جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 110

"Endure the pain for two more hours, Alex, or Richard will butcher us in this courtroom," Hendra whispered softly as he adjusted the collar of Alexander's shirt in the courthouse waiting room.Alexander winced slightly as the stitches on his forearm shifted against the fabric of his luxury black suit jacket. He adjusted his cuff, concealing the thick gauze bandage beneath the expensive wool material. His face was pale, but his jaw remained tightly set."I won't let that bastard win an inch," Alexander replied coldly.The waiting room door opened. Selena rushed in, out of breath. Her eyes were swollen and red after staying awake all night at the hospital beside her critically ill mother. She approached Alexander and took his uninjured wrist."Mother still hasn't regained consciousness," Selena said, her voice trembling. "The doctors are keeping her stable with life support. I'm scared, Alex."Alexander squeezed Selena's fingers tightly. "Your mother is strong, Selena. Our duty here is

"Send all remaining security personnel to the hospital right now!" Alexander roared into his phone.The phone in Alexander's hand practically shattered in his grip. I grabbed my handbag and bolted out of the private conference room, ignoring the stares of dozens of people lingering in the courthouse corridor."Alex, hurry!" I shrieked, my voice raspy. Tears tracked continuously down my cheeks. "Mother is in danger!"Alexander caught up to me with long, aggressive strides. Though the throbbing pain beneath the bandages on his forearm intensified with every movement, he ignored it. Danu and three security guards immediately cut a path through the swarm of reporters trying to block our way at the main exit."Nobody takes a picture!" Danu barked, shoving back several television cameras pushed too close to my face."Selena! Is Helena critical because she's terrified the truth about your illegitimate status will break?" a reporter yelled in a shrill voice.Alexander spun around on his heel.

"Please be seated, Mr. Richard. The panel of judges will now read the final verdict."The strike of the judge's gavel cut through the commotion in the main courtroom of the District Court. I gripped Alexander's fingers tightly in the front row of the gallery. My palms were slick with cold sweat. Across the room, Uncle Richard sat at the plaintiff's table alongside his two attorneys, straightening his jacket collar with a subtle smirk on his face."Are you ready, Selena?" Alexander whispered beside me. His hand squeezed mine back, offering a steadying warmth."I have to be," I answered softly. My eyes stayed locked on the panel of judges at the front.The presiding judge adjusted his reading glasses, then opened the thick file on the bench before him."Based on the documentary evidence, expert testimony, and physical evidence submitted by the defense," the judge's voice boomed through the loudspeaker, "the panel of judges finds that the petition to revoke the inheritance filed by the p

"Her heart rate is dropping! Get the defibrillator ready now!"The lead doctor's voice shattered the silence of the emergency room. I stood frozen in the corner of the room, watching the clear tubes and the medical monitors that beeped frantically without stopping. On the metal bed, Mother's thin body jolted every time the medical team performed emergency measures."Selena, step back two feet," Alexander whispered. His hand held my shoulder from behind, trying to pull me away from the medical line."No, Alex! I want to stay here!" I cried out. My hands clenched tightly against my chest, staring at Mother's face covered by an oxygen mask. Cold sweat drenched her forehead."Don't make things difficult for the doctors," Alexander interrupted firmly. His voice was low, but it carried an unyielding command. He shifted my position until I stood near the glass door.Inside the room, the male doctor in green scrubs wiped his forehead, then lowered the defibrillator paddles. He turned to look

"Never, Selena."Helena's voice trembled, yet her emphasis rang crystal clear in the silence of the VIP room.Selena froze in her chair. Her fingers tightened around the agreement papers, which now felt icy in her grip. "Not even after living in the same house for decades?""Not even for a single night." Helena gave a slight nod. She inhaled deeply, holding back the pain in her chest. "Our bedrooms were side by side, but there was a locked door between them. A door that was never opened once."Selena looked down, her eyes returning to the notarized text in her lap. She scanned the stiff lines of legal phrasing. "Then why did Grandpa Alexander agree to all this? What was in it for him?""Alexander owed your late father a massive debt of gratitude," Helena said. Her aging eyes stared straight toward the window behind the thin curtain. "When his company was on the brink of bankruptcy twenty years ago, your father saved the Alexander family business. So when your father passed away and Ri