"Yes, I murdered Aren Frost."

Neil did something unexpected and confessed his crime himself in the next week’s trial, shocking everyone.

Since he had already been found guilty for Judah Hunt’s murder, there was nothing more to lose for him.

Whether you commit a single murder or a thousand, you only get punished once.

In his confession, he said, "I didn’t kill Aren because he discovered my affair with Amelia. I never had any affair with Amelia after she got pregnant with my child. I hid it because I didn’t wish to ruin Amelia’s happy married life by telling Aren the truth."

"I killed Aren because he wanted to leave my agency. I knew that if he left, all the celebrities would eventually leave with him. He wanted to start his own talent agency, and I couldn’t let him do that. If that happened, my agency would’ve been doomed."

"This was the reason I had my men call Juan Moss, faking the news of Ariana’s kidnapping. Then, I called Aren, telling him to come for something urgent. I knew where he would drive through with his car. With a truck, one of my bodyguards rammed his car, disguising the murder as an accident."

Many people were wondering why Neil suddenly admitted to his crimes.

Was it atonement?

Was it guilt?

However, it was none of them.

It was a plan.

A plan to secure a better future for his family and Amelia.

Since he was already a convicted murderer, he wouldn’t lose anything by admitting to another crime. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

However, if it were proven that Amelia was involved as well, she would suffer the same fate as him.

Moreover, the assets and wealth she had received from Aren could be confiscated as well.

Currently, there were innumerous lawsuits filed against him. He knew that all his wealth would be gone in no time.

So how will his family survive?

How will he survive?

Even in prison, he could have hope if his family had money and power. They could help him get out after a year or two once the public forgot about him.

However, without power and money, he would rot in prison for all his remaining life.

Knowing that he won’t ever get out of prison was a cruel fate he didn’t want for himself.

Thus, he came up with a plan along with Amelia and his lawyer.

He would confess to Aren’s murder, allowing Amelia to escape without any damages or punishment.

After all, Aren’s murder occurred only a few months back, and if the investigation were done properly, there would be clues and evidence that would surface.

Then, even Amelia wouldn’t be able to escape the punishment.

Thus, this plan was the most appropriate in the current situation.

...

After his confession, he was eligible for the death penalty; however, the legendary lawyer pleaded for life imprisonment.

Since the lawyer was representing the victim’s side, the judge agreed.

As for why the lawyer wanted life imprisonment as Neil’s punishment, it was something Aren had instructed him to do through Ember.

No way Aren was letting Neil die in peace.

A death penalty?

Hmph!

Too easy and merciful.

He had many times a painful life planned for him.

Yes, it would take some time to accomplish his revenge that way, but it was even better.

If the revenge was over too quickly, he wouldn’t feel satisfied.

He wanted to take his revenge step by step.

Getting Neil punished with life imprisonment was just the first step of his revenge. There was a lot of pain he had in store for him.

...

Before his confession, sitting alone with Amelia, Neil spoke.

"Amelia, all my wealth will be distributed by the court to those hyenas asking for compensation. My family wouldn’t even have a house to live in. In such a time, I can only count on you."

"Don’t worry," Amelia said assuringly. "Even though all the shares of Titan Crest Entertainment have become synonymous with dirt, with no one interested in buying them, I still have other assets Aren left me. It should be around 5 billion in value. With that much money, I can take care of your family without having to work for a lifetime."

Neil nodded with a teary smile. "Thank you, Amelia."

He lingered for a while, and then his expression turned serious as he added, "Amelia, those 5 billion can allow you to live, yes. But... to help me and safeguard our future, we need power. Only with power and connections can you get me out of here."

"Moreover," his expression grew dark, "I feel that someone is targeting us."

"To resist that person, you can’t just sit still with those 5 billion."

Amelia eyed him with a complex look.

"So what do you suggest?"

With resolute light shining in his eyes, he explained his plan.

"You need to start another talent agency."

"What??" Amelia was shocked. "Don’t you realize how bad our reputation is? No celebrity would join such an agency."

Neil shook his head.

"I’m not telling you to start it right away. Wait a year. Let people forget all about us. It would be then that you start an entertainment agency under a different name."

He clenched his fists.

"Aren built Titan Crest Entertainment with only 40 million to start with. You have a lot more than that. Moreover, you also have Aris Kest, Christain’s wife. With such a celebrity joining your agency, you can get free publicity and get rookie talent who are her fans to join."

Amelia stared at him for a while, then nodded.

"Alright, I understand. Your plan doesn’t seem half bad."

"Hahaha," Neil laughed. "Good. Once you achieve even mediocre success, you should be able to get me out by then. Once I’m out, I’ll help even further by using my old connections with politicians and officials."

Amelia nodded and then looked at him with a saddened gaze.

"But are you sure about accepting the crime of murdering Aren?"

"What are you worried about?" Neil said in a nonchalant tone.

"There are so many men with murder charges on them, and they are still roaming free. Law is something that bends for the powerful. Just look at the politicians in our country; half of them are r*pists or murderers. Still, no one dares to ask for their arrest. You just need power."

He paused momentarily and then continued, "Once the public attention turns away from me and this case, I will have a higher chance of getting some of the politicians whom I sent bribes to help me. Until then, you should try to get the agency up and running. Get influential celebrities to sign with you, and with their influence, we can easily rise back to the top."

-----------------------------------

(A/N -Thanks for reading. ^..^)