Judge Calder’s question came quietly, but it landed harder than any accusation Russell Crane had made all morning.
“Mr. Hollis,” he said, holding the incorporation papers between both hands, “why is your wife’s maiden name listed as the company’s original majority owner?”
For the first time since I had walked into Courtroom Four, Adrian went still.
His confident expression faltered. Paige turned toward him, her polished composure tightening into confusion. Russell leaned forward so quickly his chair scraped against the floor.
“My wife’s what?” Adrian said.
The judge looked over the rim of his glasses. “Elena Lane. Seventy-two percent ownership of Hollis Transit Systems at the time of incorporation.”
A murmur passed through the courtroom.
I kept my hands folded on the table, though beneath it my fingers were trembling. Not from fear. From the weight of twelve years spent waiting for the truth to be spoken aloud in a room that had to listen.
Adrian recovered just enough to produce a single sharp laugh.
“That’s impossible.”
“It is not impossible,” Judge Calder said. “It is printed on the original state filing.”
Russell whispered urgently to Adrian. Adrian ignored him.
“She signed those papers as a formality,” he said. “That was before the company had any value.”
The judge’s expression remained unchanged. “Then you acknowledge the filing is authentic?”
Adrian’s face drained further.
Across the aisle, Samuel and Owen sat close together near the court officer. Samuel’s eyes were fixed on his father. Owen was looking at me, searching my face for an explanation I had never wanted him to need inside a courtroom.
What happened next changed everything… FULL STORY on the next page.
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