第4章

Three days later, the courtroom gallery was packed with reporters.

Cameras were everywhere, recording the proceedings without permission.

One camera had even been set up in the best spot in the room to livestream the hearing.

I glanced at the screen.

The title read, “Judge Hale Returns to Correct a Miscarriage of Justice and Root Out Corruption in the Legal Profession.”

Even after all these years, Arthur still had enormous influence.

Arthur sat in the center of the bench, dressed in his judicial robes with a gavel before him.

Seraphina and Beatrice stood together to one side, arm in arm.

Their eyes were slightly red, and both looked quite emotional.

I walked slowly to the defendant's table and waited for the show to begin.

"Today, on behalf of the Department of Justice, I am bringing charges against Elowen Veyra. I will now present the evidence against her."

His voice was firm and authoritative, his expression solemn and impartial.

Seraphina's résumé appeared on the screen first.

At eighteen, she had led her student team to more than a hundred victories.

She had published dozens of papers in leading international journals.

She had been invited to prestigious legal forums around the world.

She had also given dozens of lectures at universities.

"As you can all see, Judge Veyra rejected an exceptional candidate for personal reasons."

The reporters immediately began whispering among themselves.

Comments flooded the livestream.

[Has Judge Veyra lost her mind? Where did she even come from?]

[I was lucky enough to attend one of Seraphina's lectures. She's brilliant.]

[How did Judge Veyra ever become a Supreme Court justice? I want to know the truth.]

Seraphina read the comments on her phone and smirked at me.

Then two security videos appeared on the screen.

The first showed Seraphina talking during her interview about her father's belief in justice, while I remained unmoved.

The second showed Arthur bowing to me in my office and apologizing for his wife and daughter, only for me to reject his request.

The courtroom erupted.

The livestream comments went wild.

[Seraphina is so brave! Like father, like daughter.]

[Judge Hale is a legend in the legal profession, but he lowered himself enough to apologize to that trash?!]

[Elowen Veyra is a disgrace to the legal profession!]

[People like her are the reason qualified graduates can't find jobs!]

Arthur raised a hand for silence, then continued, "We all know that Judge Veyra comes from a poor background. So how did a girl from the slums rise all the way to the Supreme Court? Perhaps there is more to her success than meets the eye."

"Let us call our witness, Jasper Cole."

Jasper took the stand. He looked around, took a breath and spoke.

"Elowen has always been very close to Professor Thorne. She claims they have nothing more than a mentor-student relationship.

"But I saw something very different. During the last judicial selection, Elowen was constantly visiting Professor Thorne's home."

The room fell silent.

The livestream comments flew by.

[She slept with an old man to get ahead? Disgusting.]

[Elowen Veyra is a slut!]

[Kick her off the bench and out of public office!]

[She should go to prison and never come out!]

Hugo sat in the gallery, surrounded by reporters staring at him.

He wanted to explain, but in the end, he only gripped his cane and sighed heavily.

Arthur watched the scene unfold with obvious satisfaction.

He cleared his throat and continued, "Finally, we have learned that Judge Veyra's mother is mentally unstable. Can someone raised in a family like that really be trusted to uphold the law?"

Then he played a video.

My mother appeared on the screen, her clothes dirty and her hair disheveled as she begged every passerby to give her justice.

My hands curled into fists.

"Based on the evidence presented today, the Department of Justice hereby removes Elowen Veyra from her seat on the Supreme Court. Seraphina Hale will replace her. Is there any objection?"

He looked around and raised his gavel.

"Wait."

My voice cut through the courtroom.

His hand stopped.

I raised my head and looked straight at him.

"Judge Hale, look at the woman in that video. She's the wife you abandoned thirty years ago. Do you really not recognize her?"