Chapter 24 - The Grand Jury Defense
The federal investigation was launched within seventy-two hours, moving at lightning speed due to the high-profile nature of the allegations. But Viktor Vance and his anonymous backers had severely underestimated the depth of our legal fortification. Every single transaction, every corporate acquisition, and every line of the lineage verification had been meticulously audited and signed off by federal judges years prior.
On a freezing Thursday morning, I walked up the marble steps of the federal courthouse in downtown Chicago, flanked by my elite legal team and my three sons—now towering nineteen-year-old men who walked with the poise and quiet strength of protectors.
Flashes blinded us as hundreds of journalists shouted overlapping questions.
"Maya! Are the fraud charges true?"
"Is the empire collapsing?"
I didn't stop. I looked straight ahead, my emerald coat sweeping behind me like royal armor. Liam placed a steady, reassuring hand on my shoulder, while Caleb walked protectively on my left flank.
Inside the grand federal courtroom, Judge Harrison—a stern, highly respected jurist known for his zero-tolerance policy on frivolous litigation—sat behind the polished mahogany bench.
Viktor Vance’s American legal representative stood up, smoothing his tie, presenting a thick binder of circumstantial evidence and recycled conspiracy theories. "Your Honor, the defense maintains that the plaintiff utilized deceptive corporate raiding tactics and unverified familial claims to seize assets rightfully belonging to the Montgomery lineage..."
Judge Harrison listened for twenty minutes, his expression growing darker by the second. Finally, he held up a single hand, cutting the prosecutor off mid-sentence.
"Counselor," Judge Harrison’s voice boomed across the silent courtroom, dripping with unmistakable ice. "I have reviewed the evidence submitted by the defense. Do you have a single piece of verified, admissible forensic proof showing falsification of these federal seals?"
The prosecutor stammered, shuffling his papers frantically. "Well, Your Honor, given time for discovery—"
"Case dismissed with prejudice," Judge Harrison declared, slamming his gavel down with a sharp, echoing crack. "This court will not be used as a weapon for disgruntled former executives attempting to overturn legally binding federal verdicts through tabloid journalism. Furthermore, counsel is fined fifty thousand dollars for filing bad-faith litigation."
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Gasps echoed through the gallery. Vance's attorney turned pale.
We walked out of the courthouse into the bright autumn sunlight, victorious, untouchable, and completely vindicated.
