Chapter 6 - The Courtroom Battle
The downtown courthouse was a massive, intimidating building made entirely of cold, gray marble and heavy oak doors.
I sat in the front row of the crowded gallery, holding Alejandro's hand incredibly tight as the judge banged his wooden gavel.
Doña Victoria sat at the defense table, wearing a completely drab gray prison jumpsuit that severely clashed with her usual glamorous aesthetic.
Her hair was a messy, dull gray, and she looked at least twenty years older than the last time I saw her.
The District Attorney wasted absolutely no time, immediately calling Richard Vance to the witness stand.
The disgraced lawyer sweat profusely under the bright courtroom lights, refusing to look directly at his former wealthy client.
"Mr. Vance, can you thoroughly explain your exact involvement in the fraudulent life insurance policy?" the prosecutor asked sharply.
"Victoria offered me ten percent of the ten million dollar payout if I forged the military documents and secured the policy," Vance admitted, his voice trembling.
"She explicitly told me that her son was going to die overseas, and she needed the cash to pay off the dangerous cartel members she owed money to."
A loud, collective gasp echoed through the entire courtroom gallery.
Doña Victoria slammed her handcuffed fists onto the heavy wooden table, her face twisting into a mask of pure, unadulterated rage.
"He is a lying snake!" she screamed at the absolute top of her lungs.
"I am a respectable woman of immense wealth, and I would never associate with criminals!"
The judge banged his heavy gavel repeatedly, threatening to have her permanently removed from the courtroom if she spoke again.
The prosecutor then turned his attention to the specific events that occurred on the day of her arrest.
"Mr. Vance, did the defendant ever mention her explicit plans regarding her unborn grandchild?"
Vance swallowed hard, finally risking a terrified glance toward our side of the courtroom.
"She said the baby was her absolute last resort," he confessed quietly.
"She planned to force Elena to sign over custody, sell the family estate, and flee the country with the child to start over completely."
I felt incredibly physically sick, my stomach churning violently at the terrifying confirmation of her absolute evil.
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Alejandro wrapped his strong arm firmly around my trembling shoulders, silently promising me that she would never win.
The sheer mountain of undeniable evidence was completely suffocating her entirely fabricated defense.
