Breaking Mr. Cold (Giselle and Donovan) novel Chapter 470

Before Giselle could even manage to respond to Lauren's sarcasm, Ethan lost his patience and snapped, "We're here to settle this privately. Just tell us what you want. If it's about money, we can work it out. As long as you agree to drop the case quickly, we can negotiate anything."

Ethan was sure this was a setup. To him, the woman in front of him was no victim. She was the real culprit, shameless and undeserving of any courtesy.

Lauren kept up her act of a fragile, wounded woman. Rubbing her reddened eyes, she said softly, "You don't need to humiliate me. The pain I've gone through isn't something any woman could easily handle. I want other women to feel empowered to stand up for themselves, so I'm not agreeing to any settlement. The law should decide what happens."

Hearing Lauren's lofty, self-righteous words, Giselle let out a snort. She could see that Lauren truly had no interest in money and wasn't looking to settle. Her face looked weary and sorrowful, but the slyness in her eyes was unmistakable.

Ethan quickly lost patience and issued a sharp warning. "Do you really intend to handle this through the law? You know exactly what happened in this case. If you insist on taking it to court, don't expect any chance to back out later."

In Ethan's view, a man of Donovan's status would never lack sexual opportunities. He could barely handle the attention he already received, so the idea of him committing sexual assault was absurd, unless he had some unusual fetish.

Ethan knew Donovan well. He was deeply absorbed in his work, highly disciplined and restrained, and extremely picky with women.

Lauren's boyfriend slammed the table and said firmly, "Stop threatening us. My girlfriend was raped by Donovan, and she suffers every day. She even talks about suicide. I can't leave her side. We just saw her psychologist yesterday."

Ethan muttered in frustration, "Another plan? You don't know how slow the courts are here. Don't expect to get him out in less than six months!"

The lawyer added, "It's still worth trying to gain the plaintiff's understanding. Even if today's negotiation fails, we can follow up later and look for any inconsistencies in her statements. The key is to remain calm and maintain a composed demeanor."

Giselle ignored the lawyer's advice. More than anyone, she wanted Donovan freed as soon as possible. She didn't have time to waste, and she wasn't about to beg for a settlement in front of Lauren. Instead, she quietly started planning her next move.