Chapter 9 - The Final Argument
The final confrontation happened on the steps of the courthouse.
The media was out in full force. The opposition had prepared a massive press conference, intending to "expose" the criminal empire of Roman Falco once and for all.
Harper arrived first. She walked up the steps, her suit tailored to perfection, her hair pulled back into a severe knot. She carried a single folder.
When the opposition lawyers started their performance, she didn't interrupt. She waited until the cameras were running, until the reporters were live, and until the opposition leader, a man named Sterling, reached the climax of his speech.
“And today,” Sterling shouted, “we submit the final proof of the corruption that has plagued our city!”
Harper stepped forward.
“Mr. Sterling,” she said, her voice clear and resonant, amplified by the microphones. “Before you submit that proof, you might want to look at the document in this folder.”
She handed it to him.
It wasn't a defense. It was a receipt—a record of the wire transfers from the opposition's backers to the very mercenaries who had tried to kill her in the alley.
“That’s not...” Sterling stammered, looking at the papers.
“It’s all verified, Mr. Sterling,” Harper said, turning to the cameras. “If you want to talk about corruption, let’s talk about who is funding the violence in our streets. Let’s talk about the corporate interests that are paying to destabilize this city for profit.”
The press went wild.
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The opposition didn't have a comeback. They didn't even have a narrative.
They left the courthouse in disgrace.
