Page 54 of Overruled

Thirty

Dani

“You are squirming, Danica.”

I will my knee to stop bouncing, glancing at Bianca, who is smirking at me from her seat. “They’re late.”

“Perhaps Lorenzo needs time to fix his hair,” Bianca muses. “It is looking very thin lately.”

My mouth quirks. “Not everyone ages gracefully, I guess.”

“It is a gift, this is true.”

“At least we’ll be the ones doing the surprising today,” I tell her. “We can make fools of them for a change.”

Bianca makes a disgusted sound. “I never knew Lorenzo would be so sure of himself that he would stoop so low. I should have known better.”

“Lorenzo?”

“I spoke with him,” she says.

“What?” I turn in my seat. “When?”

“He called me a few days ago.” Her expression is resigned, not sad, just…final. “He wanted to try to bully me into going away. I told him if he thinks I would, he is much more of an idiot than I thought. But he told me as much that day. That it was his idea to use the truth against me.”

My pulse quickens; it’s a truth I’ve already arrived at on my own, that Ezra didn’t betray me like I accused him of doing, but hearing it plainly…it’s a strange emotion. Like guilt and relief all wrapped into one.

“And you’re…okay? To proceed as planned?”

She nods heavily. “I am ready to put it behind me.”

“I just want to make sure that it’s not too much for you, what we found.”

She shakes her head. “I have made peace with Lorenzo’s mistakes. I will not mourn what I cannot change.”

“Listen,” I tell her, placing my hand over hers.

“Today, he’s going to be mourning his mistakes.

” I haven’t told her everything; there are people who need to hear the things I’ve uncovered first, as selfish as that makes me, but knowing that she’ll have more justice than what she will surely gain today steels my resolve.

“I promise you that, Bianca. And this time, I won’t break it. ”

Bianca pats the back of my hand, covering it with her free one, smiling at me warmly. “You never did, dear,” she assures me. “You are a powerful woman. I knew this from our first meeting. I am glad I chose you.”

I have to swallow around the thick lump that forms in my throat; I don’t trust my voice.

I nod at her instead, her approval meaning more to me than she’ll ever know.

Bianca Casiraghi is a culmination of hardship and tribulation being overcome and recycled into power.

I can only hope that one day I can be half the woman she is.

“I’m glad you chose me too,” I finally manage tightly.

The courtroom doors burst open before she can reply, and we turn in our seats to watch Lorenzo following an unexpected face.

I frown at Eli Hart leading him to his seat, turning back to the door to search for Ezra and wondering why Eli would be joining him so late in the game.

When he never shows, my confusion only intensifies.

“Sorry we’re late, Your Honor,” Eli says, addressing the judge. “There have been some changes to Mr. Casiraghi’s counsel.”

Judge Harding arches one brow. “I can see that. The other Mr. Hart won’t be joining us?”

“Unfortunately,” Eli answers. “Ezra Hart is no longer employed at our firm.”

My mouth parts in surprise, my eyes widening.

The fuck? Ezra doesn’t work for Alexander anymore?

Did he quit? Was he fired? What about his mom?

Did he not work there when he came to see me?

The questions bounce around my brain like a dropped rubber ball.

I do my best to clear the shock from my face.

“Are you still prepared to continue?” Judge Harding asks.

Eli nods. “I have been familiar with the case, and I’m confident that I’m still good to proceed.”

“Very well then,” Judge Harding says with a nod. “We can continue.” She adjusts her glasses, looking at her notes. “Now, Ms. Pierce, you may proceed with your witness.”

“We are, Your Honor,” I say, standing and trying to calm my racing heart. “Before we give closing arguments, I would like to call Anton Andrews to the stand.”

“Objection,” Eli says. “Mr. Andrews wasn’t listed as a witness.”

“Your Honor,” I counter calmly. “Mr. Andrews has been previously deposed. He is on the witness list, and he has already been cross-examined once during the course of this trial.”

Judge Harding looks thoughtful, glancing back at my potential witness with a glimmer of interest in her eyes.

I hold my breath for a few precious seconds as I wait for her to decide, only exhaling in relief when she dips her head in a brief nod.

“Mr. Hart, Ms. Pierce is allowed to call any witness that has already been listed.” She eyes him over her glasses.

“Perhaps you aren’t as prepared for this case as you thought. ”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” I say. I straighten, turning back to Anton, and gesturing between him and the stand. “Mr. Andrews, if you please.”

The man looks like a baby deer as he wobbles from his seat, his eyes darting between me and the stand and Lorenzo, who won’t so much as look at him. I keep my expression neutral as the bailiff swears Anton in, trying not to let my excitement show.

“Mr. Andrews,” I greet him as I take a few steps closer. “Sorry to take you by surprise, I know you’ve already answered my questions once before.”

His eyes glance toward Lorenzo’s table, but I don’t look to see if Lorenzo acknowledges him. I wouldn’t, if I were him. “T-that’s all right,” Anton responds shakily.

“Can you tell us again how long you’ve worked for Mr. Casiraghi?”

“Nine years, ma’am.”

“And what did you do for work before being hired by his company?”

“I was in college before I was hired by Mr. Casiraghi,” he says. “I was hired by his company after graduation.”

“And what college did you attend?”

“Northwestern, ma’am.”

“Impressive,” I note. “What was your degree?”

“Business, ma’am.”

“And you always intended to become a personal assistant?”

“Objection,” Eli calls. “Relevance.”

I give my attention to Judge Harding. “Your Honor, it couldn’t be more relevant.”

“Overruled,” she answers, giving me a flat look. “But if you have a point, let’s get there, Ms. Pierce.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” I look back to Anton. “Mr. Andrews?”

“I…I’m not sure,” he says nervously. “My father wanted me to earn a business degree.”

“Interesting.” I turn away from him, my hands behind my back as if I’m thinking.

I look at Lorenzo’s table, noticing his knuckles are white from the way he’s clenching his fist. “It’s interesting, Mr. Andrews,” I continue, still looking out at the court instead of back at him.

“Because we were unable to find anyone by your name that was enrolled at Northwestern University during the years you supposedly attended.”

I turn back to see his shocked expression, not missing the way his eyes dart yet again to Lorenzo’s table. “I—”

“I thought that was strange,” I go on, “but only until I found that you legally changed your name in 2014, isn’t that right?”

“Objection!” Eli shouts, his chair scraping as he stands.

I step over to my table, pulling out a folder of documents and walking it back to the bench.

“You’ll notice this is marked item number forty-seven, a document disclosed to both parties in pretrial that overviews the employment records of Mr. Andrews.

If you turn to page seven, under the section ‘Other Names,’ Mr. Andrews has listed his former legal name.

This already-admitted evidence means it’s completely admissible for our team to follow up on the matter. ”

Judge Harding skims the document, nodding before handing it back. “She’s right, Mr. Hart. It’s previously disclosed.”

“This is outrageous!” Lorenzo slams his fists on the table. “You cannot—”

“Order,” Judge Harding says harshly, slamming her gavel before pointing it at Eli. “Get your client under control, Mr. Hart.”

I have to bite back my smile. Lorenzo must realize that he’s dug his own grave, and I’m happy to be holding the shovel. I take the documents back from the judge, calmly extending them to Anton so that he can see page seven.

“Mr. Andrews,” I say sweetly. “Can you please read to me the name you listed on your employment application for Casiraghi Development in 2015?”

Anton looks as white as a sheet. Clearly, his nervous disposition wasn’t an inherited one.

When he doesn’t immediately answer, I urge, “Mr. Andrews?”

“A-Anton Kinsley,” he stutters.

Satisfaction washes over me. “Which would mean you share the same last name as the woman we believe to have been in a long-standing romantic relationship with Mr. Casiraghi, would it not?”

His eyes are wide, and I notice he doesn’t dare to glance at Lorenzo now. “Yes.”

“Very interesting.” I pull out another document from my folder. “Can you tell me what this document is?”

Anton sucks in a breath. “It’s my registration paperwork for Northwestern.”

“That’s right.” I flip the page. “And can you tell me what this document is that you submitted with that paperwork for proof of age?”

“My birth certificate,” he practically whispers.

“What was that?”

“My birth certificate,” he says louder.

“And can you please read for the court who are listed as your parents on this document?”

Anton is starting to look a little green, and he does glance back to Lorenzo for a brief moment, looking even worse after doing so. I almost feel bad for the guy. When he gives his attention back to the document in front of him, I wonder if he will need a bucket soon.

“LeeAnn Kinsley and…Lorenzo Casiraghi.”

There’s an outburst behind me, Lorenzo starting to shout in Italian as a collective murmur sets off through the room, but I give none of it my attention, already thanking Mr. Andrews for his time and calmly passing the witness even as Judge Harding starts banging her gavel to try to get control of the room.