Chapter 21 - The Cross-Examination
The defense attorney, a ruthless, highly paid shark named Harrison Vance, strutted toward the podium. He adjusted his glasses, looking at Maya as if she were a piece of dirt on his shoe.
"Ms. Lin," Harrison began, his voice dripping with condescension. "You claim you acted purely out of the goodness of your heart. But isn't it completely true that immediately after this 'heroic' act, the billionaire victim paid off hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt for your father?"
Maya gripped the wooden railing of the witness box. "Mr. Sterling helped my family after the fact, yes. But I didn't know he was going to do that when I stopped the poisoning."
"Oh, really?" Harrison mocked loudly. "Isn't it true that you are currently living in his multi-million-dollar penthouse? Isn't it true that you have developed a highly intimate, romantic relationship with the victim?"
The courtroom erupted into frantic whispers. Julian’s jaw clenched tightly in the front row, his knuckles turning white.
"Objection! Irrelevant and highly inflammatory!" Jenkins shouted, leaping to her feet.
"Sustained," the judge barked, slamming his gavel. "Watch your step, Counselor."
"The point is, Ms. Lin, you have been massively compensated for this spectacular performance," Harrison sneered. "I put it to the jury that you doctored this video on your phone, staged the entire event to extort money from my clients, and when that failed, you sold your fabricated story to a vulnerable, wealthy man for a massive payout!"
Maya didn't cry. The fear that usually gripped her entirely vanished, replaced by a fierce, undeniable anger.
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"You are completely wrong," Maya stated, her voice slicing through the courtroom like a razor blade. "I knocked that glass over because it was the right thing to do. Your client bought a lethal neurotoxin. The FBI traced the bank transfers. No amount of money you throw at this case will change the absolute fact that Victoria and Marcus Thorne are murderers. I have absolutely nothing to hide."
Harrison Vance stood frozen, completely disarmed by her unyielding conviction. The jury was nodding along with Maya. She had held her ground perfectly.
