Chapter 6
The next two days were a blur.
Lawyers. Witnesses. Evidence. Phone calls.
Marcus worked eighteen hours a day. His team did nothing but prepare.
And all the while...
the press circus grew.
Every channel. Every newspaper. Every website.
Victoria was everywhere.
Crying. Dignified. Heartbroken.
She gave an exclusive interview to her brother's network. Sat in the mansion's garden. Wore a simple white dress. No makeup. Perfectly calculated to look like a woman in agony.
"Nathan has been under so much pressure," she told the interviewer. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Real-looking tears. "The company. The stress. He hasn't been himself for months. I tried to get him help. I begged him. But then he just... he took them. In the middle of the night. I haven't seen my babies in three days. I don't know if they're eating. If they're scared. If they miss their mother."
She covered her face. Sobbed.
The interviewer reached over and patted her hand.
Millions of people watched.
Millions of people believed her.
My phone blew up.
Business partners. Friends. Acquaintances.
Some were supportive. Most were careful. Waiting to see which way the wind blew.
My own mother called.
"Nathan," she said. Her voice was trembling. "Is it true? What Victoria is saying? Are you... are you using? Are you okay?"
I closed my eyes.
Even my own mother.
"Mom," I said. "I can't talk about it right now. But I promise you. Every single word coming out of Victoria's mouth is a lie. I will prove it. Soon. Just... please trust me."
She hesitated. Then sighed.
"You're my son. I trust you. But Nathan... be careful. That woman is dangerous. She always was. I saw it the day you brought her home. I said nothing. I'm sorry."
The preliminary hearing arrived.
The courthouse was surrounded by cameras. Hundreds of them.
I carried Aiden. Held Emma's hand. Leo walked beside me. His head held high. My little soldier.
We walked through the crowd together.
Reporters shouted questions.
"Mr. Harrington! Did you kidnap your children?"
"Are you mentally unstable?"
"Do you have a drug problem?"
I didn't answer. Just kept walking. Kept my children close.
Inside the courtroom, the air was thick.
Victoria was already there.
She wore a simple gray suit. Hair pulled back. No jewelry. She looked like a grieving widow.
When she saw the children...
she burst into tears.
Tried to run to them.
Her lawyer had to hold her back.
It was a performance. Masterful. Convincing.
I felt Leo's hand tighten in mine.
The judge came in. A woman in her sixties. Stern. No-nonsense.
The hearing began.
Victoria's lawyer, Clayton Rice, went first.
He spoke for an hour.
Wove a story so convincing I almost believed it myself.
The absent father. The workaholic. The man who missed birthdays and recitals and holidays. The man who, under the crushing weight of his empire, had snapped. Had turned on his loving, devoted wife. Had stolen his own children in the dead of night to punish her for imagined wrongs.
He presented witnesses.
A "psychologist" who had never met me. Who testified that men in my position often had breakdowns exactly like this.
A "business associate" who claimed he had seen me drinking heavily at a conference.
A "former nanny"—a woman I had never seen before in my life—who swore I had been violent and erratic.
It was all lies. Every word.
But it sounded real.
I glanced at the judge.
She was watching Victoria. Sympathy was written all over her face.
Then it was our turn.
Marcus stood up.
He didn't start with the photographs. Or the medical records. Or the staff.
He walked to the witness stand.
"Leo Harrington," he said. "Please come forward."
The courtroom went dead silent.
I squeezed Leo's shoulder.
"You don't have to do this if you're scared," I whispered.
Leo looked at me. Then at Victoria.
She was smiling at him. A warm, encouraging, terrifying smile.
He stood up.
Walked to the stand.
Climbed into the big chair.
He was seven years old. In a room full of adults. All staring at him.
He didn't look scared.
He looked determined.
Marcus asked him gentle questions. About school. About his favorite toys. About what he liked to do with his daddy.
Leo answered. Calm. Clear.
Then Marcus asked the question.
"Leo... can you tell us what happens when you and your brother and sister make your mother angry?"
The whole courtroom held its breath.
Leo looked at Victoria one more time.
She mouthed something at him.
Don't you dare.
May you like
Leo took a deep breath.
And he started to talk.
