The whole courtroom shifted, and even Lennox’s lil’ lawyer crew sat up straighter, their eyes flickin’ between her and the judge like they was waitin’ on they own damn sentences.
Auntie Abeni’s tone stayed warm, almost gentle, but anybody with sense knew the fuck better.
“I don’t think Mr. Lennox is being fair, and I am simply asking for something very reasonable,” she continued. “If my nephew truly blew your dear friend’s sons’ brains out in broad daylight and left them to choke and drown in their own blood… then surely you intend to hold the man who tampered with the security footage accountable as well.”
Lennox jolted like somebody kicked his chair, and shouted, “That is enough!”
Auntie kept her eyes on the judge, and that made it worse, ‘cause it meant she wasn’t even botherin’ to acknowledge the Attorney General while he was throwin’ a whole ass tantrum.
I already knew Auntie Abeni was deadly, but watchin’ her ignore a grown man like he was lint on her coat had my stomach tight in a whole different way. She had the entire room in the palm of her hand without raisin’ her voice or liftin’ a brow.
“Now, Judge Marston,” she added, her voice slowin’ into somethin’ sweet that ain’t match the darkness behind her eyes, “you and I both know that footage wasn’t altered by accident.”
The judge blinked hard like his vision blurred for a second. I’on know what all this nigga knew but he looked conflicted as hell.
“With that in mind… shall we revisit the matter of my nephew?”
“Abeni, you?—”
“Judge Marston,” she interrupted.
“You and I have known each other a very long time. I have supported every endeavor you have ever pursued, and I have never asked you for anything I did not deserve. I helped build the foundation of this very courthouse you stand in, and I have never once turned my back when you needed my assistance. So for you to deny my nephew a bond, when you know for a fact that something foul is happening behind the scenes, is not only disappointing but deeply insulting.”
The judge shifted in his seat. His fingers tapped the bench. His forehead tightened with stress he ain’t want nobody to see.
Lennox shot up from his seat again, bumpin’ into the desk like he couldn’t hold it in no more.
“That woman is no saint!” he barked. “She believes her money and intimidation can bend the law for her family. She is a narcissistic sociopath who thinks the world exists to serve whatever twisted agenda she dreams up! She manipulates judges, she manipulates businessmen, she manipulates anyone foolish enough to get near her! And now she wants to manipulate this court into letting a killer walk free!”
His finger trembled in the air as he pointed at her again, his voice crackin’ from how hard he was pushin’ it.
“She corrupts everything she touches! She hides behind charm and elegance, but she is the most dangerous person in this room, and every single one of you know it!”
The courtroom went dead quiet. Even the bailiffs froze.
Auntie finally turned her head toward him, slow and graceful like she just remembered he existed.
“Mr. Lennox,” she said soft, “you’ve addressed me with so many colorful titles this afternoon… but if it brings you comfort, you may simply call me Abeni.”
The judge called for order again, but the room felt tense enough to snap. My family ain’t move. They just watched, calm and collected.
Auntie leaned forward and placed both her hands on the desk. Her rings caught the light, and her posture shifted just enough to let everyone feel the shift in temperature.
“Mr. Lennox does not play about his family, and I respect that. But I do not play about mine either.”
Then she finally turned her head his way, just for a second, almost like she was bein’ polite about the shit.
“And since you’ve chosen to use words like narcissist and sociopath,” she continued, her voice still smooth as hell, “I think it is only fair we remind the court where this situation truly began.”
You could hear a pin drop...
“Judge Marston, we are pretending this case is solely about two young men losing their lives. Yet the facts reveal something very different. The conflict did not begin with my nephew. It began because Mr. Lennox’s daughter involved herself in matters far outside her maturity and comprehension.”
Lennox’s whole face tightened, but Auntie ain’t give his ass a second to jump in.
“I will phrase this with care,” she said, all smooth and classy while cuttin’ the shit out of him. “His daughter is… an impulsive young woman… easily swayed... tragically unwise in the way she pursues relationships belonging to other women.”
My chest tightened when Auntie’s eyes slid toward Toni for a heartbeat, and she wasn’t wrong.
