"Even though he paid off nearly two hundred thousand dollars in debt?"
"I'm repaying that money. It was a loan, not a bribe."
"A loan he gave you while you were defending him in a criminal case."
"A loan he gave me when I was in a difficult financial situation. The timing was unfortunate but the motivation wasn't corrupt."
Roberto walked closer again. "Mr. Rossi, how can you expect this jury to believe that a mob boss—"
"Objection!" Diana was furious. "Mr. Vitale has never been convicted of organized crime. Counsel is introducing prejudicial characterization."
"Sustained. Mr. Green, refer to the defendant by name or as the defendant. No characterizations."
"How can you expect this jury to believe," Roberto continued, "that the defendant gave you one hundred eighty thousand dollars out of pure generosity? With no expectation of anything in return?"
"I don't expect them to believe anything. I'm telling you what happened. Mr. Vitale and I developed a genuine relationship. He helped me when I needed it. I'm repaying that help. And I withdrew from his case to avoid any ethical violations going forward." Emilio met Roberto's eyes. "My relationship with Mr. Vitale is personal and private. It has nothing to do with the assault charges against him."
"It has everything to do with establishing his pattern of corrupting people around him—"
"Objection! Argumentative."
"Sustained."
Roberto looked frustrated. "No further questions."
Judge Morrison looked at Diana. "Cross-examination?"
"Yes, Your Honor." Diana approached the stand with a gentle expression. "Mr. Rossi, you've practiced law for how many years?"
"Six years total. Three years at Sterling & Associates."
"And in those six years, have you ever been subject to disciplinary action by the bar association?"
"No."
"Have you ever been accused of ethical violations before this case?"
"No."
"You've built a reputation as an ethical, competent attorney?"
"I'd like to think so."
"When you recognized that your relationship with Mr. Vitale created a potential conflict, what did you do?"
"I immediately consulted the ethical guidelines. I spoke with senior partners at my firm. And I made the decision to withdraw from representation to avoid any appearance of impropriety."
"You put your ethical obligations above your professional relationship with a high-value client?"
"Yes. My law license and my integrity are more important than any single case."
"And you've been repaying the money Mr. Vitale lent you?"
"Yes. Thirty thousand dollars. I'll continue making payments until the debt is repaid in full."
"Why are you repaying it if it was a gift?"
"Because I don't want there to be any question about my motivations or my integrity. If it's a loan that I'm actively repaying, no one can claim I was bought."
