Ten minutes later, Diamond was sitting in the interrogation room across from Agatha, who looked haggard than ever. The time she had spent in the holding cell seemed to be harsh, or was it the stress and pressure of getting imprisoned that got to her?
Either way, she felt relieved upon seeing the guilt and remorse on the other’s face. She must have thought hard about it. Which was very good.
It would be a hassle to forgive someone who wasn’t repentant. She would rather not get any rewards than let her go. Never!
Agatha had somewhat received a public defender who came to negotiate on her behalf. Inside the room, there were five people, including the officer who was overseeing the negotiations.
Diamond honestly didn’t want to spend much time with Agatha or be stuck in such a small room. It felt suffocating, and the sooner she settled the matter, the sooner she could leave.
So, she let Kiara lay the first-round cards on the table first to gauge Agatha’s response.
"My client doesn’t want to send you to prison despite the unruly actions you committed against her. Remembering the time you spent together, she wants you to repay all the money that you took away from her. As long as you can repay that back, then she will not pursue the matter anymore. Of course, you need to post a public apology. Your recent actions had caused a lot of harm to my client...."
Listening to that, not only Agatha and the public defender were shocked, but even the officer was shocked. She didn’t expect that Diamond would be that generous. Especially after the fiasco that happened a few days ago.
Agatha was thrilled when she heard that. According to the bill that Kiara showed her previously, she owed Diamond A$275,000. If they were to include damages and the like, she would owe millions. And that was a figure she couldn’t even steal, even if she wanted. Thinking about repaying millions got her so thin while she waited for this moment to come.
The thought of being unable to pay that money and being sent to prison scared her very much. When she thought about her family simply discarded her when they knew of her predicament. It was then that she understood that she shouldn’t have taken advantage of Diamond’s attitude and character to support her ungrateful family.
Now that she was in trouble, they cut ties with her and refused to help her with money. She was alone, and who was to blame?
Looking at the woman she had wronged, Agatha was ashamed and grateful.
There was no need to negotiate any further, to be honest. What Diamond was asking for was already generous. Although Agatha didn’t have the money, she would do her best to repay at all costs.
She still has that deposit paid by Paul and the other people who wanted her to tarnish Diamond’s name. The other money she will raise is by selling her branded clothes online. She just needed time.
Thinking about Diamond’s kind nature, she didn’t let the public defender speak on her behalf but sincerely talked to Diamond, though the other party didn’t seem to be paying attention to her.
"So, can you give me some time to pay the debt? Just a month will do. And if I fail to pay in time, you can do whatever you want," Agatha pleadingly asked as she looked at Diamond.
Diamond didn’t know where Agatha got the guts, but hearing her earnestness, she couldn’t help but soften.
She looked at Kiara and nodded her head.
Once that was approved, Agatha sighed with relief, feeling very thankful to Diamond. After that, Kiara drew the new payment agreement which was signed by five parties. Diamond gave Agatha up until month end of July to repay the debt. If she fails, Diamond would kindly hand over the evidence to the police and she would get prosecuted.
In the agreement, Agatha couldn’t leave Frin City until she paid the debt fully. After leaving the station, she should post a public apology at all costs.
"Thank you! Thank you very much, Diamond. I will not let you down and I am sorry," as Diamond walked towards the door, Agatha emotionally said, making Diamond nearly pause in her tracks but on second thoughts, she didn’t do that but continued to walk away.
Nonetheless, Agatha still felt better. Although she had been ignored, what Diamond had done was already being merciful. She would work hard to earn her forgiveness.
After Diamond left that suffocating room, she was brought to the conference room by the officer who was with them earlier.
Diamond didn’t know what these officers wanted, but since she didn’t have any crimes exposed, she was filled with confidence. She calmly followed the officer and didn’t forget to flash smiles at the officers, who were sneaking peeks at her.
"Please," as soon as they reached the destination, the officer kindly gestured for her to enter and Diamond politely thanked the officer before stepping into the office.
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