Against All Odds

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The court room is silent, no one saying a word as the air becomes tenser with every passing moment.

Looking at my watch, I see that we have been sitting here for twenty minutes now, fifteen minutes over the time we were supposed to start. The judge finally sighs, squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"Mr. Jeniya," the judge says, looking up at the completely neutral faced alpha. "Can you please tell me where your client is? And why he is nearly twenty minutes late?"

The alpha who represented Aaron all those weeks ago, shakes his head. "I have no idea where he is, your honor. But there is a warrant out for his arrest, concerning Mr. Katz. Coming here would certainly entail his arrest."

The judge raises an eyebrow, gaze turning over to Herri. "Is this true?"

She nods her head, shuffling around some papers before standing up to hand them over to the judge. "These are all the case notes that the sheriff faxed over to me concerning Mr. Harris' arrest. As you can see, the police have concluded he is the one responsible for the death of Dr. Janette Adrian. He is also responsible for breaking into my client's home, stealing files that are pertinent to this case. Luckily, I had copies of the papers stolen, which I have included. They are proof that Mr. Harris was responsible for Mr. Katz being put on a dangerous birth control without my client's consent."

The judge is silent while reading the papers, the shuffling the only sound in the room. Finally, he hums, letting the papers lay flat on his desk.

"Well then," he says, looking between us all. "Because of this, I have concluded that Mr. Katz will be receiving all assets received during his marriage with Mr. Harris. The two businesses will be placed solely in Mr. Katz's ownership, and Mr. Harris' claim of parental rights has been dismissed." He looks solely at me now. "I am sorry for what Mr. Harris has put you through, Mr. Katz, and good luck with your children."

He stands up then, leaving all of us to scramble up as well, before he leaves the courtroom. Aaron's lawyer walks over to us, holding out his hand for first me and then Herri to shake.

"I am sorry to hear what has happened," he says. "I wish you luck, Mr. Katz."

He walks away then, going to gather his stuff before leaving the courtroom entirely.

"We did it, Milo," Herri says to me with a smug smile. "Come by the office sometime this week, and you can sign some of the finalization forms. After that, the shops and all other assets will be completely yours, and Aaron can do nothing about it."

"Oh wow," I say, still trying to get over the shock of what happened. "I'll come by as soon as possible."

"See you then," she says, grabbing her suitcase and walking out of the courthouse, heels clicking on the tile floors.

A hand settles on my shoulder, startling me slightly. Turning, I see Ollie and Nico looking at me. Ollie pulls me close, clearly worried, while Nico lets out a small whoop of joy.

"That asshole got exactly what he deserved," Nico says, ruffling my hair. "Now, he'll be out of your hair."

"I won't stop worrying until he is behind bars, but I guess this is good enough for now." Ollie shares a smile with my brother, arm wrapped tightly around my waist.

"Knew he wouldn't show up for this," Nico says, a smug look on his face. "He was handed a double-edged sword: show up and fight his case, knowing he would get arrested, or remain hidden but lose everything." He shrugs. "One way or the other, he would lose somehow."

"Well, let's get out of here," I mumble, rubbing my stomach. It has been tight all day, most likely my body responding to the stress that I have been harboring while waiting for this case. "I need a nap."