Page 74 of Now Their Starlet

“Your Honor, Gina Sterling herself is an omega, which means she is more than aware of the kinds of conditions omegas need to thrive. Torturously uncomfortable bedding and clothing is not the way to promote healthy living conditions,” Charles says. He presses a button on the monitor’s remote, showcasing a picture of one of my meal trays. “Your Honor, would you please tell me what you see on this tray?”

“Food,” Judge Harvey says, playing along with Charles’ questioning.

“And how much food do you see?”

“Not a lot.”

“Yes, exactly. Gina Sterling only permitted Miss Andi to eat twice a day, and the only thing she was allowed to eat is the small amount of food seen here on the tray. There is no excuse for this kind of diet. Even if Miss Andi had allergies so severe she could only eat kale, that would not excuse the lack of volume.”

Charles stops his pacing, clasping his hands behind his back.

“These next two exhibits are audio only. It is concerning what you will hear. I encourage you to listen to as much as you can.”

He clicks the remote, and Gina’s shrill voice, slurring from the alcohol she drank that night, plays over the speakers.

“The fuck are you doing? Are you stupid? I need my pictures!”

“Why do you even want pictures of my boobs? That’s like, really weird, Mom.”

“Shut up! You don’t understand! Jonathan might as well have fucking said your tits were perfect!”

“Mom, Jonathan has a full-on mate. Look, I don’t think it’s a good idea to just... get a boob job on a whim.”

“On a whim? On a whim?”

“Mom, what are you doing! Please put your robe back on. Why in the world are you getting naked?”

“Look at them!”

There are some people I’m unfamiliar with in the audience, but this short clip of the recording makes a few quiet gasps ripple through the courtroom.

I guess this sort of thing should be disturbing for someone to hear, but I think I’ve been desensitized to it.

“Objection, your honor!” Collin yells, slamming his palms down on the table dramatically as he practically shoots up from his seat. “The recording being presented was made surreptitiously, without my client’s knowledge or consent. It was obtained in violation of California’s two-party consent law, and we request that it be excluded.”

“Sustained,” Judge Harvey says after a pause, his brows drawn down in concern.

“Very well,” Charles says with a firm nod. “I bring you to the next exhibit.”

There’s the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips as he meets my gaze before turning again to face the monitor. That might as well be a full-on wink towards me, considering how neutral his facial expressions have been since I first met him earlier today.

He presses play once more, and a different section of the audio recording I made starts playing.

“Protected me? You’ve locked me away in here!” My voice is shakier than I remember, playing over the speakers.

“I did what I had to!”

“So you faked me pushing you down the stairs so you could do this to me!”

“I did what I had to do!”

This clip ends sharply, before Collin even has a chance to say objection. This must have been intentional. They must have split the recording into two clips that showcase the key aspects of Gina’s behavior.

“Objection again, Your Honor!” Collin sputters. “This should not be allowed in this courtroom!”

“Sustained,” Judge Harvey says with a sigh. His gaze cuts towards Charles. “I should hope that the rest of your evidence will be actually admissible, Mr. Miller.”

“That was actually my last piece of evidence, Your Honor. I would like to call forth Miss Andi’s father, Edison Wade, to the stand. I believe that there has been ample evidence provided, not including the audio recordings presented to showcase that Gina Sterling is not a good fit to be Miss Andi’s conservator.”