Chapter 7 - The Legal Siege
The city family court was a stark contrast to the dark, gloomy apartment Liam had been living in. The courtroom was bright, clinical, and packed with high-profile legal correspondents. Claire’s case had become a national sensation—the story of a quiet wife who secretly bought back her family's empire while her abusive husband tried to discard her went viral across every news outlet.
Claire sat at the plaintiff’s table, looking breathtakingly professional in a sharp navy blue blazer, her hair pinned up securely. Beside her sat Arthur Vance and Caleb, surrounded by stacks of financial ledgers.
Liam sat at the defense table alone. He couldn't afford a private attorney, so the state had assigned him a overworked public defender named Mr. Harris, who was currently sorting through Liam's massive debt files with a look of sheer exhaustion.
"Your Honor," Arthur Vance argued, standing before the judge’s bench. "We are requesting full, permanent legal and physical custody of both Leo and Maya Vance-Sterling, with zero visitation rights granted to the father. Liam Sterling has demonstrated not only gross financial negligence and criminal intent through his pending embezzlement trial, but a complete lack of moral character."
"This is absurd!" Liam shouted, standing up from his chair. "She's weaponizing my financial situation! I am the father! Leo is my heir! She can keep the girl, but my son deserves to be with his father's bloodline!"
The female judge, Judge Evelyn Thomas, slammed her gavel down with a deafening crack. "Mr. Sterling, sit down and do not speak out of turn again, or I will have you held in contempt immediately."
Mr. Harris pulled Liam down by his sleeve, whispering fiercely, "Shut up, Liam! You're making it worse!"
Arthur Vance smiled coldly, turning to a projector screen on the courtroom wall. "Your Honor, if there is any doubt regarding the defendant's character or his fitness as a parent, I would like to submit Exhibit G into the record. This is a copy of the video recorded by the hospital’s security cameras on the night of the twins' birth."
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The video began to play. The courtroom watched in stunned silence as a sweating, disheveled Liam walked into Claire’s recovery room, threw the divorce papers at her face, and explicitly stated: "I'll take the boy. Victoria agreed to raise him. You can keep the girl. Raising two is too much work, especially for an unemployed single mom."
The judge’s face turned into a mask of pure, unadulterated disgust. She looked from the screen straight at Liam, her eyes burning with judicial fury.
