Part 1:
Vincent POV
We were all inside the courtroom.
Everyone looked different.
Some were surprised.
Some looked confused.
A few even looked excited.
As for me...
I had decided to keep my distance from Vale.
I couldn't force her to have feelings for me, nor could I tell her about mine.
Not yet.
I didn't even know what she truly felt.
So, I had decided to build a wall between us.
It would be easier this way.
Every time I saw her or heard her voice, a part of me would always urge me to go and talk to her—to simply listen to her for hours and admire her.
But...
That wasn't something I could do now.
The courtroom doors opened.
The Honorable Judge Robert Vance entered.
Everyone immediately stood as a sign of respect.
Once the Judge took his seat, we all sat down.
Our team quietly encouraged one another before the proceedings officially began.
The drama had finally started.
Presiding Judge: The Honorable Judge Robert Vance
Prosecution: District Attorney's Office with Special Prosecutors Vincent Montclair & Aurelia Vale
Defense: Counsel representing Enzo Perene & LuminaVital Group
The defense counsel stood first.
"Your Honor, the prosecution's charge of First-Degree Premeditated Murder (PC § 187) relies entirely on a tragic misinterpretation of a medical event.
Matthew Reynolds did not die as part of a calculated assassination.
The autopsy report clearly indicates traces consistent with food poisoning.
Foodborne illness is extremely common among international executives traveling between continents.
Dizziness, acute stomach distress, and delayed motor reflexes are natural symptoms of food poisoning, which led to the tragic loss of vehicle control on Main Street.
The initial law enforcement report filed at the scene officially concluded that this was a single-vehicle traffic accident caused by driver incapacitation due to illness—not third-party tampering."
I stood up.
"Your Honor, food poisoning does not selectively strike a driver in a manner that produces delayed, uncoordinated steering wheel movements captured on CCTV prior to impact.
Furthermore, toxicological screening confirmed the presence of a fast-acting neuro-inhibitor in Mr. Reynolds' system—one that mimics foodborne illness while simultaneously paralyzing motor function.
The initial police report was filed hastily before the full toxicology report was completed.
This was not food poisoning.
This was deliberate chemical incapacitation."
As soon as I finished...
Silver played the CCTV footage before the Court.
The defense counsel stood once again.
"Your Honor, even if the prosecution claims Mr. Reynolds was physically impaired, they are attempting to argue that the vehicle itself was mechanically manipulated.
Modern luxury vehicles are equipped with complex electronic safety systems that can malfunction under extreme conditions.
A brake failure or steering delay following a high-speed impact is a consequence of collision physics, not criminal sabotage.
There is no concrete proof that any third party accessed Mr. Reynolds' vehicle prior to the crash."
I stood up once again.
"Your Honor, state forensic mechanics examined the wreckage and recovered the vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic (OBD-II) telemetry unit and braking control module.
The telemetry logs reveal that, seconds before the vehicle left Main Street, the automatic emergency braking system and traction control were either remotely or manually bypassed, overriding the driver's input.
Furthermore, a physical inspection of the brake lines revealed clean, intentional micro-incisions designed to cause rapid hydraulic pressure loss once the vehicle reached cruising speed.
This vehicle did not suffer a mechanical malfunction.
It was deliberately sabotaged to ensure maximum impact lethality."
Silver immediately presented the forensic reports before the Court.
The defense counsel glanced through the documents before continuing.
"Your Honor, the defense moves to exclude the silver ring recovered near the crash site.
This unengraved piece of costume jewelry was discovered on a public slope days after the incident by private counsel, not law enforcement.
There is no unbroken chain of custody, no fingerprint match, and no proven link to Defendant Enzo Perene or anyone in LuminaVital's management.
Hundreds of commuters pass that stretch of road every day.
Connecting a random piece of metal found in the mud to an international conspiracy is nothing more than speculation."
Aurelia calmly stood from her seat.
"Your Honor, the silver ring was recovered directly within the drop zone of the vehicle's trajectory, embedded in fresh mud beneath flattened brush.
Forensic analysis confirms that the soil composition and chemical residue found on the ring match the micro-environment of the sabotage scene.
Furthermore, microscopic skin cells recovered from the inner band of the ring do not belong to the victim.
The prosecution has already petitioned this Court for a compulsory DNA sample from key corporate personnel—specifically Executive Assistant Marco, who was present in California during the vehicle's maintenance window."
As Aurelia finished speaking, the courtroom fell silent for a brief moment.
The defense counsel quietly noted something before preparing the next argument.
The defense counsel adjusted the files on the table before continuing.
"Your Honor, the prosecution attempts to invent a murder motive out of routine corporate compliance.
LuminaVital Group manages international assets across multiple continents.
Minor financial discrepancies or missing administrative paperwork are standard audit matters.
Matthew Reynolds was a top-performing executive.
It defies all financial logic that corporate leadership would kill such an invaluable asset—someone who was central to the company's profitability."
Aurelia stood once again.
"It makes complete logical sense, Your Honor, when that executive uncovers systematic financial fraud.
During his final quarterly review in Milan, Mr. Reynolds was given access to unredacted internal ledgers detailing offshore shell-company transfers and falsified product safety records.
Matthew Reynolds was not killed despite his high performance.
He was targeted because his legal and professional ethics made him a direct whistleblowing threat to LuminaVital's executive board."
The defense counsel paused for a moment before presenting the final argument.
"Finally, California Penal Code § 182 requires concrete proof of an agreement or a direct overt act to establish Conspiracy to Commit Murder.
Defendant Enzo Perene was in Milan, Italy—thousands of miles away.
The prosecution has produced no wiretaps, no signed directives, and no direct communications linking Mr. Perene to any unlawful act in Riverside, California.
Guilt under California law cannot be established by suspicion alone."
I slowly stood up.
"Conspiracies hatched in executive suites rarely leave signed memos, Your Honor.
Under California law, circumstantial evidence carries equal weight to direct evidence.
The prosecution has established a clear temporal chain.
Mr. Reynolds reviewed fraudulent ledgers in Milan, reported being followed, returned to California, was chemically impaired, had his vehicle sabotaged, and died in a staged crash—all within seventy-two hours.
The coordinated timeline, along with the corporate financial transfers immediately following the crash, points directly to a hit directed from executive management."
As I finished my statement, silence settled across the courtroom.
Now...
It was the Court's turn to decide.
The Honorable Judge Robert Vance struck the gavel.
"Order in the Court.
The Court has reviewed the defense's Motion to Dismiss and evaluated the evidentiary record presented by the District Attorney and the Special Prosecutors.
The introduction of forensic evidence indicating deliberate brake-line tampering and telemetry system overrides elevates this matter far beyond a simple traffic accident or medical event.
Combined with the neuro-toxicology findings and documented financial irregularities, the prosecution has established strong Probable Cause and Prima Facie Evidence of foul play.
The defense's Motion to Dismiss all charges under California Penal Code §§ 187 (Murder) and 182 (Conspiracy) is hereby DENIED.
The Court orders the following:
Defendant Enzo Perene shall remain under indictment for First-Degree Murder (PC § 187) and Conspiracy to Commit Murder (PC § 182). A compulsory warrant is issued for DNA sampling of key corporate personnel to compare against the evidence recovered from the crash site. Subpoenas for unredacted international financial records and vehicle service records are GRANTED.
This case passes the preliminary trial threshold and is hereby bound over for a Full Jury Trial."
The Judge struck the gavel once again.
"Court is adjourned."
For a brief moment...
No one moved.
The silence inside the courtroom felt heavier than any argument that had been made throughout the hearing.
We had crossed the first hurdle.
But this wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.
The real trial...
was about to begin.
This was a great victory for me...
for all of us.
Our team had worked incredibly hard for this moment.
"So, team dinner?"
The moment I asked, everyone cheered.
Of course, who would ever refuse a free treat?
Well...
That was something I had learned from Aurelia.
Therefore, we all headed to the nearest barbecue restaurant.
I was about to take the seat beside Aurelia.
My hand had already reached for the chair...
but I stopped myself.
No.
I had already decided to create some distance between us.
I couldn't keep burdening myself with feelings she might never return.
So, instead, I took the seat directly across from her.
And then...
Silver sat beside her.
This is not done.
I still couldn't understand how he had become her inspiration.
Anyway...
We began ordering our food.
I already knew Aurelia would order meat with lemon and onions, so I ordered that for her.
After all...
you should be considerate and caring toward your teammates.
Right?
I also knew she was starving.
Earlier, in court, I had overheard her quietly saying,
"I'm going to eat my whole kitchen after this."
Why was I even thinking about her?
Vincent...
Pull yourself together.
When the food finally arrived, I tried to focus on my own plate.
Honestly...
the food was excellent.
But every single time I looked down...
my eyes betrayed me.
They weren't interested in the food.
They were looking at Aurelia.
The way her eyes lit up the moment she saw the food.
The way she happily enjoyed every bite.
The way her cheeks became slightly fuller whenever she smiled.
The way her doe-like eyes softened whenever she was completely lost in the moment.
God...
I could watch her all day and never grow tired of it.
She was...
beautiful.
I wished I had been the one sitting beside her.
I wished I had been the one making her smile.
I wished...
that one day, my dream of becoming hers would come true.
I looked at Silver sitting comfortably beside her.
No.
I couldn't keep pretending this distance didn't bother me.
I couldn't keep watching someone else make her smile while I stood back doing nothing.
Maybe building that wall had been the right decision...
but hiding behind it forever wasn't.
I wasn't going to rush her.
I wasn't going to force my feelings onto her.
But...
I wasn't going to run away from them anymore, either.
One day...
I'll prove to her that I can become someone she can rely on.
Someone worthy of standing beside her.
Because somewhere along the way...
Aurelia Vale had quietly become the most important person in my life.