Chapter 1 - The Chief Judge
The principal's eyes widened in absolute terror as she read the gold seal on my credential.
The black leather wallet did not hold a coupon book, nor did it hold a standard state identification card.
It held the official judicial badge of the Chief Judge of the State Supreme Court.
I had spent the last decade building my legal career under my maiden name, far away from Richard's toxic influence.
He had no idea that the woman he was mocking currently held more legal power than any lawyer he could ever buy.
Richard squinted at the badge from his chair, still wearing that arrogant, condescending smirk.
"What is that, Elena?" he sneered. "A fake badge you bought online to scare the teachers?"
I did not answer him.
I slowly placed my cell phone on the principal's mahogany desk.
The phone was already connected to an active call, and the speakerphone function was on.
"Captain Vance," I said calmly, looking directly into Richard's eyes. "Did you record the suspect's verbal confession and the physical assault on a judicial officer?"
The deep, gravelly voice of the local police precinct's captain echoed clearly through the small office.
"Yes, Chief Judge," the captain confirmed immediately. "We have the audio recording of the minor admitting to the assault, and we have units pulling up to the school right now."
Richard's smug smile completely vanished, replaced by a sudden, sickening realization.
He bolted out of his chair, knocking his expensive coffee cup onto the carpeted floor.
"You are the Chief Judge?" Richard stammered, his face turning an unnatural shade of pale.
"And you just bribed a school official in front of me," I replied, pointing to the five-thousand-dollar check still sitting on the desk.
The principal began to aggressively shake her head, desperately trying to push the check back toward Richard.
"Your Honor, I swear I did not accept this money," the principal babbled, tears welling in her eyes. "Mr. Sterling forced me to alter the incident report."
Max dropped his handheld game onto the floor, finally looking terrified as the sound of police sirens grew louder outside the window.
Two uniformed officers burst into the principal's office, their hands resting on their utility belts.
"Captain's orders, Your Honor," the lead officer said respectfully. "Who are we taking in?"
I pointed directly at my ex-husband, feeling a deep sense of absolute justice.
"Arrest Richard Sterling for the bribery of a school official and the intimidation of a witness," I ordered.
The officers grabbed Richard, twisting his arms behind his back and slapping heavy steel handcuffs on his wrists.
Richard struggled violently, screaming that he was friends with the mayor and would have my badge for this.
I walked right up to him, close enough for him to smell the hospital disinfectant on my sweater.
"I am the law in this state, Richard," I whispered coldly. "And you just targeted the wrong child."
As they dragged him out the door, Max began to cry loudly, reaching for his father.
I turned to the principal, who was currently hyperventilating behind her desk.
"You have exactly one hour to produce the original, unaltered security footage of the stairwell," I commanded.
The principal swallowed hard and opened a locked drawer.
May you like
She pulled out a small black USB drive, her hands shaking violently.
"Mr. Sterling made me delete the server files," she confessed quietly. "But I made a secret backup copy because I knew this day would eventually come."
