Rise of a Football God

Kayla stood up.

"…"

The air in the Spanish courtroom was thick with tension.

Mahogany benches lined the room, filled with spectators whispering among themselves. Nobody expected Kayla to stand up instead of Sam's lawyer, they were all surprised and caught off-guard.

The high, arched ceiling of this courtroom echoed every sound, amplifying the weight of the proceedings.

Golden light streamed through the tall windows, illuminating dust motes swirling in the air even as Kayla took a deep breath.

Her hands trembled slightly as she clutched the wooden railing, but her voice, though soft was steady. She wore a modest blue gown, the severity of its cut in stark contrast to the raw emotion flickering in her dark eyes.

"Order!"

The judge bellowed the next moment, bringing order back to the court even as he gestured for the prosecutor to continue.

Before Kayla, the prosecutor, a stern woman in a crisp black robe arched a skeptical brow as she looked at the English woman. "Senorita Kayla," she said, her voice laced with doubt. "Are you telling this court that despite the testimonies, despite the evidence, you still believe in your boyfriend's innocence?"

A murmur rippled through the audience; this court hearing was taking an unexpected turn but Kayla stayed composed.

Lifting her chin, she faced the prosecutor and smiled. "Yes," she said firmly. "I know my boyfriend. He would never and could never do what he is being accused of by the plaintiff".

She slightly inclined her head to look at Amaka; her eyes gleamed with concealed malice. "There are inconsistencies in the accusations".

"…!"

Now, things were getting interesting as everyone perked up.

Kayla faced the judge. "Her evidence; the videos, the images," she took a deep breath. "They were fabricated".

The judge stared at the young Englishwoman. "Are you saying that all of this was fabricated? Our specialists checked and everything correlated. What evidence do you have that supports your claims?"

"This". Kayla brought a USB device from her bag the next moment, showing it to the court.

"Those videos were tampered with".

Her eyes gleamed with determination. "Like your specialists confirmed, the video is not fake. It's real, but their contents were slightly altered".

"That video only shows part of what actually happened on that night".

"This is the real video," she raised the USB device up. "Before I continue my defense, I want this video to be played".

At the other stand in this courtroom, Amaka was fighting hard to keep her composure as she stared at the USB device in Kayla's hand.

No one knew her thoughts, but it was clear that she was no longer as relaxed as when this hearing first started.

'What?!'

'I thought the video editor did a perfect job!'

'And the original video should have been destroyed, so how?!'

No one paid attention to her thoughts though as the real video started being played in a big screen in this courtroom.

The real sequence that happened that night was finally played to the court.

All the deleted parts were recovered and played.

Kayla went to great lengths back in Nigeria to retrieve the original video but in this digital age, with enough money, a lot of things could be accomplished, including retrieving a video that was already deleted.

All the elements that were cut out of the video, including Bryan entering the restroom, Sam waiting outside, then Sam leaving devastated after finding out the truth, to Bryan and Sarah eventually coming out together, everything showed.

By the end of the video, Amaka was as pale as a ghost.

Her lawyer had an ugly expression on her face as she stared at the screen; there was a deafening silence in this courtroom as the attendees stared.

Riding the sudden momentum in her favor, Kayla opened her mouth again. "As you can see, this is the original video showing everything that transpired".

"You can put the USB device through any originality test to confirm that it is not fabricated".

And then, this English woman's sharp eyes turned towards the plaintiff; she glared at Amaka. "Evidence don't lie; this woman framed my boyfriend!"

"Lies!"

"In that night, Sam was the one who was violated, not her".

"Not only did she reject his love, she used him to lure the boy she wanted, had sex with him like a slut in the restroom, and gave no attention to the grief she put him through as a result".

Kayla's eyes flashed with rage as she glared at her. "To think she would still have the guts to pursue this matter years later without any shame!"

"Amaka, you're the most shameless woman I've ever met in my life!"

"You never remembered being violated when Sam struggled for years in the city of Abraka, Nigeria, not even when he played in Enyimba, not when he played for Fulham. But Sam now plays for Barcelona and bam! You suddenly remember being violated sexually," she smiled coldly. "Laughable".

Kayla looked at the judge again. "Your honor, I also have another evidence to support my claims, one of the videos that Amaka made recently".

"In that video, she claimed to be magnanimous, urging my boyfriend to compensate her financially so she could drop this case".

"According to her, she said that because she doesn't want to affect his career," she looked at Amaka disdainfully. "I can confidently tell you now that all that was just bullshit from her!"

"With this new evidence, I hope we now know the truth".

"From the beginning, all she wanted was my boyfriend's money".

"L-l-lies…!" Amaka stammered, too stunned to speak coherently.

Kayla smirked. "Your honor, I hope that with this new evidence, you are now able to see this case from a new light".

"Your honor, she's lying!" Amaka burst into tears right there in the court. "They're framing me, they are planning for my downfall!"

"That video is fabricated!"

"Order!" The judge bellowed the next moment, bringing order back to the court even as Amaka was forced to close her mouth. The judge gestured for one of the court officials to take the USB device.

"Perform another fabrication test".

"This hearing will be adjourned for now; we will be back in 15 minutes".

…

From nowhere, a big twist revealed itself in the Sam case.

Kayla's testimony was as shocking as it was impactful. In the blink of an eye, Sam switched from defensive to attack mode, and he attacked through his girlfriend's sharp words, evidence, and intellectual eloquence in front of the judge. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

15 minutes later, the court hearing continued.

And finally, the judge gave her verdict.

"The result of our I.T team showed that Kayla's version of the video is the correct and original video".@@novelbin@@

"…"

Amaka already expected it but when she heard it from the judge directly, this woman's eyes widened, tears welling in them.

The judge's eyes turned sharp.

"I hereby proclaim Ms. Amaka guilty of defamation!"

Bam!

She slammed her gavel to indicate that her decision was final.

She continued. "Defamation, including accusations of sexual or physical abuse falls under calumnia and injuria as defined in the Spanish Penal Code".

"In Article 205-207 of the Penal Code, it states that if a person falsely accuses someone of a crime, knowing it is untrue, it is punishable by the law".

"In Article 208-210 of the Penal Code, it also states that if the accusation damages the victim's reputation, the fine may be increased".

"In accordance with the law, Ms. Amaka, you have been sentenced to 4 years in prison and a fine of 18 months of your daily earnings being sent to Mr. Samuel Moses as compensation for damages".

"The court is adjourned".

Bam!

Just like that, it was over.