When they reached the corridor, Mr. Davis stepped ahead to speak with the clerk.
Leo stopped Olivia gently, his hand resting briefly against her lower back. By strict instruction of her legal team, Leo was not permitted to sit directly beside her during the proceeding.
"Look at me," Leo murmured, leaning close so only she could hear.
Olivia looked up, her brown eyes wide and anxious.
"Look at your lawyer. Listen carefully to the questions. Breathe," Leo told her, his voice a calm, reassuring force. "I will be right outside those doors if you need me. You know the truth. Let him choke on his own lies. You’ve got this, Lily of the Valley."
Olivia let out a shaky breath. She gave him a small, deeply affectionate nod, restraining herself from reaching out to touch him. "Thank you."
She turned and walked through the doors with her attorney.
Leo stepped back, leaning against the marble wall of the corridor to wait. A few minutes later, James approached the doors, his attorney trailing a few paces behind, reviewing a file.
"James," Leo said quietly, stepping into his path.
James stopped, his chest puffing out. He offered a condescending sneer, clearly expecting Leo to lose control, throw a punch, or offer some pathetic, desperate threat.
Instead, Leo leaned in close, his voice dropping into a calm, chillingly conversational tone.
"That coffee you just drank," Leo said, his eyes locking onto James’s. "It was spiked with an extract of Mortenia thorn. Very rare. Very potent."
James blinked, his sneer faltering. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"In about twenty minutes, your throat is going to feel tight. Your stomach will start to burn, and your heart is going to pound against your ribs. If you sit on that stand and lie, the adrenaline and stress will cause your blood pressure to spike, and the toxin will paralyze your respiratory system." Leo explained smoothly, his voice barely a whisper.
Leo took a slow half-step back, his expression perfectly blank. "Tell the truth, stay calm, and you'll walk out of herealive. Lie, panic, and your heart stops before the judge bangs the gavel."
James let out a harsh, incredulous laugh, though his eyes darted nervously to Leo’s hands. "That is the most pathetic, ridiculous attempt at intimidation I have ever heard. You are truly desperate, Maddox."
"If you tell your lawyer, or the judge, I’ll deny it," Leo said calmly. "And you will look even more unstable and unhinged than you already do. By the way... they won't find it in the autopsy. It metabolizes too fast."
James stared at him for three agonizing seconds, his jaw tight. "You're full of shit."
He shoved past Leo and marched into the hearing room, looking incredibly smug, absolutely convinced Leo was bluffing.
Leo watched the heavy wooden doors swing shut behind him, a dark, cold satisfaction settling into his chest. He knew exactly how James's mind worked. The seed was planted.
***
James
James sat beside his attorney at the polished wooden table, adjusting his silk tie.
He stared straight ahead at the judge’s bench, telling himself Leo’s warning was absolute garbage. It was a stupid, theatrical bluff. It was a desperate, pathetic trick from a man who knew Olivia’s case was nowhere near as strong as she believed it was.
James was fully prepared. He and his lawyer had solidified their strategy: James was the tragically wronged husband. He had desperately wanted reconciliation. He had been cruelly abandoned. Olivia had run straight into the arms of her manipulative best friend. Olivia was emotionally unstable.Olivia and Leo had been working together to systematically ruin him.
James firmly believed the judge would see through Olivia’s vindictive act eventually. He believed she would be humiliated today. He believed everyone in the room would finally realize she couldn't prove the most important parts of her wild accusations.
The judge called the room to order.
Mr. Davis, Olivia’s attorney, stood up and began presenting evidence.
At first, James stayed perfectly controlled.
Mr. Davis introduced packets of printed text messages and deleted photographs exchanged between James and Amanda.
