Chapter 8 - The Shadow of the Syndicate
The prosecutor stepped closer to the bench, laying a single glossy photograph down on the wood before Judge Thomas.
"This was recovered from an encrypted server seized during last night’s raid on the East Side docks," the prosecutor declared loudly enough for the entire gallery to hear. "It’s a financial ledger cross-referenced with shell corporations. Vincent Romano didn't just marry a waitress because of a sudden stroke of romance. He needed a clean, unblemished civilian spouse with zero ties to his organization to serve as a legal shield for multi-million-dollar asset transfers before his indictment hits."
Harper stared at the prosecutor, a cold wave washing over her skin.
A legal shield.
The words echoed in her mind. He hadn't just picked her out of the diner because he felt sorry for her desperate tears. He had calculated her vulnerability. He had seen a waitress drowning in poverty and used her desperation to build an impregnable fortress for his own criminal empire.
She looked up at Vincent, her voice trembling as she finally broke her silence.
"Is it true?" she whispered, the words barely audible over the hum of the courtroom.
Vincent looked down at her. For the first time, the absolute coldness in his gray eyes flickered, replaced by something sharp and defensive. He didn't answer immediately.
"Harper," he began, his voice low and gravelly.
"Answer the question!" Richard crowed from the bench behind them. "He used you, girl! He bought you like a piece of cheap furniture to beat the feds!"
"Shut your mouth, Mr. Miller," Vincent snapped, his head snapping around with such lethal intensity that Richard instantly swallowed his words and recoiled into his seat.
Judge Thomas leaned over the bench, staring down at the photograph and then at Vincent with a grim, disappointed expression. "Mr. Romano, if these allegations of fraudulent marriage for the purpose of federal obstruction are substantiated, this court will void your guardianship petition immediately, and place the child under temporary state protective custody."
The threat hit Harper like a physical blow. State protective custody. Foster care. The exact nightmare she had been trying to prevent since her mother died.
She wasn't just losing a marriage of convenience; she was about to lose Lily.
May you like
"No," Harper said, her voice rising, shaking off the paralysis of shock. She turned away from Vincent and looked up at the judge. "Your Honor, wait."
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