Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 425: Chapter 309: Settlement (2)

"I’m warning you, Feng. I never resort to violence in my cases. Everything has to be handled cleanly before I get involved; otherwise, it jeopardizes the integrity of the case."

Lawyer Peyton issued a stern reminder. As a reputable attorney, he valued the integrity of a case above all else and would not tolerate any factor that might compromise it.

"You’ve misunderstood, sir. Lady Valery was in a car accident on the way here. That’s why she’s in this state." Seeing the situation turning sour, Feng Mountain quickly explained. He then glanced at Valerie, a clear suggestion in his eyes. "Isn’t that right?"

For the 100,000 US Dollar.

Valerie was now hanging on Feng Mountain’s every word.

Never mind a car accident; if Feng Mountain had told her to say she’d just rowed a boat back from Somalia, she would’ve done it without a second thought.

"That’s right. Some bastard was drinking a beer while driving and ran my car into a ditch. If Mr. Feng hadn’t helped me, I’d still be out there waiting for a tow truck," Valerie said, playing along with Feng Mountain’s story and embellishing it as if it were true.

Since they both told the same story, Lawyer Peyton didn’t press the matter.

After all, with no hard evidence to the contrary, he had to take their word for it for the time being.

He then turned to Valerie and said politely,

"Hello, ma’am. I’m Peyton, the attorney for Mr. Yves. Procedurally, the parties shouldn’t be meeting at this stage. However, before we begin formal proceedings, I’d like to ask if you are willing to enter into settlement negotiations."

The words were barely out of his mouth when Valerie, as if clutching a lifeline, began nodding frantically. "I’ll settle! No problem!"

!!!

Lawyer Peyton was a little surprised.

From his prior conversations with Yves, he knew she had absolutely no intention of settling.

That was why they had filed the motion to change custody in the first place.

But now, the moment the defendant appeared, she had immediately agreed to settle.

The reversal was just too abrupt.

It made the entire motion to change custody seem redundant.

It seemed there was nothing left for him, the lawyer, to do.

"Well, a settlement is the best-case scenario." Lawyer Peyton quickly composed himself and nodded. He then turned to Judge Modi Watts beside him. "Your Honor, I request we begin settlement proceedings and convene a settlement conference."

"Wonderful. That will make my job a lot easier." A relieved smile spread across Judge Modi Watts’s face, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Everyone, please follow me. I hope you don’t mind the industrial flavor of the courthouse coffee."

The group followed the judge toward the settlement conference room.

Inside was a spacious room with a long table in the center.

Yves’s party sat on one side of the long table. Their entourage was quite large, numbering six or seven people including Feng Mountain. In stark contrast, Valerie sat all alone on the other side.

Judge Modi Watts took his seat at the head of the table, with Joanna, who wore many hats, beside him.

She was his assistant, the stenographer, and the videographer all in one.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the settlement conference regarding the custody of Fiona. I will be presiding, Ms. Joanna will be keeping the record, and the entire conference will be recorded on video. Are there any objections from either side?" Judge Modi Watts announced in a professional tone, his gaze sweeping over both parties.

"No objections," Yves said, shaking his head first, his expression calm.

"Okay," Valerie quickly added, also shaking her head. Her eyes betrayed a nervous urgency; she just wanted to get this over with and collect the money.

With no objections from either party, the settlement conference officially began.

Judge Modi Watts nodded slightly and turned to Yves. "Very well. Mr. Yves, please state your settlement terms and personal requests."

"I am willing to pay 100,000 US Dollar as compensation for full custody of Fiona. I will not require any child support payments, nor will I restrict visitation. She can see Fiona anytime she wants."

Yves slowly raised his head and looked at Valerie, stating the amount Feng Mountain had just proposed, along with his own thoughts.

Although things between them had turned sour and their relationship had fractured, a part of Yves still held onto his past feelings for Valerie.

Furthermore, the 100,000 US Dollar was within his financial means and served as a form of compensation for Valerie.

He just hoped that once she had the money, she could get her life back on track and start over.

Judge Modi Watts turned to Valerie and spoke earnestly, objectively analyzing her current situation.

"Lady Valery, do you accept Mr. Yves’s offer and compensation? I have reviewed the evidence Mr. Yves has submitted, and it is very damning. If this proceeds to litigation, you likely won’t receive any compensation and you will lose custody of your child. I hope you will consider this carefully."

As the facilitator of the settlement conference, Judge Modi Watts could not show any obvious bias.

He was also required to evaluate the parties’ requests, help them understand the potential strengths and weaknesses of their cases, and encourage them to consider settling.

In normal judicial proceedings,

to ensure judicial fairness and independence, the settlement judge and the trial judge are typically different individuals.

This is because having the same judge preside over both the settlement and the trial could negatively impact the latter.

For example, any preconceptions formed during settlement negotiations could compromise their objectivity during the trial.

In other words, with Judge Modi Watts presiding over this settlement conference,

if Valerie ultimately refused to settle,

then by regulation, the trial judge would have to be replaced.

The case might even have to be moved to a different district court to ensure the integrity of the judicial process remained intact.

Of course,

the judicial system, like any human institution, was not immune to personal connections and under-the-table dealings.

Lawyer Peyton’s very presence, given his relationship with the judge, was a clear violation of judicial protocol.

If Valerie had a competent lawyer of her own to investigate the backgrounds of Lawyer Peyton and the others involved, this lawsuit could have become far more complex and unpredictable.

Unfortunately, Valerie’s mind was solely focused on getting the money as quickly as possible; she couldn’t care less about any behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

Even if Feng Mountain hadn’t offered a single cent, Sheriff Ronnie’s warning still echoed in her ears like gospel. She didn’t dare entertain any other ideas; her only option was to go with the flow and settle as quickly as possible.

The conference assistant, Joanna, walked over to Valerie, gently placed a thick stack of documents on the table, and said softly,

"Lady Valery, this is the evidence provided by the opposing party. Please review it carefully. If you have any questions about its contents, you can raise your objections at any time."

Valerie’s gaze fell blankly on the documents.

She gave them only a cursory glance before slowly raising her head to look at Fiona, who was hiding in Yves’s arms.

’Once, Fiona used to hide in my arms just like that, enjoying her mother’s protection.’

’But at some point, everything had silently changed.’

’Thinking back, it felt like many years had passed.’

Now, looking at Yves again, the resentment in her heart had long since evaporated, replaced by a profound sense of guilt.

’I clearly remember it was Yves who had given up his precious chance to go to college to protect my reputation.’

’It was Yves who had chosen to become a soldier, stepping onto a brutal battlefield without a second thought, just so Fiona and I could have a stable life.’

’And it was Yves who, to protect Fiona at all costs, had even ended up homeless, tasting every hardship life had to offer.’

’And me? I was like a greedy gadfly, constantly feeding on Yves’s lifeblood, selfishly enjoying my so-called "liberated" life.’

’If only I hadn’t gone down the wrong path back then.’

’Maybe we would still be a happy family of three.’

’Living together, happy and whole.’

At these thoughts, tears of regret burst forth like a river breaking through a dam.

They streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.

....