"I was informed there was a disturbance," Judge Harrison said, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Officer Miller. "I was not informed that my courthouse security was manhandling the lead attorney on this case."
The whispers in the gallery exploded. Reporters started furiously typing on their phones.
"Objection! Your Honor, what is this?" Richard Vance stammered, completely losing his polished composure. "She's not an attorney! She's the respondent! She's an unemployed housewife!"
Clara calmly walked to the empty defendant’s table. She set her worn leather briefcase down. Click. Click. The brass latches echoed in the quiet room.
She reached inside and pulled out a crisp, embossed piece of paper, sliding it smoothly across the table toward the bailiff, who handed it up to the judge.
"Clara Hayes, Your Honor. State Bar Number 84729," Clara announced, her voice ringing with authority. "Representing myself. And if Mr. Vance had bothered to check the official court filings updated at 8:00 AM this morning instead of orchestrating a harassment campaign with security, he would know that."
Marcus stared at her, his breathing becoming shallow. The mousy, broken woman he thought he had destroyed was gone. In her place stood a shark, and there was blood in the water.
"This is a trick!" Marcus hissed, half-standing out of his chair. "She dropped out of law school! She doesn't know what she's doing!"
"Sit down, Mr. Hayes," Judge Harrison snapped. He looked over Clara’s credentials and nodded. "Counselor Hayes, you have the floor. Mr. Vance submitted a motion for default judgment on the assets and full custody, citing your failure to secure representation and alleged mental instability."
"I have the response to that motion right here, Your Honor," Clara said, pulling a massive stack of manila folders from her briefcase. She didn't look at Marcus. She looked directly at Vance.
"In addition to rejecting the settlement, I am filing a counter-suit," Clara stated, her pacing slow and deliberate as she walked the courtroom floor. "For fraud, embezzlement, perjury, and the immediate freezing of all assets tied to Apex Technology."
Vance laughed nervously. "On what grounds? My client built that company."
"Your client built that company using a two-million-dollar inheritance left to me by my late father, which he forged my signature to access," Clara said, handing a forensic accounting report to the bailiff. "Exhibit A, Your Honor. The original bank transfers, complete with a handwriting expert's analysis proving Marcus Hayes falsified the documents."
Marcus turned ghostly pale. "She... she hacked my computer. That's illegal!"