This is SD Hudson Magic.
Welcome to episode 10 of my first ever romantic sleep story.
The last time we saw Rebecca Tregoren,
She was leaving Scott Lake Towers after making sure Olivia knew just how far Jake would go to make good the damage she'd done.
Jake,
Meanwhile,
Had realized he owed it to his father and Olivia to show allegiance in their upcoming court battle.
But before we begin,
Let's take a moment to focus on where we are now.
It is time to relax and fully let go.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Then let it out on a long sigh.
That's it.
This is your time and your place.
Feel your body melt into the support beneath you and know that you are safe.
Notice how your shoulders melt away from your neck and feel the pressure seep away from your cheeks and let your eyelids relax as we escape into another time and another place.
And here we are at Glenroth Hotel,
The lockheir in Fort Scott Lake,
Where Olivia Cartwright is up to something.
You were on fire last night,
Said the tall,
Lean man in the night blue suit.
He had an eye for the immaculate and so far,
Olivia Cartwright had ticked every box.
He arranged,
Then rearranged his tie,
Making sure to touch each collar in turn.
Then he took a tissue from the box in reception and wiped his thin hands thoroughly.
He liked this woman.
She knew the rules and was happy to play the game.
And she wasn't bad to look at either.
Make sure you check out before anyone notices,
He said.
Then he left via the back exit.
Olivia checked her phone.
The court hearing was at 12.
That would give her time to get showered and back to Scott Lake Towers.
Then the right honorable Lord McRae would do his thing and it would all be over.
Meanwhile,
In Rebecca's apartment,
Anika was feeling very nervous.
I know this means we're going to get support from the government,
But Mr.
Fairmore's been so good to us,
She said.
I don't want to let him down or get him in trouble.
Let's just see what happens,
Shall we?
Said Rebecca.
It's not worth worrying about now.
You just have to tell the truth,
Anika.
Scott Lake Industries has to pay for the choices they've made.
Otherwise,
This is going to keep happening,
Added Paul from behind the kitchen counter.
At the end of the day,
Jake Fairmore is trying to protect a company that supports cruelty and abuse,
And that puts him in the wrong.
Rebecca flinched.
It sounded so bad when it was said out loud,
But Paul was right.
That was exactly what Jake was doing.
It was almost time to leave.
With Ahmed safely in school,
They could watch the events play out without fear of him knowing.
There must be an end to the threats and the repercussions,
So Rebecca could draw a line under Scott Lake Industries and everything associated with it.
She checked her phone.
Exactly what was she looking for?
She didn't know.
An apology?
How ridiculous.
And wasn't Paul standing right next to her?
He'd been a rock throughout.
Even if she had insisted they were just good friends.
He was obviously playing the long game.
And Rebecca had to admit,
The more he stood by her,
And the more time that passed,
The more viable an option he became.
Half an hour later,
They were making their way into Scott Lake Crown Court,
Surrounded by journalists from the local press,
Eager for a juicy scoop.
Miss Singh,
How do you feel now it's all out in the open?
Called one.
What conviction are you hoping for?
Came another.
Rebecca's hackles went up.
How on earth did they know about this?
She pulled a neeker into her,
And looked to Paul for assistance.
But to her horror,
He was busy chatting to the same man she'd seen him with in McGinty's The Week.
What's he playing at?
She said to herself.
This was unexpectedly low of him.
The last thing a neeker needed at a time like this was publicity.
She was struggling enough as it was.
What are you doing,
Paul?
Rebecca screamed.
She could feel her temper rising.
She hated petty jealousy,
And this attempt to undermine Jake publicly was a mistake.
This attempt to undermine Jake publicly was nothing short of pathetic.
Come on,
A neeker.
I've got you,
She said.
Just ignore them.
They struggled inward,
And headed straight for the powder room,
Wherein they could rearrange their bruised pride.
Being in the right was one thing,
But being forced to make a display of it on the front page of the local rag was something completely different.
A neeker deserved to walk into the court with her head held high,
But they'd been forced to shuffle in like two naughty schoolchildren.
Not only that,
Now everyone at Ahmed's school will be gossiping about it too.
I'm so sorry,
A neeker,
She said through gritted teeth.
I had no idea the papers would be here,
And when they finally entered the courtroom,
It was all Rebecca could do to refrain from giving Paul a piece of her mind.
All rise.
They faced the defense.
Jake and Olivia stood resolute on the opposite side of the courtroom with their lawyers and various attendees.
As far as rumor had it,
Old man Cartwright was in hospital and was ignorant of what was about to take place.
Rebecca averted her eyes.
She'd seen enough of them together the week before,
And she didn't leave reminding of just how low Jake had stooped.
The crown against Scotlake Industries,
Came the announcement.
Then in walked the right honorable Lord Macrae.
Olivia's smile said all there was to say.
There had to be some benefits to belonging to Fenmore alumni,
And Peter Macrae was one of them.
And so the proceedings began.
First,
The court heard of the recent prosecution of an exploitation gang in London.
Then the focus turned to Scotlake Industries and how it had allegedly used their labor in the production of their commercial goods.
The lawyer for Scotlake Industries put forward a plea of not guilty,
And the defense claimed it could prove they had put in place reasonable procedures to prevent the facilitation of such.
Rebecca's derisive snort was met with contempt.
She was doing her best to keep it together,
But watching Anika sink lower and lower into her chair,
She couldn't help herself.
Jake,
Meanwhile,
Had traveled back to when he first got an inkling things were not as they seemed.
Old man Cartwright had singled him out as a favorite from the first,
But he was a cautious man and had kept the truth about his identity for a considerable time.
Jake had been at Scotlake Industries for three whole months when he embarked on his journey.
He embarked on his first trip to India.
It was only then he discovered the depth of Olivia's deception,
And only then Olivia demanded her stepfather told the truth about who he was so Jake would not leave and expose her.
Jake was shocked when he found out what Olivia was up to and determined to do something to make it right,
But now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place,
Stuck between trying to protect his father from the ugly truth,
And trying to protect Anika and Ahmed from their fate at the hands of an immigration gang.
If this all went wrong,
He would be the one who was prosecuted.
Doubtless,
Olivia would have a contingency plan to protect herself.
She had certainly destroyed all the associated paperwork and covered her tracks every step of the way,
And sure enough,
After some deliberation,
The defense proved there was no evidence to suggest any payments made were linked to this immigration gang.
Anika was asked to testify,
But to Rebecca's horror,
As she made her way to the stand,
She took one look at Olivia Cartwright and collapsed.
A written statement will suffice,
Said Lord Macrae.
So that is what happened.
Anika produced a statement,
Which she was careful to ensure served only to commend the behavior of the man who had saved her.
I'm sorry,
Rebecca,
She whispered.
I just can't.
I understand,
Anika,
It's okay.
Rebecca soothed.
Everything will be okay.
She realized now she had expected too much of her friend and shooting daggers at her enemy from across the crowded courtroom,
Rebecca had no choice but to accept the prosecution had reached an impasse and would now turn its attention to Jake Fairmole.
So when you first visited New Delhi and the factories there,
You had no idea there was any sign of misconduct,
Said the barrister for the prosecution.
No,
Said Jake,
But being naturally curious,
I was keen to see the London factory for myself.
So I chose to visit it before returning to Scotland.
And when was this?
About three months after I joined Scotlake Industries.
And there you discovered the truth and managed to rescue Anika Singh.
Is that correct?
I stumbled upon a woman and her son living in squalid conditions.
They were forced into slave labor,
But there was no evidence to my mind this was in any way connected with Scotlake Industries.
That's a lie,
Said Rebecca to herself.
It must be.
And you have been supporting this woman ever since without informing the authorities.
Is that also correct?
Jake's face dropped.
Yes,
He said.
Rebecca listened intently.
Jake was withholding information.
He must have known Scotlake Industries was using child labor,
But he didn't admit it.
And that made him just as guilty as Olivia.
She watched him closely for any sign of weakness.
But Jake Fairmore had a great poker face.
There is no doubt about it.
Jake,
Meanwhile,
Was exhausted.
Not only had he been keeping this secret from his father,
He had also been keeping it from the law.
They broke for recess.
And after they returned,
Lord Macrae summed up what he considered to be an open and shut case.
You have avoided going through the correct channels,
But there is no doubt you've changed the course of the story.
There is no doubt you've changed Miss Singh's life for the better.
He said to Jake,
You will be prosecuted for withholding information,
But I am convinced your intentions were honorable and you were on the way to registering Miss Singh and her son legally.
Furthermore,
I appreciate you have taken on the well-being of Miss Singh and her son personally to include finding her meaningful,
Voluntary work and organizing academic support.
And I am satisfied you are taking all appropriate steps to legal her documentation.
But this hasn't been done within the time frame.
You will therefore face a considerable fine,
Jake Fairmore,
And are best advised to go through the correct procedures in future.
I therefore conclude,
There has not been enough evidence to support a conviction of the knowledge of child labor use by Scott Lake Industries.
At this point,
Lord McRae looked directly at Olivia.
I would,
However,
Suggest more stringent methods are adopted in future to negate all possibility of association with such.
All rise.
And as Olivia made a public display of congratulating Jake on a job well done,
Rebecca took a knee to his arm and left with Paul trailing meekly behind.
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you did,
Please consider following me to hear more and look out for further episodes produced just for you.
