Blackmailing His Runaway Bride by Dance-is-me (free biff chip and kipper ebooks .txt) 📕

After the man named Tim Godfrey took an oath, he sat at the far end of the table, the position that was opposite the Judge. 

The sight of the Hawaiian shirt the chubby-looking man was putting on tried to jog Isabella's memory. So, with growing curiosity, she placed her attention on Tim Godfrey who failed to wipe away the jolly smile on his face.

One of the suited men that sat to the right of the Presiding Judge started to speak, asking, "How long have you known the couple, Mr. Godfrey?"

"For about a year." 

Isabella knew that the man was familiar. But she was yet to figure out where she had seen him.

"A year..." The panelists started to take notes. Lifting his head from the document in front of him, the naturally demanding tone in the questioner's voice resumed. "Can you tell the court who you had a relationship with?"

Mr. Godfrey nodded his head toward Manifold. "I know Gabriel."

"How would you describe Gabriel's attitude towards his wife?" 

"Gabriel really loves his wife." Isabella almost sneered at the feigned emotion in his voice. "As far as I know, he is a good husband to her. Sometimes," Tim Godfrey exhaled as though reminiscing about a great event, "when I visit them, Gabriel makes me so jealous because he always cares for her in an enviable way. There are times I would meet him in the kitchen. He takes good care of her and I am sure Mrs. Manifold felt loved."

"What if that was just a show?"

"A show?" As Mr. Godfrey snickered, Isabella instantly recalled where she had met him. He was the drunk guy that greeted her the day she angrily informed Gabriel that she was leaving him. "Even in public, he never failed to show how much he cared about her. This sudden talk about getting a divorce was so unexpected and I can't..." He smacked his lips. "I can't begin to imagine the pain Gabriel is feeling right now."

Isabella could not afford to be angered by the man and his lies. To the best of her knowledge, Gabriel had probably bribed Tim Godfrey with crates of beer or something. 

Judging by how recklessly drunk Mr. Godfrey was that day, it was clear that something as fickle as intoxicating drinks can be used to fill his head with scripted thoughts.

"How close are you with Mr. Manifold exactly?" It was clear that the dark-haired man who was questioning had no intention to spare anything or anyone. 

"We uh..." Mr. Godfrey rubbed the skin of his nose. "... we went to the same college. Yeah, we did." It sounded like he was trying to assure himself of his response.

"Which college?"

"Uh... Lannister."

"Lannister College," the interrogator repeated as he reached for a nearby folder and ran his sight through it. "Mr. Godfrey..." His eyes faced the ever-smiling man at the end of the table. "Do you know giving a false statement could get you into trouble?"

That jolly look of Tim Godfrey collapsed like a deck of cards. "Uh?"

"It says here that Mr. Manifold studied in New York's Business college."

 Isabella frowned. She was surprised to know that Gabriel had that level of education. Heck, she was surprised he went to school at all. If he was such a learned person, one could only wonder why he had such a twisted view about... a lot of things.

 "So... Mr. Godfrey, let's refrain from telling lies. Okay?" The interrogator threw a deadly smile at the witness.

Isabella noticed the chief Judge had her hands tucked underneath her chin as she watched silently.

Tim Godfrey looked slightly flustered and his hands disappeared to beneath the desk. "I... I must have mixed things up actually. Because I met him in college. I am not certain which it was."

A stern look flashed on the bold face of the interrogating Judge, before he said, "One more question, Mr. Godfrey. What is your take on spouses who abuse their other half?"

"Oh," his forehead creased. "I find it disturbing and disgusting. But I would like this court to know that Gabriel never did bad things to his wife. He loved her greatly."

Excusing the abundant lies Mr. Godfrey was spewing, Isabella felt that the question asked was unnecessary. 

But what did she know? She had to trust the experts to do their job.

"Okay, Mr. Godfrey. That will be all. Please make yourself available as much as possible as we may have to request your presence again."

"Definitely." As the man got up, Isabella tried to make eye contact with him but his eyes stayed glued to the floor even as he walked out.

Perhaps he felt guilt for lying grandly in court, Isabella reasoned.

"Hmm..." The presiding Judge spoke. "I see that the defence only submitted a name for the witnesses. So," she raised her head from the paper, "let the plaintiff call in their witness."

"Thank you, your Honour," Mr. Richard said as he got up. "The first witness that will be questioned is Dr. William Jones."

Isabella drew a breath and as the young woman who came with the Judge got up to call the doctor in, Isabella prepared herself. Almost a minute later, the man who, for almost ten years now, had diligently taken care of her health-wise walked in, his head sporting a new look contrary to the curliness his hair used to have.

"Your Honour," his gentle voice greeted before having his seat just where Mr. Godfrey had sat.

This time, it was the second suited man who took on the questioning. From his seated position, it was clear that he was quite tall and he wore his low-cut hairstyle pretty well. His plain white shirt hugged his body, revealing the results of probably several months of workouts. 

Then, with a patient tone in his voice, he said, "Please introduce yourself." 

"Of course. My name is Doctor Williams Jones and I am Isabella Shade's personal doctor."

"Personal doctor? So, you have never attended to her husband, Gabriel Manifold?"