Chapter 10 - The Courtroom Confrontation
Courtroom 4A was packed to maximum capacity. Journalists sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the wooden pews, their camera lenses trained on the defense table. The air was thick with heat, anticipation, and the quiet murmur of whispering legal teams.
Victoria was led into the room in steel handcuffs and leg irons, wearing a oversized orange prison jumpsuit that looked grotesque against her fair skin. She kept her head down, trying to hide her face behind her messy blonde hair as the camera shutters clicked furiously like a swarm of mechanical insects.
She took her seat beside Edward Cross, her hands trembling so violently that the steel links of her handcuffs clinked softly against the oak table.
"All rise!" the bailiff boomed.
Judge Margaret Ellison, a formidable woman in her late sixties known for her absolute zero-tolerance policy toward aristocratic corruption, took the bench. She adjusted her reading glasses, looking down at the defense table with an expression of cold, unyielding disgust.
"We are here for the arraignment of Victoria Sterling," Judge Ellison declared, her voice echoing through the silent room. "Charges include Felony Battery of a Minor, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, and Breach of Public Peace."
Before Edward Cross could stand up to deliver his prepared speech regarding bail, the heavy double doors at the back of the courtroom opened.
The entire gallery turned in unison.
Alexander Vance walked into the courtroom.
He wore a tailored dark charcoal suit, looking completely refreshed, powerful, and utterly dominant. He didn't sit in the public gallery. He walked straight past the bar, taking a seat in the row reserved for the prosecution team, right beside the District Attorney.
Behind him walked David Chen, looking sharp in a dark navy suit, carrying a clean manila file.
Victoria locked eyes with Alexander across the courtroom floor. She expected to see rage in his eyes. She expected to see vengeance.
Instead, she saw nothing.
Alexander looked at her as if she were a piece of trash sitting on the side of a highway—a completely insignificant object that had already been swept away by the wind.
District Attorney Sarah Jenkins stood up. "Your Honor, the state presents newly admitted physical evidence: the high-definition, multi-angle audio and video recordings from the Regent Hotel, alongside the medical evaluation of Maya Vance conducted at Children’s Hospital last night."
Jenkins set a thick tablet onto the judge's bench.
Judge Ellison pressed play on the video file.
For two terrifying minutes, the entire courtroom listened to the amplified audio of Victoria’s cold voice echoing from the tablet speakers: "This is not where you belong."
They watched the thick stream of orange juice drench the helpless, screaming toddler. They watched Victoria laugh, and then they watched her slap David Chen across the face.
When the video finished, Judge Ellison removed her glasses. Her eyes were burning with a fierce, judicial fury.
"Mr. Cross," Judge Ellison said, her voice dropping into an icy register. "Does your client wish to enter a plea at this time?"
Cross stood up slowly, looking at the judge, then back at the cold face of Alexander Vance. He knew that if this went to a public jury trial, Victoria would be torn to pieces by twelve ordinary citizens who had all seen the video.
"My client... my client enters a plea of Guilty to all counts, Your Honor," Cross whispered, his head hanging low.
Victoria let out a sharp gasp, tugging at Cross's sleeve. "Edward, no! What are you doing?!"
"Shut up, Victoria," Cross hissed under his breath. "It's the only way you don't get five years in maximum security."
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Judge Ellison struck her wooden gavel against the sound block with a loud, thunderous CRACK!
"The court accepts the guilty plea," Judge Ellison declared firmly. "Sentencing will be rendered immediately."
