Chapter 34 · Under threat of losing my license

"Under threat of losing my license."

"You signed it anyway."

"So did he."

Marlow looked at Adrian. "He signed because he wanted access to your mother's memory. Ask him why."

Every face in the audience turned toward Adrian.

He didn't answer.

That silence cut deeper than Marlow's accusation.

I stared at him. "Why did you want access?"

"Mara—"

"No. Answer me."

His mouth pressed into a hard line.

Marlow smiled. "There it is. The part he never told you."

"You don't get to enjoy this," I snapped. "You planted fake proof and dragged us into a public hearing. Nobody's giving you a prize for noticing he has secrets."

The chief justice's smile disappeared.

Adrian moved closer. The guards watched him, but he ignored them. His shoulder brushed mine. Heat slid through the thin fabric of my dress.

"I needed the memory because your mother hid a witness inside it," he said.

The room erupted.

I kept my face still. "A witness to what?"

"The rewrite."

"Whose rewrite?"

His eyes cut toward Marlow.

That was answer enough.

Marlow's hand snapped up. A judgment seal burst from his ring and struck the floor between us. White lines raced across the glass tiles.