Chapter 3 - Entering the Courtroom
The bailiff’s sharp voice cut through the murmurs of the hallway, calling their case forward. Eve stood up, adjusting the strap of her bag and clutching her manila folder like a shield, while her parents filed in behind Julian and Rosalind to take their seats in the gallery. The courtroom smelled of old paper, floor wax, and bureaucratic indifference. Sitting at the defense table, Julian reached casually under the wooden surface to brush his fingers against Rosalind’s hand—a lingering habit from a relationship they assumed had already secured total victory.
The presiding judge, a gray-haired man with sharp, analytical eyes named Judge Harrison, adjusted his reading glasses and scanned the voluminous preliminary settlement filings submitted by Julian’s counsel. The documents laid out an aggressive division of assets: full custody to Julian, transfer of the historic family home, and complete assignment of Lewis Construction Solutions to Julian’s management.
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Eve sat quietly, her hands resting flat against her folder. Her mouth was dry, but her pulse was steady. She didn't need to throw a tantrum or scream across the courtroom; the truth had a quiet, devastating way of speaking for itself when backed by certified public records.
Judge Harrison flipped a page, frowned slightly, and leaned back in his leather chair. He looked up from the briefs, his gaze shifting directly from Julian to the legal counsel representing him. The courtroom grew deathly still, the air growing thick with anticipation as the judge prepared to address the glaring discrepancies hidden beneath the surface of the fraudulent paperwork.
