Chapter 27 - The Battle for Clark County
Julian Vance sprang to his feet, shouting over the gasps of the gallery. "Objection! This woman is a fugitive facing identity theft charges! She cannot testify in a civil probate hearing!"
"Overruled!" Judge Ruiz snapped, her gavel crashing down. "Mr. Vance, your own petition relies on her identity. Take your seat, or I will hold you in contempt. Swear the witness in."
Vanessa walked up the steps to the witness stand, raised her right hand, and placed her left on the Bible. When she sat down, her gaze locked onto Julian Vance, and for the first time in her life, she did not look away.
"State your name for the record," the bailiff instructed.
"My name is Vanessa Cruz," she said clearly into the microphone. "For twenty years, I was forced by Arthur Montgomery and Julian Vance to live under the stolen name of Rachel Montgomery."
Marcus approached the podium, his voice measured and deliberate. "Ms. Cruz, who fathered your children, Sophia and Mason?"
Julian leaped up. "Irrelevant! Paternity has nothing to do with—"
"It has everything to do with this proceeding, Mr. Vance," Marcus cut him off, turning to the judge. "Because the paternity test we submitted this morning to the state forensic lab disproves Julian Vance’s entire narrative."
Marcus walked over to the defense table, picked up a certified red-sealed envelope, and handed a copy to the bailiff.
"Your Honor, Arthur Montgomery was not merely a guardian who used Vanessa Cruz for tax fraud," Marcus declared, his voice ringing through the chamber. "Julian Vance’s client, Beatrice Montgomery, claims Arthur had no other living heirs. But Arthur knew Julian’s scheme from day one. Arthur secretly adopted Vanessa under an emergency adult decree filed in California in 2018, legally validating her as his child regardless of her birth certificate. More importantly... Sophia and Mason’s biological father is deceased."
Marcus turned slowly toward Julian Vance. "Their father was Julian’s own son, David Vance, who died in a car crash four years ago."
The courtroom erupted. Reporters scrambled for the doors. Beatrice Montgomery gasped, clutching her throat, turning on Julian with fury. "David? David fathered those children?"
"Quiet!" Judge Ruiz yelled, pounding her gavel repeatedly. "Order in this court!"
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Vanessa wiped a single tear from her cheek and leaned into the microphone. "David loved me. And when he died, Julian told me that if I ever tried to claim his estate for Sophia and Mason, he would make sure my babies were taken away by the state. That’s why I left them with Claire. Because Claire is the only person who loves them without wanting a single dollar of Arthur’s blood money."
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