Chapter 12 - A Slap in the Sanctuary
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Back in the Denver County Courthouse, the tension inside Courtroom 4B had reached a boiling point.
Judge Holloway sat on the bench, holding the certified copy of Patricia Yates’s death certificate that Samuel Ortega had just submitted into evidence. Her face was an unreadable mask of stone.
"Mr. Beckett," Judge Holloway said, her voice dropping into a dangerously low register as she addressed Preston's lead attorney. "Your client submitted a Power of Attorney document bearing the official seal of a notary public who passed away two years prior to the date of execution. Care to explain how a deceased woman notarized your client's paperwork?"
Lawrence Beckett turned completely pale. He looked frantically down at Preston, who was suddenly sweating through his tailored navy suit.
"Your Honor... we... we were unaware of any clerical irregularities regarding the notary service," Beckett stammered, his polished composure completely evaporating. "The paperwork was processed through an external administrative management firm—"
"Name the firm, Mr. Beckett," Judge Holloway interrupted harshly. "Right now."
Before Beckett could answer, Samuel Ortega stepped forward, placing another set of documents onto the court clerk's desk.
"The administrative firm was Alpine Legacy Management, Your Honor," Samuel declared loudly. "A shell company owned directly by Ms. Celeste Arden. And metadata proves the document was drafted on Mr. Caldwell's private computer while Ms. Arden was present in his office at two in the morning!"
Across the room, Celeste Arden snapped.
The calm, arrogant facade she had maintained all morning shattered into raw, unhinged fury. She realized in an instant that the forged documents didn't just jeopardize the money—they were going to land her in federal prison.
"You pathetic, scheming bitch!" Celeste screamed, leaping out of her chair.
Before the bailiff could react, Celeste lunged across the aisle toward the petitioner’s table. Her hand whipped through the air, her long manicured nails striking Nora across the cheek with a sharp, sickening CRACK.
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Nora’s head snapped sideways. The force of the blow rattled her vision. Pain exploded across her jawline, followed instantly by a sharp, terrifying contraction locking up her lower abdomen.
Nora gasped, gripping the edge of the wooden table as she slumped forward. "My baby..."
