The gavel had barely settled from the previous session when the courtroom filled again with a sharper tension.
This time— It wasn't just anticipation.
It was pressure.
Thick. Heavy. Watching.
The judge took his seat once more, eyes sweeping across the room before settling.
"Proceed," he said.
And immediately—The lawyers stood.
Alexander Vale's lawyer moved first.
Confident. Measured. Already prepared.
"My Lord," he began, voice smooth but firm, "this case is not built on assumptions. It is built on evidence."
He turned slightly, gesturing toward the file before him.
"Two independent paternity tests confirm that the child in question shares a biological link with Mr. Sebastian Ravenscroft."
A pause.
Letting it settle.
"Science, as we all know, does not operate on emotion. It does not bend to denial. It is precise."
His gaze shifted toward Sebastian.
