Then she reached the official ownership breakdown page and stopped abruptly. The entire room grew dead silent as she read the page a second time before looking straight at Tristan.
“Mr. Pembroke, why is your wife’s maiden name listed as the original majority owner of this corporation?” Judge Callahan asked sharply.
Tristan opened his mouth, but no words came out as his
earlier confidence instantly vanished. Carlton turned toward his client so quickly that his legal papers slid across the shiny wooden table.
Chloe’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Tristan, what on earth is the judge talking about?” she whispered loudly.
Judge Callahan raised her voice over the quiet murmurs. “Nora Ramsey is clearly listed as holding seventy four percent of the company shares at the time of incorporation.”
A loud murmur swept through the public benches behind us.
Tristan finally managed to speak up. “Your Honor, that simple document cannot possibly be correct after all these years.”
“This is an original corporate filing certified directly by the state government,” Judge Callahan replied firmly. “Are you officially claiming that a state document is fraudulent?”
Tristan glanced nervously at Carlton, then looked at me. “She only signed those initial papers because we were married at the time, but the business had absolutely no actual
financial value back then!”
Judge Callahan’s eyes sharpened dramatically. “So you explicitly acknowledge that this official state document is completely genuine?”
Tristan’s face lost all of its color in an instant.
Carlton stood up immediately, adjusting his suit jacket. “Your Honor, my team requests a brief recess to thoroughly review these unexpected materials.”
“You may have exactly ten minutes,” Judge Callahan declared, rapping her gavel once. “I suggest you use every second of them wisely.”
Part 3: Confrontation in the Hallway
The very moment we stepped out into the carpeted hallway, Tristan marched directly toward me with visible anger in his eyes. His voice was low, but sheer disbelief had completely replaced his earlier composure.
“What game are you playing, Nora?” Tristan demanded, clenching his fists.
“I simply brought the complete truth into the courtroom,” I answered quietly.
