Chapter 5 - THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY
(1500 words)
A collective gasp echoed through Courtroom 302 as the email lit up the monitors. Judge Sterling leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she read the text displayed on the screen.
Juliette’s attorney, Arthur Vance, turned pale. He whipped his head around to stare at his client. “Juliette… what is this?”
“It’s a lie!” Juliette shrieked, thrashing against her handcuffs. “It’s a fake! Marcus Vance hacked my computer! He planted it!”
“Silence in this courtroom!” Judge Sterling slammed her gavel down twice, her voice echoing off the wood-paneled walls. “Mr. Vance, sit your client down immediately or I will have her removed to a holding cell!”
Arthur pulled Juliette down by her arm, whispering fiercely into her ear while she glared at me with pure venom.
My father stared at the screen, his mouth slightly open, the realization crashing down on him in real time. He looked from the monitors to Juliette, then slowly turned his head toward me. The grief on his face turned into absolute devastation.
“Your Honor,” Marcus continued smoothly, stepping toward the bench. “The prosecution presents evidence that Juliette Mercer did not merely cover up her sister’s survival—she actively planned the destruction of the Mercer family library to conceal a seven-million-dollar embezzlement scheme. When Caroline Mercer caught her in the act, Juliette locked the fire-rated service door, trapping her inside.”
Marcus hit a key on the laptop, bringing up a secondary file. It was a recorded phone call from six months after the fire—an audio file recovered from the same encrypted server.
Marcus pressed play.
The courtroom speakers crackled, and then Juliette’s voice filled the room, crystalline and cold.
“I don't care what the hospital in Utica says,” Juliette’s recorded voice rang out. “If that burn victim starts talking, make sure the board understands she’s a scam artist. Pay off the administrator if you have to. If Caroline Mercer comes back to life, we all go to prison. Do you understand me?”
The recording cut out into static.
The courtroom was so quiet you could hear the ticking of the grandfather clock near the judge’s bench.
Judge Sterling looked down at Juliette with cold disgust. “Mr. Vance, do you have any response to this evidence?”
Arthur Vance slowly closed his leather folder. He was a veteran attorney, smart enough to know when a ship was sinking beneath his feet. He looked at Juliette, then at Douglas Mercer, and took a deep breath.
“Your Honor… the defense requests a short recess to consult with our client regarding a potential plea negotiation.”
“No!” Juliette screamed, slamming her cuffed hands against the wooden desk. “No plea! Dad, tell them! Tell them to stop this! You own this city! You can fix this!”
Douglas Mercer stood up slowly from his seat. The billionaire real estate titan looked fragile, his shoulders slumped beneath his tailored suit. He walked past his legal team, past the defense table, and stopped directly in front of Juliette.
For a moment, Juliette looked hopeful. “Dad… please. Help me.”
Douglas looked at her for a long, painful moment. “I gave you everything, Juliette. I gave you a home, an education, a seat at my table. And you tried to burn your sister alive for a share of a company that would have been yours anyway.”
“Dad—”
“Do not call me Dad,” Douglas said, his voice flat, empty of emotion. He turned his back on her and walked straight over to where Marcus and I were standing.
He looked at me, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Caroline… can you ever forgive me?”
“I don't know, Dad,” I said honestly. “Forgiveness takes time. Right now, I just want what belongs to me.”
May you like
Douglas nodded solemnly. He turned to the judge. “Your Honor. As majority shareholder of Mercer Development Enterprises, I formally strip Juliette Mercer of all corporate authority, strip her of her trust beneficiary status, and request that the full weight of the law be brought down upon her.”
Juliette began to scream—a shrill, desperate sound that echoed down the marble hallways as court officers unceremoniously hauled her out of the room.
