Chapter 2: The Name on the Paper
**— PART 2 —**
Judge Blackwood set the letter down slowly.
He removed his glasses, cleaned them once, and put them back on.
Then he looked directly at Garrick.
"Mr.
Sterling.
Before we proceed, I need to ask you something.
And I strongly advise you to think carefully before you answer."
Garrick shifted in his seat.
"Of course, Your Honor."
"Are you currently the sole owner of Sterling Capital Holdings?"
A beat of silence.
"Yes," Garrick said.
"I am."
Judge Blackwood nodded once.
Then he slid a single page across to Garrick's attorney.
Garrick leaned over to look.
His face went white.
Delphine grabbed his arm.
"What is it?
What does it say?"
He didn't answer her.
Cordelia stood halfway out of her chair.
"Garrick.
What's on that paper?"
Still nothing.
Marlowe watched all three of them from across the aisle.
She didn't smile.
She didn't move.
She simply waited.
Judge Blackwood spoke again, his voice calm and precise.
"It appears your wife's name has been on that company since the beginning.
Not as a silent partner." He paused.
"As a co-founder."
Garrick's attorney dropped his pen.
Delphine's bracelet slipped from her fingers and hit the floor.
And from the back of the courtroom, a door opened.
Someone had just walked in.
Someone Garrick clearly recognized — because the color drained completely from his face.
---
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What Marlowe prepared goes far deeper than anyone in that room expected.
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