Brandon's POV:
The moment the defense attorney rose to his feet, I recognized him immediately.
He had represented the Ross family for as long as I could remember.
Age had silvered his hair, but it had done nothing to diminish the quiet authority he carried. He wasn't dramatic. He didn't need to be. He had the kind of confidence that came from decades of standing in courtrooms exactly like this one, where every word could change the course of a life.
He buttoned his dark suit jacket with unhurried precision and walked toward the witness stand.
The room seemed to settle around him.
"Detective Alvarez," he began, his voice calm and measured, "you've presented these financial records as evidence of criminal activity."
"Yes."
He nodded once.
"But financial complexity does not automatically amount to criminal conduct, does it?"
"No."
"So a person can have multiple accounts, business transfers, intermediary entities, and irregular financial movements…"
