Judge Miller: Order in the court! I will have absolute quiet in this room!
The district courtroom was completely packed with news reporters, corporate investors, and curious citizens who had followed the shocking news stories.
Julian and Victoria sat at the defense table wearing orange jail jumpsuits, their hands cuffed at their waists.
Their expensive defense attorney, Arthur Pendelton, stood up to address the bench.
Arthur: Your Honor, my clients maintain that they acted in good faith based on the official death certificate issued five years ago.
Judge Miller: Mr. Pendelton, good faith does not involve paying a mechanic fifty thousand dollars to falsify an accident report.
Arthur: That wire transfer was for private security consulting services, Your Honor!
Judge Miller: Do not insult the intelligence of this court, counsel.
Marcus Reed stood up from the prosecution table, holding a wireless microphone as he walked toward the center of the courtroom.
Marcus: Your Honor, we call Mrs. Clara Vance to the stand.
Clara walked proudly toward the witness box, placing her hand on the Bible and taking her seat under the bright courtroom lights.
Marcus: Clara, please tell the court what happened on the night of November fourteenth, five years ago.
Clara: I discovered that my husband and his secretary were embezzling funds from my late father's estate. When I confronted them, Julian threatened to ruin my life.
Marcus: And what happened to your car that night?
Clara: I pressed the brake pedal while coming down the mountain road, but the pedal went completely limp. The car sped up to sixty miles per hour before crashing into the river.
Arthur: Objection! The witness is not a certified automotive expert!
Judge Miller: Overruled. She was the driver of the vehicle.
Clara: I barely made it out of the water. I hid in a small town because I knew if Julian found out I was alive, he would try to kill me again to keep my inheritance.
Marcus: And who is the young boy sitting in the front row today?
Clara: That is my son, Leo Vance. He is Julian's biological son, conceived during our marriage.
Julian looked toward the front row, his eyes locking onto little Leo, who held a small toy car in his hands beside Marcus's assistant.
Julian: Leo...
Victoria: Don't look at him, Julian! He's just a tool she's using to take your money!
Judge Miller: Silence at the defense table! One more outburst from you, Mrs. Vance, and I will have you removed from this room!
Marcus turned to the judge, handing over a thick stack of certified DNA testing results.
Marcus: Your Honor, these court-ordered DNA tests prove with ninety-nine point nine percent certainty that Leo Vance is the sole biological heir to the Vance family estate.
Judge Miller: The evidence before this court is overwhelming.
Judge Miller slammed his wooden gavel onto the desk, his voice echoing through the silent courtroom.
Judge Miller: I hereby order the immediate annulment of Julian Vance's marriage to Victoria Vance. All stolen assets, real estate properties, and corporate shares are to be restored to Clara Vance effective immediately.
Victoria: No! You can't take everything from me!
Judge Miller: The defendants will remain in custody pending their criminal trial for attempted murder and grand larceny without bail!
The courtroom erupted into loud cheers as reporters rushed forward to take photos of Clara and her son.