Chapter 9 - The Courtroom Showdown
The family court chamber was stifling and tense.
Victor Vance sat on the opposite side of the aisle, wearing a smug smile.
His high-priced lawyers immediately began their assault.
They presented Donovan’s juvenile records, his arrest history, and his violent rise to power.
"Your Honor, Mr. Ree is a known associate of organized crime," Victor’s lawyer argued.
"He is fundamentally unfit to raise a vulnerable female child."
The judge, a stern woman with sharp eyes, looked down at Donovan.
"These are serious allegations, Mr. Ree," the judge said.
"What do you have to say for yourself?"
Donovan stood up, buttoning his suit jacket.
"I am not a perfect man, Your Honor," Donovan said loudly, his voice echoing in the silent room.
"I have done violent things in a violent world."
"But I have never stolen from a child."
Donovan signaled to Greer, who opened the doors to the courtroom.
Pax walked in, escorting Ruth Callaway.
Victor Vance’s smug smile instantly vanished, replaced by sheer panic.
Donovan’s legal team submitted the financial documents, the shell company records, and Ruth’s sworn affidavit.
They proved that Victor had orchestrated the theft of the thirty-million-dollar trust.
They proved that Victor had endangered Mave's life.
The judge’s face turned red with fury as she read through the evidence.
"Mr. Vance, you will remain in this room until the authorities arrive to take you into custody," the judge ordered.
Before the gavel fell, Mave tugged on Donovan’s sleeve.
She looked up at the judge, holding Gerald Too in one hand and Donovan’s hand in the other.
"He's not a monster," Mave said softly, but clearly.
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"He's my dad."
Donovan felt a tear slip down his scarred cheek.
