Ch.15: The First Counter-Attack

The next morning, the courthouse wasn't just a building; it was a battleground.

I walked in through the front doors, flanked by security I had hired with Julian's money. Not cheap mall cops, but ex-military contractors in matte-black armor. They pushed the press back, clearing a path through the screaming mob.

The headlines were already out. **"BILLIONAIRE'S LAWYER HACKS CHARITY GALA." "DEAD BROTHER'S GHOST MESSAGE."**

But they missed the real story. They missed the fact that I was still breathing.

I entered the courtroom. Sterling was already there, looking like he hadn't slept. His tie was slightly crooked. Good.

Judge Halloway took the bench. He glared at me over his spectacles.

"Ms. Vance," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "After last night's... theatrical display, I am inclined to hold you in contempt and revoke your bail."

"On what grounds?" I asked, setting my briefcase down with a heavy thud.

"Disruption of public order. Unauthorized use of private equipment. Slander."

"It's not slander if it's true, Your Honor."

"You hacked a charity event!" Sterling shouted, standing up. "You terrified the guests!"

"I played a memorial video," I countered calmly. "If the content of that video was disturbing to you, Mr. Sterling, perhaps you should explain why your firm's financial records were mixed in with my brother's baby pictures."

The gallery murmured. The P-Stock ticker above the bench flickered. **VANE INNOCENT: 51%**.

We were winning the court of public opinion. Now I had to win the court of law.

"Your Honor," I said, my voice projecting to the back of the room. "The Defense files a Motion to Compel Discovery regarding the financial records of the arresting officer, Captain Miller."

Halloway scoffed. "Denied. Irrelevant."

"It is highly relevant," I said. "As I attempted to show during cross-examination before the Prosecution... interrupted... Captain Miller had significant gambling debts paid off moments after Mr. Vane's arrest."

"That is speculation!" Sterling argued.

"It's fact," I said. "And I have the receipts."

I pulled a stack of papers from my briefcase. Bank logs. Betting slips. The transfer confirmation from the offshore shell company.

"I am also filing a hostile motion against the Obsidian Circuit Police Department for spoliation of evidence," I continued, not letting them breathe. "Specifically, the deletion of body cam footage and the tampering with the autopsy timeline."

"This is absurd!" Halloway slammed his gavel. "You are fishing, Ms. Vance. Motion denied."

"You can't deny it without reviewing the evidence!" I shouted back.

"I can do whatever I want in my courtroom!" Halloway roared. "Sit down, Counselor, or I will have you removed!"

I looked at him. I looked at the red face, the shaking jowls. He was terrified. He knew that if I pulled the thread on Miller, the whole sweater would unravel, and he was wearing it.

I looked at the camera drone hovering near the ceiling.

"You're right, Your Honor," I said, my voice suddenly quiet. "It is your courtroom."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.

"But it's *their* city."

I tapped the screen.

I didn't just livestream to the internet. I patched the feed directly into the courtroom's main display.

The massive holographic screen behind the judge flickered. It showed a live feed of the P-Stock ticker. But below it, a chat window opened.

It was the public comment stream. Millions of messages per second.

**#JUSTICEFORLIAM**
**#THEJUDGEISBOUGHT**
**#SHOWUSMILLERSBANKACCOUNT**

"What is this?" Halloway demanded, turning around to look at the screen. "Turn that off!"

"I can't," I said. "It's the voice of the people. And right now, they're voting."

The ticker began to move. Fast.

**VANE INNOCENT: 60%... 65%... 70%**

"Under the Obsidian Judicial Code, Section 9," I recited from memory, "if the Public Sentiment Index regarding judicial bias exceeds 75%, the presiding judge must recuse himself or grant the defense's motion to restore faith in the proceedings."

Halloway stared at the numbers climbing. He looked at the chat, a waterfall of accusations and rage.

**72%... 74%...**

"Grant the motion," I said. "Or let the city decide your fate."

Halloway looked at Sterling. Sterling looked at the floor. He couldn't help him. Not with the cameras rolling.

Halloway looked back at me. His eyes were hateful, venomous slits.

**75%.**

The screen flashed red. **JUDICIAL REVIEW TRIGGERED.**

The gavel cracked. It sounded like a bone breaking.

"Motion to Compel... granted," Halloway choked out. "Captain Miller's financial records are admitted."

He stood up, his robes swirling.

"Court is adjourned!"

He stormed out.

The gallery erupted in cheers. I stood there, feeling the adrenaline crash, my knees shaking.

I looked at Julian. He was smiling. A real smile.

"Nicely done, partner," he whispered as the guards led him away.

I looked up at the screen. The chat was still scrolling. They loved me. They thought I was a hero.

But they didn't know the truth. They didn't know that the key to the encryption—the key to proving *everything*—was still locked behind a password I couldn't guess.

I had won the battle. But the war was just beginning.

And somewhere in the city, Kael was watching. And she wasn't smiling.

The Judge's gavel cracked. He hated me. But the chatroom loved me.