America 1929: John F. Kennedy, the Great Writer

Three days later, in the New York Herald's office, Isabella received a call from Winston, the lawyer.

Winston's voice sounded somewhat heavy:

"Miss Harrison, I have some bad news for you."

Isabella's heart tightened; a sense of foreboding washed over her. Then she heard Winston continue:

"The Manhattan County Court just notified us that they will not hear our lawsuit against The New York Daily News."

Isabella could hardly believe her ears.

"Why? Our evidence is ample, and the procedures are completely legal. Why won't they accept our case?"

Winston sighed:

"The court reasoned that the case involved news reporting, which falls under the scope of freedom of speech. Even if the report contained inaccuracies, it did not constitute defamation because The New York Daily News did not act with 'malice'."

Isabella's voice rose unusually high:

"No malicious intent? They fabricated facts out of thin air, portraying Arthur as a member of the mob. Isn't that malicious intent?"

"I know, Miss Harrison. But that's what the court ruled."

Winston was also quite helpless, and he continued:

"Frankly, this verdict is very unusual. Usually, even if the court ultimately rules against us, it will still accept the case and conduct a trial. But this time, they didn't even accept it, which is very abnormal."

Isabella was silent for a few seconds. As a top student in law school, she knew very well what this meant, but she still needed to verify it.

"Mr. Winston, what do you think is the reason behind this?"

Winston hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Miss Harrison, I don't want to speculate. But based on my years of experience, this verdict was likely influenced by some external factors."

"You mean... someone is putting pressure on us behind the scenes?"

"I have no evidence, but this is the most reasonable explanation."

Although Isabella already knew that the real-world justice system was very different from what law school taught, she still couldn't believe that the New York City justice system had deteriorated to this extent.

"What should we do now?" she asked anxiously.

Winston hesitated before suggesting:

"We can appeal to the state court, but frankly, I'm not optimistic. If even the county court rules this way, the higher court is very likely to uphold the original verdict. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

Winston paused for a moment, then said:

"Unless we can find a truly independent force to intervene. Miss Harrison, have you heard of Samuel Sibyl?"

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Isabella paused for a moment, feeling that the name sounded familiar, but she couldn't recall the specific identity behind it.

Winston explained:

"Samuel Sibbury was a judge on the New York Court of Appeals. He has now been appointed by the state legislature to head the Court Corruption Commission, commonly known as the 'Sibbury Commission,' which is dedicated to investigating corruption within the court system."

"If we can get in touch with him and tell him about the case, maybe he'll be interested. After all, it's a classic case of judicial injustice."

Isabella's eyes lit up:

"Could you help me contact him?"

Winston said:

"I can try, but I can't guarantee he'll see us. Judge Sibbury is very busy, and he only focuses on the really important cases. I don't know if our case is important enough."

Isabella earnestly pleaded, "Please, you must try it. This is my request."

After hanging up the phone, Isabella sat at her desk for a long time without moving.

She was thinking of Arthur right now, but he didn't know the news yet. How should she tell him?

Just then, the office door was pushed open.

Arthur walked in, holding a freshly written manuscript: "Isabella, take a look at this article. I want to publish it tomorrow."

Isabella looked up at him. Arthur noticed her expression and felt a little annoyed.

"What's wrong? What happened?" he asked.

Isabella took a deep breath and then told Winston what had happened on the phone.

After hearing this, Arthur remained silent for a long time.

"Arthur, I'm sorry. I thought the law could protect you, but now it seems..."

"No need to apologize," Arthur interrupted her.

"I am very touched that you want to use the law to fight for my interests."

"This is not your fault. As a philosopher once said, law is a tool for the ruling class to maintain its own interests. Legal rulings are merely a manifestation of the will of power."

Isabella said:

"But we can't just give up like this. Attorney Winston mentioned an upright judge, Samuel Sibbury. He's investigating court corruption, and maybe he can help us."

Arthur turned around and looked at Isabella, his expression suddenly turning to surprise.

"Samuel Sibyl? The judge?"

Isabella sensed Arthur's surprise and explained:

"Yes, he's the chairman of the investigative committee appointed by the state legislature. Have you heard of him?"

"I've not just heard of him, I've seen him," Arthur said, his voice filled with disbelief.

Isabella was even more surprised: "What? You've seen him? When?"

"Just a few weeks ago, he asked to meet me at a coffee shop. But at the time, he only said that he was a lawyer. It turns out that he was the chairman of the committee that was investigating court corruption."

Arthur walked back to his desk and sat down. His mind raced, recalling every detail of that meeting.

"Looking back now, I realize that what he said back then had a different meaning," Arthur said.

"He told me about the power structure in New York, about the Tammany Association, about the forces on the docks. He made me realize that I wasn't just dealing with a mayor, but with a vast network of interests."

He added that what they are concerned about is the systemic corruption that treats public power as a private domain, political positions as chips for spoils, and the manipulation of law and procedure.

Isabella felt a chill run down her spine as she listened.

"So, that's probably why our case was dismissed."

"It's very likely that Samuel warned me back then, and now it seems that he wasn't just warning me, he was telling me what he was investigating," Arthur said.

"Then why didn't he just tell you his identity directly? Wouldn't that have made it easier for you to cooperate?" Isabella asked.

Arthur was silent for a moment, then said:

"I think he's testing me. He wants to see what I'll do after learning the inside story he's told me, and whether I can meet his needs."

"Most importantly, I need to see if I'm ready to enter this brand new battlefield."

Isabella looked into Arthur's eyes and asked earnestly:

"Arthur, are you ready?"