Cora
Present Day
Courtadjournsforlunchand my legal team leads me out into the hall, Jay and Marco following in their suits. We talked about it ahead of time and agreed on no public displays of affection while we’re here. It’s both an ache to not have their hands on me and a soothing relief to know I’m in control of my presence and power.
We have a reservation waiting for us down the street, where the group of us sits down. We talk vaguely about what has happened and what’s to come, when Anthony walks in and hangs up his phone before taking a seat across from me. Kim gives him a look and asks simply, “It’s done?”
He opens his napkin and lays it on his lap. “Yup.”
“What’s done?” I ask.
“Just some behind the scenes stuff. Nothing to worry about,” Anthony says flatly, taking a sip of his water.
Fine by me. I’m too wound up to focus on anything other than the outcome of this hearing anyway. I can barely eat my lunch because my stomach is so tied up, but the way Marco is looking at me tells me I need at least a few hearty bites to appease him. I inwardly smile at the silent demand.
It’s weird being this close to them and not being able to touch them the way I want to—the way I need them to touch me. It feels profoundly wrong and goes against every instinct I have. But this whole day feels wrong. No matter how hard I try, I can’t fully settle my nerves. It’s like my whole body is on high alert, ready to pounce at any sign of danger.
When we get back to the courthouse, my team leads me through the small crowd of reporters that have formed, many more than were here this morning. It’s chaotic. But what catches my eye is Jonathan and his wife, Leona. Jonathan is clearly seething, making agitated head jerks with a bulging vein from his forehead. Leona stands beside him, vibrating with the kind of quiet rage only women have. The kind of rage that boils underneath. And the only physical sign is her preternatural calm posture and the inferno in her hooded eyes.
His voice is too low for anyone to hear except her. His body damn near pressed into hers, but their bodies look like there’s a forcefield between them. If I saw this kind of situation at a bar, I’d be walking up to this woman to help her out of a clearly uncomfortable altercation.
But the courtroom doors open, and the crowd walks back in to take their seats once again. When we get settled and the formal procedural jargon is done, it’s our turn to call up Jonathan to the stand. He gets sworn in and takes a seat, the lingering vein still popping.
Kim takes the lead this time and saunters toward him in her tailored black suit. “Mr. Ekhart, you’ve been with Define Architectural Group for how long?”
“Fifteen years.”
“And you and the late Paul Dalton were business partners, is that fair to say?”
“Yes.”
“You had a close working relationship with him? You often saw each other outside of work. Went to family gatherings together.”
“That’s right.”
“According to your employee record here,” Kim says, looking down at her file. “Paul had slotted you to take over as CEO when he retired. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
Kim gives the judge with a knowing look. “Unfortunately, Paul passed away before he could retire. But not before he could change his mind and name his daughter as his successor.”
Jonathan's jaw ticks and his eyes narrow. “He wasn’t of sound mind when he made that decision.”
She turns her attention back to him. “Well, that’s simply not true. According to the hospital records, he was. So tell me, Mr. Ekhart, how did it feel to be passed over like that?”
“It was fine.” He swallows. “Things like this happen.”
“You must have felt a little betrayed.”
“It took me by surprise.”
“You know what’s really surprising? The friendship you’ve formed with Chris Francis since Ms. Dalton has taken over.”
He gives a little shrug. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Maybe not. But a CFO and a soil engineer don’t seem like a likely pair of friends. But you were both friendly enough to chat about the hearing the night of your company’s holiday party.” Kim grabs a remote and presses play on the monitor nearby. The silent camera footage of Chris and Jonathan walking through the hall playing on repeat and the dialog added in closed caption.
Kim continues, “According to Jay Bishop, your Human Resources Director, he heard Chris say, ‘The case is heating up. This is a lot more than we all anticipated,’ followed by you saying, ‘Relax. That bitch is going down.’ And as we can clearly see, Mr. Bishop exits the empty room right here, writing down this exact conversation.” Kim looks at Jonathan expectantly. “Care to tell us what that meant?”
