Chapter 3 - The Hidden Camera
Sterling froze halfway out of his chair.
Julian snapped his head toward me, his eyes wild like a trapped animal.
"What recording?" Julian demanded, completely forgetting courtroom decorum.
Judge Mercer glared at him, but she turned to Elias with a nod of permission.
Elias pulled a small digital audio drive from his pocket and plugged it into the court's presentation system.
"Three weeks ago, my client noticed discrepancies in her home office security logs," Elias explained to the court.
"She reviewed the hidden backup cameras, which captured a conversation between her husband and her sister."
Jasmine let out a sharp, terrified gasp.
She grabbed Trent’s arm, but he violently shook her off, his face red with anger.
Elias pressed a button on his laptop.
The speakers in the courtroom crackled to life.
Julian's voice echoed through the room, clear and undeniable.
"We just need to keep her stressed and overworked for another month," the recorded Julian said.
Then came the voice of my sister, Jasmine, giggling softly.
"She looks exhausted anyway, Julian. If we push her a little harder, she might actually have a breakdown."
I closed my eyes briefly, remembering the physical pain of hearing my own blood plot against me.
The recording continued, getting much worse.
"Once the doctors declare her mentally unfit due to extreme exhaustion, her father's trust automatically transfers to her spouse," Julian's voice stated coldly on the tape.
"And you'll transfer my cut exactly as we agreed?" Jasmine's recorded voice asked.
"Of course," Julian replied. "Your sister is too stupid to realize we've been running her life for years."
Elias hit the spacebar, stopping the audio playback.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
My mother covered her face with both hands, sobbing loudly.
Trent stood up abruptly, disgusted, and walked entirely out of the courtroom without looking back at his wife.
Julian looked utterly destroyed, his shoulders slumped as he stared at the floor.
"Your Honor," Elias said, breaking the heavy silence.
"This was not just a divorce filing."
"It was a calculated, criminal conspiracy to completely strip my client of her sanity, her wealth, and her father's legacy."
Judge Mercer looked at Julian with an expression of pure, unadulterated disgust.
"Mr. Sterling, does your client have any defense against this audio evidence?" the judge asked.
Sterling looked at Julian, then looked at his own briefcase.
The lawyer slowly gathered his papers and placed them into his bag.
"Your Honor, I must formally request to withdraw as counsel for the petitioner," Sterling announced.
Julian shot out of his chair in pure panic.
"You can't abandon me right now!" Julian screamed at his own lawyer.
Sterling did not even look at him as he walked toward the courtroom doors.
"I do not represent criminals," Sterling replied without missing a beat.
But Julian was not ready to surrender just yet.
He turned toward the judge, a manic, desperate light suddenly flashing in his eyes.
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"The trust!" Julian shouted, pointing a shaking finger at me.
"She violated the terms of the trust first, and I have the proof right here!"
