Chapter 11
Jerome stood up once again,
a look of supreme confidence radiating from his entire posture.
"Your Honor,
the plaintiff's counsel claims there is no proof of infidelity,"
Jerome stated,
his voice echoing with a calm,
fearsome authority.
"They claim this is a simple case of a marriage naturally coming to an end,"
he continued,
"but we are prepared to show this court that Scott Henderson's betrayal was deliberate,"
"premeditated,"
"and active during the entire final months of his grandmother's life."
Jerome walked over to our table and picked up the first large plastic folder,
holding it up for the judge to see.
"We submit into evidence Exhibit A,"
Jerome announced,
"a comprehensive financial analysis of Scott Henderson's personal bank accounts."
"Over the past six months,"
he explained,
"Mr. Henderson has withdrawn over eighty thousand dollars in cash."
"These funds were not used for business investments as he claimed to his wife,"
Jerome revealed,
"but were instead deposited directly into a specialized bank account used to pay the rent on a luxury penthouse apartment."
"An apartment occupied exclusively by his mistress,
Kayla Higgins,"
Jerome declared,
pointing a finger back toward the nervous woman in the gallery.
Kayla's face turned completely white,
and she quickly buried her face in her hands,
trying to escape the gaze of the entire courtroom.
"That's not all,
Your Honor,"
Jerome continued,
opening the second folder with a dramatic flourish.
"We submit Exhibit B,"
he stated,
"a collection of certified credit card receipts from high-end jewelers and luxury resorts."
"While my client was working late hours to support their household,"
Jerome explained,
his voice filled with genuine indignation,
"Mr. Henderson was taking Miss Higgins on lavish vacations to Aspen and Paris."
"We have the flight manifests,"
he noted,
"the hotel registration records signed by Mr. Henderson himself,"
"and the photographs taken by resort staff during their stays."
The judge reviewed the digital copies appearing on her computer screen,
her expression growing colder and more disgusted with every single passing second.
"Furthermore,
Your Honor,"
Jerome added,
pulling out the thick stack of printed text messages,
"we submit Exhibit C."
"This is a certified digital transcript of text messages sent between the plaintiff and his mistress,"
he announced.
"In these messages,"
Jerome read aloud,
ensuring every syllable was heard clearly,
"Mr. Henderson explicitly outlines his plan to deceive both his grandmother and his wife."
"He openly states that he is waiting for his grandmother to pass away,"
he revealed,
"so that he can secure the seven point three million dollars,"
"throw his wife out of their home,"
"and live a life of luxury with Miss Higgins."
Scott looked like a man who was having a physical heart attack,
his eyes bulging out of his head,
his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.
"This evidence proves beyond any shadow of a doubt,"
Jerome declared,
turning to face the judge with finality,
"that Scott Henderson completely violated the core conditions of his grandmother's will."
"He was not faithfully or happily married,"
he stated,
"he was actively engaged in a deceptive,
long-term extramarital affair,"
"and his rush to file for divorce was simply the final step in his greedy plan."
"Therefore,"
Jerome concluded firmly,
"under the express terms of the late Margaret Henderson's mandate,"
"he has forfeited all rights to the inheritance,"
"and the entire seven point three million dollars must be awarded immediately to Avery Collins."
Marcus Vance collapsed back into his chair beside his client,
May you like
staring at the mountain of evidence in absolute silence,
knowing that there was no legal defense in the world that could save them now.
