this way, Paul would have the opportunity to marry her and claim the Doinel fortune, an inheritance that Mrs. Dubois assumes belongs to her.

"This plan set off a series of events that nearly ended the lives of my wife and me, manipulating a private plane to crash thirty minutes after takeoff. While we were presumed dead, we took action on our part.

"With the help of my lawyers, we sought out all those involved in the Dubois' crimes to give their testimonies and planned the capture Paul, who tricked me into signing over my shares and then vanished, taking illegal possession of a company that already belonged entirely to my daughter, Sarah Doinel. Not satisfied with that, he embezzled from the company, leaving it nearly bankrupt. The evidence has already been presented." My father concluded his testimony and was invited to take a seat in the courtroom. The Dubois family followed every move he made with their eyes until they sat four seats ahead of me. The desire to go to them and embrace them was overwhelming, but I held back because the trial was not yet over.

"It is time to deliver my verdict." The judge announced, and the courtroom fell into complete silence, awaiting the maximum punishment for these suit-clad criminals.

"Considering the evidence and investigations against Paul Dubois, all his accounts have been frozen, especially the overseas accounts that received substantial sums of money in the name of Doinel Enterprises. The money will be returned in its entirety to the sending company. Additionally, all the money obtained during his fraudulent tenure as President of Doinel will be confiscated, along with everything acquired under his name, and handed over to the legitimate President, Sarah Doinel."

I was petrified to hear the judge's words, his decision was like a ray of light in the midst of darkness. It was like a big boost after hitting rock bottom.

"The money would return to Doinel, covering every financial inconsistency and saving it from bankruptcy. Everything was getting back on track." I thought.

"I can't believe it, Doinel is back on top. Take that, you miserable one, you don't have a cent left." Abby celebrated quietly by my side, and Vincent gave her a slight nudge to keep her composure.

"The court unanimously declares a guilty verdict against Paul Dubois, he is found guilty of the crimes he is accused of and is sentenced to thirty-five years in prison without parole. And Margaret Dubois is sentenced to fifteen years in prison without parole." The judge announced. Hearing the sentence, I felt inexplicably relieved, as if all the weight on my shoulders had disappeared with a snap.

Abby threw herself at me to hug me, but I knew it wasn't in a celebratory manner. Although she denied it, this situation affected her. It wasn't easy for her to witness the judge sentencing her mother and brother, let alone see the officers take them away in handcuffs, ruined.

I wrapped my arms around Abby while keeping my gaze on Paul, who looked at me in the coldest way as he was escorted by the officers.

Despite seeing him like that and having the certainty that he would no longer be a problem for us while locked up for perhaps the rest of his life, I felt uneasy about that look that didn't convey anything good.

After four hours in the Dubois trial, we walked out into the hallway, still celebrating this great achievement. Finally, the Dubois would pay, and we would never have to see their faces again.

However, I couldn't fully concentrate on that because my eyes kept searching among the people for the faces of my parents. I was anxious for them to come out once and for all so I could give them the hug I had saved for so long.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw them coming out, linked arm in arm. Immediately, I let go of Alexander's hand and ran towards them, embracing them with my arms and inhaling the scent emanating from their bodies, the exquisite fragrance of each one that I would remember even if I had amnesia. Their warm arms enveloped me, making me feel safe, complete, and utterly happy.

I had so much to say to them, but the words got stuck in my throat along with the knot that prevented me from breathing normally. Tears escaped from my eyes one after another, and I closed them to engrave in my memory the sensation of that embrace that made me feel at home.

"Darling, we're back, and this time to stay." My mother was the first to speak, her voice choked and perhaps a tear adorning her cheek.

"You have no idea how much we missed you, my Sari, you and Tristan, we missed you so much. I'm so proud of you, of everything you have achieved." My father's voice so close made me break down in tears, and his arms held me tightly.

I owed everything to them. Without their help, I don't know what I would have done. Perhaps Paul would still have the power over Doinel, perhaps L&J wouldn't have had good outcomes, perhaps...

No. I wasn't going to think about what could have happened because the past didn't exist. This was reality.

Doinel in my hands, L&J thriving, Paul and his mother in jail, and my parents back home.

That was how it should be.

"Thank you for never abandoning me. I missed you." The words barely came out of my mouth after my tears ceased, but they were very understandable. I stepped back to look at them carefully, storing every detail of their faces in my memory. "We would never abandon you. You are our reason for happiness. If you're okay, we'll be okay." My mother spoke with such tenderness that I felt like a child.

"We have so much to talk about, so much to sort out." My mother said, looking behind me with complicity, and soon I knew that what she wanted to talk about was not just the time we were apart but something more.

"Mr. Leonardo, Mrs. Joelle, I'm so glad you're back and that you've returned safely." Alexander approached with a smile to greet my parents and extended his hand to shake my father's hand. But the latter took him by surprise, pulling him into a hug, patting his back. "I think you already know what I mean." My mother finished saying just for me to hear, and she winked at me before joining in the embrace with Alexander.

So, I stood still in my place, silently observing Alexander who looked happy while talking to my parents about God knows what, because I had stopped listening to them since the moment my mother dropped that on me like a bucket of cold water that made me come to my senses.

There was nothing to worry about except myself, my life, my family, Tristan, and his future. I had focused so much on the problems that overwhelmed me, robbing me of peace, that I had put everything else on the back burner.

With the return of my parents, I realized it was time to take control of my life. And yes, I was becoming more certain that I wanted to share my life with that man I fell in love with, the first man in my life, my ex-husband and the father of my son. Today more than ever, I was certain that Alexander Lancaster was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my days with, to build our family, take care of Tristan as it should have been from the beginning, and grow together in our professional lives. We lost a lot of time thanks to people who wanted to hurt us and the disappearance of my parents made me realize that no one knows when it will be their turn to disappear and not have the same luck to return.

Why waste more time?