Chapter 108 Olive is My Own Child

Chapter 108 Olive is My Own Child
The heavy doors of the courtroom swung shut, sealing the "Olive Green Army" inside. The tension in the room was immediate and suffocating.
Judge Reyes called the hearing to order, and Tiffany’s parents’ cut-rate, overly smug attorney immediately stood up. He adjusted his cheap tie and looked directly at the respondent's table.
"The petitioners call Leona Stark to the stand."
Owen’s jaw tightened, his hand gripping Leona’s firmly under the table before he let her go. Leona stood tall, smoothing her olive-green dress, and walked confidently to the witness box.
The opposing lawyer approached the podium, a condescending smirk on his face. "Mrs. Stark, let's talk about your relationship with your late brother, Chad. How often did you actually speak to him before his unfortunate passing?"
Leona kept her expression perfectly composed, refusing to let the lawyer intimidate her. "It was usually only a few months between each time he needed something."
"Needed something," the lawyer repeated, making a dramatic show of writing it down on his legal pad. "Like money? In fact, you and your billionaire husband recently paid off the entire mortgage on the family farm to save it from foreclosure, didn't you? But you didn't just help your brother out. You put the deed completely in your name until he could pay you back. And he had gotten incredibly mad about that, hadn't he?"
"Chad wasn't making good decisions," Leona answered, her voice steady and unapologetic. "We saved the farm to protect our family's legacy. He was upset, yes, but we were trying to help him."
The lawyer leaned aggressively over the podium. "So upset that you hadn't been talking to him for a few weeks leading up to his death. You had even gone so far as to block his phone number, didn't you?"
"I had to set a boundary until he was willing to get clean," Leona stated firmly.
"A boundary," the lawyer scoffed, turning to look at the judge. "You block your own brother's number, you take his farm, and yet, the court is supposed to believe you just happened to be at that farm the day his baby was left there? Isn't it true, Mrs. Stark, that you lured Tiffany out to the farm that day specifically to offer her money for the child?"
"No," Leona fired back, her dark eyes flashing.
"And isn't it true," the lawyer pressed, raising his voice, "that you offered her money again when she signed the termination papers? You and your husband simply bought this child from a vulnerable, grieving mother, didn't you?"
"Absolutely not," Leona stated, her voice ringing with fierce indignation.
The lawyer scoffed again, turning his back on her. "No further questions."
Vance calmly stood up from the respondent's table. The high-powered Zenith attorney didn't look intimidated by the theatrical display in the slightest. He buttoned his suit jacket and approached the witness stand.
"Mrs. Stark," Vance said gently, offering her a respectful nod. "Could you please tell the court what actually happened on the day Olive came into your care?"
Leona took a deep breath, looking over at Owen, who was watching her with absolute devotion. "We met Tiffany at the family farm to see if there was anything left in Chad's house she wanted before we cleared it out. Owen and I walked around back to the barn... where my brother had done what he did. When we came back to the front porch, Tiffany was gone. She had left Olive, who was only a little over three months old, sitting there in her car seat."
Vance nodded. "And did you offer her a payout when she met with you to sign the termination papers?"
"No," Leona stated, the raw, devastating truth echoing in the quiet room. "I didn't offer her a single dime. I told her if she needed anything, anything at all, she always knew where to find me. She smiled at me and said, 'No thank you. I just wanted her to be with someone who could love her, because I couldn't.'"
Tiffany, sitting at the petitioner's table, dropped her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking violently. Vance thanked Leona and allowed her to step down.
Clearly feeling backed into a corner by the truth, the opposing lawyer made a desperate, incredibly foolish tactical error. He called Owen to the stand.
The CEO took the oath and sat in the witness box. He didn't look like a ruthless businessman today; he looked like a fiercely devoted, highly lethal father. He kept his eyes locked firmly on the opposing counsel, daring the man to challenge him.
The smug lawyer smirked, thinking he had found a weak spot. "Mr. Stark. You recently welcomed a biological daughter, Hazel, into your home. Let's be honest. Now that you have your own child, haven't your feelings toward Olive changed? Isn't she just a charity case you took on out of obligation to your wife's estranged brother?"
Their entire family audibly gasped. Owen’s eyes turned to terrifying. He gripped the wooden railing of the witness stand, his knuckles turning white as he prepared to absolutely decimate the lawyer.
But before Owen could unleash, a tiny, melodic voice cut through the tension in the room.
"Hi Da-da!"
Over in the first row of the gallery, Olive was sitting on Diane's lap. She had just noticed Owen sitting up high in the wooden box. The toddler offered a bright, happy, gap-toothed smile and gave him an enthusiastic, two-handed wave.
The juxtaposition of the lawyer's horrific question and the absolute, pure adoration radiating from the little girl was too much. The stern, burly bailiff standing near the door tried to hold it in, but he couldn't help it. He let out a loud, abrupt snort of amusement.
Olive heard the noise. She immediately zeroed in on the bailiff, scrunched up her little nose, and let out a loud, highly accurate piggy grunt right back at him, exactly like she had done to Owen the night before.
The bailiff coughed, quickly turning to face the wall to hide his laughter, his shoulders completely shaking.
Judge Reyes immediately covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she fought back a smile. It took a full ten seconds for the judge to compose herself and restore order to the courtroom, though the lingering warmth in the room was undeniable.
Owen's terrifying glare completely melted. He flashed his dimples at his daughter, offering her a soft wink before turning back to the opposing counsel. The ice in his eyes returned, but his voice was completely unshaken.
"Olive is my own child," Owen stated, his deep voice leaving no room for argument. "There was never any doubt about what we were going to do. I had the papers drawn up immediately. Tiffany signed them and left, never looking back. She hasn't tried to call or get in touch. She told us she wanted a clean break. Olive is my daughter, and I will not let you drag my family through the mud for a payday."
Defeated, the lawyer sent Owen back to his seat and frantically called Tiffany's father to the stand.