Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 136: Chapter 136

They stopped fooling around. Elara, with her usual sass, strutted up the steps, her slender figure swaying with each step. Justin walked beside her.
At the courtroom door, Elara showed her ID for registration and then followed Justin inside.
The place was noisy and bustling. Elara walked down the center aisle, noticing that the plaintiff's side was filled with men and women dressed plainly. They were all talking at the top of their lungs.
Normally, unless it was a high-profile case, hardly anyone would show up to watch—just some family, friends, and people involved in the case. But today, the courtroom was almost packed.
There were still thirty minutes before the trial began. Elara took a seat in the front row and caught snippets of the loud conversations around her.
"Do you think Garfield can actually get us the money this time?"
"What goes around comes around. I don't believe there's no justice left in Namukitts!"
"I heard that lawyer's from Veritasiton. He's never lost a case, and he's got serious connections. We probably don't stand a chance."
"They're the ones in the wrong. Just because he's from Veritasiton, does that mean he can call all the shots in Namukitts?"
"Exactly! It's our own liquor, and that woman's raking in the cash. Why shouldn't we get any of the benefits?"
"That woman always dolls up like she's out to catch someone's eye. Who knows how many guys she's slept with?"
The gossip was getting nastier and turning into straight-up personal attacks, so Elara stopped paying attention.
Later, Justin took the initiative to explain the whole story behind the case, but Elara just listened absentmindedly, barely paying attention.
When the trial officially began, the clerk stepped forward and announced, "All observers, please remain quiet. The court record will now be read..."
The noisy courtroom fell silent. Elara looked up and saw Adrian, Jade, and another lawyer enter and take their seats.
Elara noticed Adrian looking her way. Meeting his gaze, she responded with a faint, gentle smile.
Adrian didn't smile back. The corner of his lips barely curved. Then he returned to his usual serious demeanor.
His cold face, those deep-set eyes and furrowed brows—handsome, yet utterly devoid of warmth. No wonder he was called "The Grim Reaper" in the legal world. He had never lost a case, and he was known for being cold and ruthless.
Elara couldn't help but remember how this same cold, intimidating man would coax her and call her name in that soft, doting voice. She thought, 'Ahem, get it together, Elara. You're in court, so act like it.'
The plaintiff began his statement. "Your Honor, my name is Garfield Lindsay. I'm the village chief of Reed Village in Riverine. Everyone in Namukitts knows our village is famous for its home-brewed liquor.
"Our brewing techniques have been passed down for over a century. Six years ago, people from J&A Wines hired a few of our master brewers to work for them.
"After picking up our skills, they bought machines, set up a factory, and started mass-producing bottled liquor. They even sold it under the name 'Reed Craft Brew', and now they're pulling in nearly 30 million dollars a year."
The plaintiff's lawyer added, "We believe that J&A Wines has violated the legal rights of the villagers of Reed Village. They deliberately tricked the villagers into handing over their home-brewed liquor recipe through their hiring practices and packaged it as their own commercial product.
"Then they profited from it using the name of Reed Village. The villagers of Reed Village have every right to seek economic compensation from J&A Wines."
Jade said, "Your Honor, I don't agree with their claims. 'Reed Craft Brew' is a product our company developed on our own. The master brewers we hired all signed proper employment contracts.
"Six years ago, when we were building our in-house brewing team, a few brewers from Reed Village came to us because they felt their own brewing business had no future.
"We paid them generous salaries. As for whether the recipes they worked on for us were actually the secret formulas passed down in Reed Village, I honestly have no idea. It's not like we ever saw those so-called original recipes."
Adrian added, "My client held an open recruitment, and the brewers from Reed Village applied voluntarily and signed legal employment contracts. The entire process was fully compliant with the law. There was no deliberate attempt to trick anyone out of their home-brewed liquor recipe.
"According to Article 6 of the Patent Law, any invention or creation made using the company's resources and technical conditions is considered a service invention, and the right to apply for a patent belongs to the company.
"So, any brewing recipes provided by the master brewers during their employment are the property of J&A Wines. Whether or not 'Reed Craft Brew' is based on a traditional home-brewed recipe, my client has every right to sell it.
"Also, 'Reed Craft Brew' just happens to have 'Reed' in the name. The product was never advertised as coming from Reed Village, so J&A Wines isn't doing what the plaintiffs claim—profiting off the name of Reed Village."
The plaintiff's lawyer said, "Objection. Even if you didn't openly claim the liquor was from Reed Village, you're still riding on the coattails of that name for your own benefit. Everyone in Namukitts knows about Reed Village's home-brewed liquor.
"Mr. Hartley, maybe you don't know since you're from Veritasiton, but Ms. Shaw definitely does. She's playing fast and loose with the rules, using the reputation of Reed Village's home-brewed liquor to make money for herself."
The judge said, "Objection sustained. Reed Village's home-brewed liquor is indeed well-known in our area. Mr. Hartley, how do you explain the name 'Reed Craft Brew'?"
The villagers from Reed Village started getting restless.
"Exactly! Naming it 'Reed Craft Brew' is just trying to pull a fast one—using our village's name but not giving us a single benefit. Does she really think she can get away with that?"
"If it weren't for Reed Village, she wouldn't be making a dime. She doesn't even appreciate where her success comes from!"
"Yeah, she ought to split that money with us!"
"Silence! Maintain decorum," the judge called out.
Adrian said, "Your Honor, Reed Village is simply the name of a place, not a trademark owned by the villagers. So my client calling the liquor 'Reed Craft Brew' doesn't count as trademark infringement at all."
The plaintiff's lawyer said, "Objection!"
But Adrian cut him off, and his voice even became more commanding. "There are three Reed Villages in Namukitts alone, and thirty-six across the country. If the plaintiff's claim stands, does that mean anyone from any Reed Village can accuse J&A Wines of infringement?"
The plaintiff's lawyer shot back, "If the defendant thinks 'Reed' is such a generic, ordinary word, then why pick it for the name? Isn't it just to cash in on Reed Village's reputation?"
Adrian replied, "Objection. The plaintiff keeps nitpicking about the name, but as long as 'Reed' isn't a registered trademark, we're fully within our rights to use it. Besides, the plaintiff already admitted that Reed Village's home-brewed liquor is only famous around Namukitts, not nationwide.
"Now, 'Reed Craft Brew' is sold all over the country and ranks in the top five for alcohol sales. Honestly, it's more like Reed Village is getting a boost from the success of 'Reed Craft Brew'."
The judge said, "Objection sustained. There's no need for the plaintiff's lawyer to keep fixating on the name. 'Reed' isn't your trademark, so 'Reed Craft Brew' doesn't violate any laws."
Adrian won this round.
The plaintiff's lawyer said, "Your Honor, the sales of Reed Village's home-brewed liquor have been dropping year after year. The villagers can't make a living selling it anymore, so they've all gone off to work elsewhere.
"The tradition of home-brewing is slowly disappearing. Isn't that because of J&A Wines? It's only fair that they compensate Reed Village for this."
Jade fired back, "Where were you when I was losing money for the first two years, paying your Reed Village brewers 30 grand per month? I shelled out over several million dollars on equipment, and just keeping those machines running costs me 1.5 million a year.
"When we first started, I was bleeding over 3 million dollars a year in losses. If you want a share of the profits, shouldn't you also take on a share of those early losses and expenses? Can you even handle that?
"Now that the liquor's finally making a name for itself, suddenly you want in on the action? If everyone acted like this, we might as well all quit and just go around shaking people down for money instead of running real businesses."
The judge said, "Defendant, please watch your language and maintain decorum in court."
Adrian turned to the plaintiff. "Mr. Lindsay, how much do you make from selling your home-brewed liquor each year?"
Garfield answered honestly, "Our village used to have over a hundred people, with about thirty households. Each family sold their liquor, and we could make around 60 grand a year per household."
Adrian asked, "And what was your pricing and profit margin?"
Garfield replied, "We sold our liquor for about 15 bucks per 500g, and the profit was around 6 bucks."
Adrian said, "So with a 40% gross profit margin, that means each household makes about 30 grand a year in profit."
Garfield nodded. "More or less."
Adrian asked, "Mr. Lindsay, is your family still brewing liquor these days?"
Garfield replied, "I still am, but my son's gone off to work elsewhere."
Adrian nodded. "And how much do you make from selling your liquor each year now?"
Garfield replied, "Now that fewer people are brewing, most of those who love this kind of liquor come to me. I make over 60 grand a year now."
Adrian asked, "So your family's income from home-brewed liquor has actually gone up instead of down. Then why did your son still leave to work elsewhere?"
Garfield hesitated. "Well..."
Adrian pressed, "So is it that the young people in your village just don't want to stick around and brew anymore, or are you really saying it's 'Reed Craft Brew' that's putting everyone out of work?"
The plaintiff's lawyer objected, "Objection. Mr. Hartley's statements are just speculation. There's no evidence to back them up."
Adrian shot back, "Speculation? Then let me ask you, Mr. Lindsay. How much does your son make working outside the village each year? If you asked him to come back and help you brew liquor now, would he agree?"
Garfield stayed silent.
The judge said, "Mr. Lindsay, please answer the defendant's question."
Garfield said, "My son graduated from a top university and works as a doctor at a major hospital in Veritasiton. He makes about 100 grand a year. There's no way he'd come back to brew liquor."
Adrian said, "So the plaintiff's lawyer's claim that 'J&A Wines caused the villagers to lose their income and forced them to leave for work, so my client should compensate Reed Village' is simply unreasonable."
Hearing this, Elara knew that Adrian nailed it again. But it was that last part that left a deep impression on her. In the days that followed, she found herself recalling it again and again.
Adrian, dressed in a sharp suit and sitting upright—the bowtie still perfectly in place from when she'd tied it for him—looked every bit the unflappable lawyer. His chiseled nose and deep eyes made him look imposing.
He said, "Your Honor, 'Reed Craft Brew' was developed by my client, who hired master brewers with generous salaries. We've recently filed for our own trademark, and the craft brew recipe is now patent pending. We'll be even more rigorous in protecting our intellectual property.
"And out of respect for the people of Namukitts and their attachment to Reed Village's traditional liquor, J&A Wines is willing to donate 600 thousand dollars each year to Reed Village, to help improve local infrastructure and renovate the village school..."
Elara's gaze lingered on Adrian. He was absolutely dazzling, standing out in the courtroom like he was born to be in the spotlight. That brilliance wasn't just something the Hartley family gave him; it was a light he forged for himself, earned by being exceptional.