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The hospital room smelled sharply of bleach and antiseptic, a stark contrast to the suffocating scent of the white roses scattered across the linoleum floor. Flynn remained frozen beside the bed, his broad shoulders slumped, the formidable CEO of Vance Global reduced to a hollow, trembling shell. / Chapter 6 / 19

Chapter 6 - The Confrontation Behind Glass

The preliminary hearing took place in a packed downtown courtroom in downtown Chicago.

Flashbulbs blinded the entrance as media outlets fought for position outside the courthouse steps. Inside, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Selina sat at the defense table wearing an orange jumpsuit, her hair pulled back into a messy bun, devoid of the designer glamour she usually wore. Her defense attorney looked exhausted, knowing the digital evidence recovered from her loft was airtight.

Across the aisle, Flynn sat alone at the plaintiff-turned-defendant table. His custom suit was wrinkled, dark circles bruised beneath his bloodshot eyes. He looked thirty years older than the powerful CEO who had once looked down at me with absolute contempt.

When I walked into the gallery supported by Arthur Sterling, Flynn’s head snapped up.

He stared at me as if looking at a ghost. He tried to stand, taking a step toward the center aisle, but a court bailiff instantly stepped into his path, resting a heavy hand on his belt.

"Mabel..." Flynn croaked, his voice cracking with unbearable anguish. "Please... just five minutes. Let me explain. I didn't know about the vitamins. Selina lied to me about everything. She poisoned my mind—"

"Mr. Vance, sit down or you will be held in contempt," the judge warned sharply from the bench.

Flynn collapsed back into his chair, burying his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with broken sobs.

Selina turned around from the defense table, glaring at Flynn with absolute hatred. "Shut up, you pathetic coward!" she hissed across the courtroom. "You were easy to manipulate because you're weak! You always have been!"

The judge banged his gavel twice, silencing the courtroom instantly.

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"Order in the court! One more outburst from either defendant and you will be remanded without bail until trial."

As I took my seat in the front row, I locked eyes with Selina. She sneered, but beneath her defiance, I saw the first genuine flicker of panic. She realized that Flynn’s blind loyalty had evaporated the moment her lies were laid bare under oath.

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