Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 889

Berlin arched an eyebrow with a smirk, "Well then, why don't you have a chat with my lawyer? His name's Mansfield, I'm sure you've heard of him. Quite the legal eagle, that one. And I owe Mr. Whitfield a big thanks for referring such a stellar attorney to my daughter."

Agnes stood there, stunned as if struck by lightning, split right down the middle.

Mansfield, the legal giant, was no stranger to her. He was the ace consultant for the Tim Group, practically Jared's right-hand man in court.

His track record was legendary; the man hadn't lost a case in years. And it was Mr. Mansfield who got Berlin off the hook.

There was no way Jared didn't know about this. In fact, it was probably Jared who had assigned Mansfield...

Agnes couldn't stomach the thought of Jared siding with Berlin, helping him dodge the bullet.

No matter what, she couldn't accept it.

After getting an earful from Berlin, Agnes left the office, her spirits in tatters.

Alyssa hadn't emerged yet.

Agnes sent Alyssa a text before she headed out on her own, back to her hotel. Holding her phone, she hesitated for what felt like an eternity before finally dialing Jared's number.

Jared's voice was cool and detached as he answered, "What's up?"

Truth be told, things between her and Jared had gone south a long time ago.

But Agnes pushed all that aside, needing to confirm one thing, "Jared, Berlin's been acquitted. Did you know about that?"

There was a long silence on the other end before Jared finally said, "Yes, I knew about that."

As Jared remained silent, Agnes felt her heart sinking, sinking without end.

And when Jared finally spoke, it was as if her heart was plunged into an endless abyss.

"So, you knew about Mr. Mansfield's involvement, too?" Agnes was in disbelief.

"I did, but I only found out after the fact."

Agnes fell silent. What difference did it make?

Jared never brought it up to her, implying he had chosen to help Valeria.

Valeria was Berlin's family after all, and regardless of Valeria's actions, Agnes could understand that.

But Jared standing with Valeria was beyond Agnes' comprehension and tolerance.

"Agnes, I'm sorry about this..."

Agnes expected Jared to offer more of an explanation, but there was none, just a simple apology. That one 'sorry' left Agnes feeling utterly heartbroken.

"Jared, I'm so disappointed in you." She hung up without another word.

After ending the call, Agnes felt an icy chill and couldn't stop her hands from trembling slightly.

Jared called back shortly after, but Agnes didn't answer-she turned her phone off instead.

She couldn't articulate what she felt at that moment.

The bone-deep disappointment seemed to crush everything she had ever believed in.

Jared had sided with Valeria. And her father had been killed, yet Jared helped the murderer walk free. Didn't her father mean anything to Jared? Was he not family in Jared's heart? Maybe he once was, but not anymore.

These past days, Agnes had been telling herself to be more forgiving, thinking maybe it was all just a figment of her imagination.

But now, at least, she knew it wasn't an illusion.

Jared had changed, right down to his core.