The courtroom remained silent long after Damian's words settled over the room.
"You tried to kill me before this hearing. You failed. Now sit down, Mr. Hale. We have a case to finish."
Victor Hale's face had gone pale beneath the harsh white lights. For a few seconds, he did not move. His hands remained locked together in front of him, knuckles white from the pressure, while his eyes stayed fixed on Damian as if he were trying to find the man he used to know beneath the dark robe and calm expression.
He could not.
The Damian he remembered had been ambitious, intelligent, and quiet. He had been the kind of man who listened more than he spoke, who learned quickly, who did not complain when powerful people treated him like he was invisible. Victor had once looked at him and seen an employee but now Damian sat above him, surrounded by the authority of the court, and Victor could not even bring himself to meet his eyes for too long.
