Chapter 110 Chapter 110
Liana's POV
As we stepped out of the courtroom, the sharp sting of sunlight made me squint my eyes. The sky had cleared while we were inside, and the heat had suddenly returned. A mixture of photographers and reporters waited behind the barriers, clicking cameras, their lenses like eyes searching for cracks in our expressions. I lowered my gaze and clutched Stanley hand.
We had barely taken five steps down the courthouse stairs when reporters started pushing to get to us.
“Ms. Davids, what do you have to say about the court proceedings?”
“Ms. Davids, is it true that Mr Dominic physically abused you in the past?
“Ms. Davids…” Another reporter started but stanley swiftly pushed past them to create a space for me. Just as we got to a quieter environment, a voice called to me.
"Liana."
I stopped. The sound of it felt like broken glass under my skin. Can't he just let a sleeping dog lie?
I turned around slowly, my hearting louder than the footsteps of the people around me. He stood just a few feet away, suit still crisp, but his face was harder to read now. The smugness had dulled and there was tension in his jaw as his eyes locked onto mine.
"Where did you get that footage?" he asked, voice low and almost trembling. I straightened, trying to still the tension that had coiled up my spine. I refused to let him see fear in my eyes.
"That's none of your business," I said, my tone steady despite the storm inside me. "You should be more concerned with watching your back."
His nostrils flared, and he took a step closer, his eyes narrowing. "You think you can threaten me with stolen files and tampered audio? You have no idea what you're playing with, Liana."
Before I could even open my mouth, Stanley returned and stepped in between us.
"Back off, Dominic," he snapped, his voice sharp like and unfriendly. "You don’t get to intimidate her anymore. Those days are over."
Dominic's gaze shifted to Stanley. I watched the silent recognition pass between them their years of tension bubbling just beneath the surface. Dominic's lip curled slightly.
"Of course you're behind this," he muttered. "Always trying to play the hero. You think you're better than me? You're already a failure Stanley, can't you just get used to that?”
Stanley smiled calmly before he responded "Your time is almost up, Dominic. He who laughs last, laughs best," Stanley said coolly.
They stood there for a moment, eyes locked, a storm of old grievances bubbling between them. A few people nearby slowed down, sensing the growing tension.
"Enough," I said, stepping forward and brushing my hand lightly against Stanley's arm. "Let’s go. He’s not worth it."
Stanley didn't move at first. He kept staring at his brothe but then he nodded and turned away with me. We walked past Dominic without another word.
I could still feel his eyes on my back as we rounded the corner and disappeared from his view.
The courthouse cafeteria was noisy and smelled faintly of burnt coffee and old paper. We paused at the vending machine while Walker excused himself to take a phone call. The man looked like he hadn’t had time for a proper meal in days and still declined when I offered lunch.
"I appreciate it," he said, adjusting his collar. "But I need to regroup with the office. There’s a lot to do if that evidence is going to stand. The digital trail needs to be spotless. We’ll talk soon."
After a few rounds of back and forth, I finally let him go do his thing. Stanley and I left the building and drove across the street to a restaurant tucked between two office complexes. It had an outdoor seating arrangement with leafy plants hanging in pots. The hum of the city was distant here, muffled by the thick branches overhead.
We sat near the window and I ordered a simple sandwich and a lemonade. Stanley chose the same thing.
For a while, we didn’t say anything. We just sat there, everyone with his thought, the weight of the courtroom still sitting heavily between us.
I stirred my drink with the straw and watched the ice swirl slowly and finally, I looked up.
"You still haven’t told me how you got the footage," I said quietly.
Stanley leaned back in his seat, exhaled deeply, and nodded. "Yeah. You deserve to know." He reached for his glass, took a sip, and then set it down again, watching the water roll downwards.
"A while ago," he began, "before you and Dominic even split, there was this guy I helped out. He was caught up in something stupid… an assault charge, but it was mostly misunderstanding. He was young and scared and had no one wanted to vouch for him so I stepped in and used my lawyer to help get the charges dropped."
I listened quietly, absorbing every word. "Turns out," he continued, "that guy got hired by Dominic about a year later and in the security systems department. I stumbled into him last week and one thing led to another and I found out he works for my brother. In this world we live, always return favours so this was the least he could do."
I blinked. "So you pulled the card?."
Stanley nodded. "I told him I needed access to any footage or files Dominic might have kept. He hesitated at first. But when I told him why… everything about you and about Serena, he agreed. Said he’d dig around."
My heart was hammering again but it was slower this time and deeper. "The files were buried," Stanley added. "And the few who survived were labeled under random names.”
“So he found files from years ago when I was till married to Dom?”
“Yes, he did. The living room security cam was still active. He said it wasn’t standard, more like Dominic’s personal setup for his own control."
A sick feeling crawled over my skin. Of course Dominic had private recordings. That was exactly the kind of man he was.
"He transferred everything to a drive and sent it to me. Audio, video, timestamps. Everything matches. I’ve already sent it to a specialist to verify metadata. We’re covered."
I looked at him for a long moment, unsure of what to say. "That was dangerous," I said softly. "He could lose his job. Or worse."
Stanley’s eyes met mine. "Some things are worth the risk."
A silence fell over us again, but it wasn’t the heavy kind. I glanced out the window. People passed by, oblivious to the chaos that had defined our morning. Some held hands… some laughed. And for a moment, I let myself pretend we were just two friends catching up over lunch but deep down, I wanted to stretch across and lock my lips in his.
"Thank you," I whispered. "Not just for today. For standing by me.”
He shrugged, but the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "You don’t have to thank me for doing what’s right."