The courtroom buzzed like a hive on edge. Whispers swirled through the gallery, some tinted with curiosity, others with pity. Paisley stood near the front table, her fingers drumming lightly against the polished oak, mind scanning the angles, the gaps, the blind spots.
Stephan leaned toward her. Are you sure about the call? That judge didn't blink once.
I saw the shift in his tone. He's stalling, Paisley whispered back. Something's coming.
You think Bernard
No. Bernard would've played it quiet. This is loud.
The judge returned. Heavy robes, hollow gaze. We'll resume with new evidence submitted by an external party this morning. Miss Montgomery, please approach.
Paisley's blood chilled.
She turned as stilettos clicked like a metronome of chaos. Giselle Montgomery emerged in a crimson dress that stopped just above the knees, hair in a sleek chignon, every inch calculated elegance. Her beauty was theatrical, her smile practiced.
Stephan whispered, That's your Giselle?
Paisley's voice barely escaped. Not mine. Not anymore.
Giselle took the stand, setting down a thick envelope. Your Honor, the material pertains directly to the Lautner-Harwood merger dispute and includes irregular communications between Miss Paisley Hart and Mr. Elias Harwood, dated before her current representation.
The judge adjusted his glasses. Is this a conflict of interest?
Giselle's voice was silk-wrapped knives. It might be treason.
Paisley stood, voice cutting through. Your Honor, I request to review the documents immediately
You'll be granted time, the judge interrupted. For now, we will recess for one hour.
Court adjourned.
Outside the chamber, Giselle approached slowly, like a queen surveying damage.
You really thought you could bury the past? she murmured.
I didn't bury anything. I outgrew you.
Giselle's smile curled. Outgrew or outran?
Stephan stepped in, shielding. You want a fight, bring it to me.
Oh, I will, she said. But she's the one with secrets still smoking.
Paisley's lips parted.
Giselle leaned in, whispering with venom, You never told him about Milan, did you?
Paisley blinked. Once.
Stephan stared at her, voice low.
What happened in Milan, Paisley?
And the silence that followed was deafening.
The walls outside the courtroom were lined with narrow windows and oil paintings of long-forgotten judgesmen who once ruled with pens dipped in prejudice and pride. Stephan's fingers closed around Paisley's wrist, firm but trembling.
Don't lie to me, he said, voice low.
I'm not, Paisley said, though her voice faltered. It's not what she made it sound like.
Then tell me what it was.
Giselle lingered just down the corridor, chatting with two journalists, her laughter carrying like perfume in the air. She didn't need to stay she just wanted to watch the house of cards crumble.
Paisley's breath caught in her throat. Milan wasn't personal. It was business. A mistake. I was working under Harwood's counsel during my internship before I even met you.
You never mentioned it. Not once.
Because it was buried, Stephan. I didn't want it affecting the case or how you saw me.
He shook his head slowly. No. You didn't want it affecting your redemption arc. That's what this has always been, hasn't it?
That's not fair, she said. I've fought every inch to get us here.
Then why does she have that file? He gestured back toward the courtroom. How did she get your name in a sealed memo?
Paisley looked away, jaw tightening. There was someone in Harwood's office I trusted. Maybe they kept a copy. Maybe she paid them.
Stephan stepped back. I can't protect you from this.
I never asked you to.
Then why do I feel like I just stepped into a trap you forgot to warn me about?
Because you're scared, she said, softer now. And I am too.
His silence answered for him.
Look at me, she said. You know what Giselle's capable of. She doesn't just want a win she wants blood.
She's not the only one with a taste for secrets.
Then let's start telling the truth, Paisley snapped. To each other. Before we're forced to do it on a stand.
A shadow passed across the window someone watching.
Paisley turned slowly. A figure vanished down the hallway.
She's not working alone, she said. And whatever's coming… it's just the beginning