Chapter 21 Juan

I walked into the courthouse feeling untouchable. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. The moment Sara finally slipped up. The moment the system, a system I’d paid for, manipulated, and bent, handed me exactly what I wanted.

Gabe. My leverage. My weapon.

My way to destroy the Riccis from the inside out.

Kara found me in the hallway, jittery and pale, but smiling like she’d done something brilliant.

“Sit behind me in the front row,” she whispered, tugging at my sleeve. “I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

I smirked. “Shouldn’t take long.”

She shook her head. “Not at all. The mother won’t show. She thinks the hearing is Friday.”

I chuckled. “Good work.”

Kara preened under the praise. “Once the judge sees she didn’t bother to come, he’ll rule neglect. Then you can request custody as the only family member available.”

She said it like she’d already won. And why wouldn’t she? She’d lied. She’d falsified. She’d done everything I paid her to do. This was in the bag.

I took my seat behind her, straightening my jacket. The courtroom was quiet, almost empty. No Sara. No family. No one to fight me.

Perfect.

The bailiff called the room to order.

The judge walked in, stern and tired-looking. “Where is the mother?”

Kara stood immediately. “Your Honor, it appears...”

The doors opened. Every head turned.

And my stomach dropped. Sara walked in. Not alone.

A young attorney in a sharp suit walked beside her, carrying a file thick enough to choke a horse. Behind them were two older men, her uncles, judging by the resemblance, both looking like they were ready to tear someone apart.

What the hell?

Kara stiffened.

Sara didn’t look at me. Didn’t even acknowledge me. She walked straight to the table and sat down like she belonged there.

The young attorney stepped forward.

“Your Honor, apologies for the delay. My client was only informed of the date change this morning.”

The judge frowned. “Date change? There was no date change.”

Ava, that must’ve been her name, handed him a paper. The same paper Kara had given Sara. The judge’s eyes narrowed. “Ms. Barns, this says the hearing is scheduled for Friday.”

Kara’s voice cracked. “It...It must’ve been a clerical error. Someone must have entered the wrong date.”

The judge didn’t look convinced.

I leaned forward. “What’s happening?” I hissed.

Kara didn’t look at me. “It’s fine,” she whispered. “We can still win this. She’s got a baby lawyer. She won’t stand a chance.”

But something in her voice trembled. And something in my gut twisted.

The judge cleared his throat. “We will proceed. Ms. Barns, call your first witness.”

Kara stood, smoothing her skirt with shaking hands. “The state calls Sara Vega.”

Sara walked to the stand, chin high, eyes steady. Kara began her questions, trying to paint Sara as unstable, irresponsible, unfit. She twisted every detail, her work hours, her home life, her finances.

Then she went for the kill.

“You work at Velvet Lace, correct?”

Sara nodded. “Yes. As a bartender.”

Kara tilted her head. “A strip club.”

“A bar,” Sara corrected calmly. “Inside a club.”

“And what exactly do you do there?”

“I serve drinks.”

Kara smirked. “Are you sure? Because many women who work there do… more.”

A murmur rippled through the courtroom. Sara didn’t flinch.

“Even if I were a dancer,” she said, voice steady, “how would that make me a bad mother? Are you saying dancers are unfit parents? That they’re… what? Whores?” Kara froze. Sara continued, “Dancers perform for money. So do backup dancers. So do ballerinas. So do actors. So do singers. So do athletes. Are they unfit too? But back to my point, yes, I work at Velvet Lace, but not as a dancer, as a bartender.”

The judge raised an eyebrow. Kara’s face went red. And for the first time since walking into the courthouse…I felt something I hadn’t expected.

A crack in the plan. A shift in the room. A feeling I didn’t like at all. Because Sara wasn’t breaking. She was fighting. And suddenly, I wasn’t so sure I was winning.