Chapter 7 - The Courtroom Circus Begins
The opening day of the trial felt like the premiere of a blockbuster movie. The courtroom was packed to the brim with journalists, socialites, and curious onlookers. The District Attorney, a sharp-suited man named Harrison who was heavily backed by Sterling campaign contributions, painted a horrific picture of Elena. He described her as a jealous, greedy woman who, unhappy with her prenuptial agreement, resorted to barbarism to extort her husband. When it was the prosecution's turn to call witnesses, the Sterlings put on a performance worthy of an Academy Award.
Margaret Sterling took the stand first. Dressed in conservative, mournful black, she wept delicately into a lace handkerchief. "My son gave her everything," Margaret sobbed to the jury. "And she repaid him with violence. I saw her face that night—it was pure evil. She threw boiling liquid on my boy without any warning." The jury looked deeply sympathetic. Next came Chloe, who played the role of the traumatized sister perfectly. "Elena always hated me," Chloe testified, her voice shaking. "She was screaming, out of her mind. Julian was just trying to calm her down, to protect our guests, and she attacked him like a wild animal."
Sitting at the defense table, Elena kept her posture rigidly straight, her face an impassive mask. Inside, her blood was boiling. Watching the people who had tormented her for years lie so effortlessly under oath was agonizing. Marcus leaned over, his pen tapping lightly on his legal pad. "Let them talk," he whispered softly in her ear, his eyes locked on Julian, who was sitting behind the prosecutor with a smug, arrogant smirk. "The higher they climb on their pedestal of lies, the harder the fall is going to be. Just wait until cross-examination."
