CHAPTER 5 – The Dead Man Walked Into the Courtroom
The news exploded across America.
"Billionaire Wedding Was an FBI Sting Operation!"
Every major network covered the story.
Ethan Carter sat alone inside a federal detention cell, convinced his life couldn't get any worse.
He was wrong.
Three weeks later, the trial began.
The courtroom overflowed with reporters.
Victims.
Business executives.
Curious spectators.
Everyone wanted to watch the man who had nearly stolen a billion-dollar empire.
Ethan still believed he had one final chance.
"If I can destroy Amelia's credibility," he whispered to his attorney, "the jury will doubt everything."
The prosecutor called Amelia to the witness stand.
She calmly described years of manipulation, forged contracts, and the fake engagement created to expose Ethan's criminal network.
The defense attorney smirked.
"Miss Brooks... you expect this court to believe every word?"
Amelia simply nodded.
"I don't expect you to believe me."
"I brought someone who lived it."
The courtroom doors opened.
A tall man in a dark suit walked inside.
His face appeared on every television screen.
Richard Brooks stood up so suddenly his chair crashed to the floor.
Tears filled his eyes.
"My son..."
Gasps erupted throughout the courtroom.
Five years earlier, the world had mourned the death of Lucas Brooks, Amelia's older brother and heir to the Brooks fortune.
His body had never been found after a yacht explosion.
Now...
He was alive.
Lucas slowly walked to the witness stand.
Ethan's face turned white.
"This... this isn't possible..."
Lucas looked directly into Ethan's eyes.
"It became possible the day I discovered who ordered the explosion."
The courtroom fell silent.
"It wasn't an accident."
"It was attempted murder."
Every reporter stood.
Every camera pointed toward Ethan.
Lucas continued.
"The money trail led to shell companies..."
"...that were secretly controlled by Ethan Carter."
The entire courtroom gasped.
The wedding fraud had only been the beginning.
Ethan hadn't just planned to steal an inheritance.
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Years earlier...
He had tried to eliminate the rightful heir first.
