Chapter 253 Under the Gavel
Days turned into weeks, and the trial became a slow, relentless erosion.
Every morning the living room transformed again: tight webcam on Genesis alone, soft daylight behind her.
Genesis testified again and again. Her voice stayed steady, but her hands trembled more each day. The hematoma hadn’t worsened, but the stress was carving hollows under her eyes.
The AUSA had told her after Grant’s first brutal cross:
“Be tough, Genesis. Don’t give in to his tactics. Don’t let him see you crack. Answer truthfully, stay calm, look at the camera like you’re looking at Monica. You’re not the scared girl anymore. You’re the survivor. You’ve got this.”
And she tried.
But by the second-to-last day of trial, even survivors get tired.
The second-to-last day of the trial felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.
The screen lit up.
Judge Ramirez’s voice filled the speakers.
“The defense may call its next witness.”
Elias Grant rose.
“Your Honor, the defense calls Kieran Blackwood.”
Genesis’s breath caught.
Across the screen, the camera shifted to the physical courtroom.
Kieran walked in, black suit, chest still bandaged under the shirt, moving with the careful stiffness of a man who’d taken a bullet near the heart only weeks earlier. The jury stared. Monica stared. Grant stared hardest of all.
Kieran raised his right hand.
“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
“I do.”
He sat.
Grant approached, calm and polite.
“Mr. Blackwood, you are the CEO of Blackwood Industries. You acquired Caldwell Tech a few months after marrying Genesis Caldwell-Blackwood. Correct?”
“Yes.”
“And before that acquisition, Monica Caldwell had majority control?”
“Yes.”
Grant nodded slowly.
“When did you first become aware of the existence of these alleged tapes?”
“When the FBI contacted me.”
Grant paused.
“They contacted you.”
“Yes.”
“They didn’t contact your wife first?”
“We went together.”
“So federal agents called you and informed you that they had received over two hundred VHS recordings containing criminal activity?”
“Yes.”
Grant tilted his head.
“You had no prior knowledge of these recordings?”
“None.”
Grant stepped closer.
“You’re asking this court to believe that, in the middle of a corporate acquisition battle and a public family scandal, anonymous evidence implicating your wife’s stepmother in horrific crimes simply… appeared?”
“Yes.”
The single word was steady. Controlled.
Grant narrowed his eyes.
“You didn’t hire anyone to investigate Monica Caldwell before this?”
“I hired investigators to audit Caldwell Tech after the acquisition. Financial audits. Corporate compliance.”
“Not criminal investigations?”
“No.”
“Not private surveillance?”
“No.”
Grant’s voice dropped slightly.
“And you never saw these tapes until the FBI showed them to you?”
“The first tape I saw was in an FBI field office.”
Grant let the answer hang.
“No further questions at this time.”
The judge looked to the prosecution.
“The United States may cross-examine.”
The AUSA appeared on split screen.
“Mr. Blackwood, you stated you cooperated with law enforcement after seeing the tapes. Did you ever attempt to contact Monica Caldwell directly about these allegations?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“She was already under investigation. I let the authorities handle it.”
The AUSA nodded.
“And your wife — Genesis Caldwell-Blackwood did she ever express fear of retaliation from Monica Caldwell?”
Kieran’s jaw flexed.
“Yes. Many times.”
“Thank you. No further questions.”
The judge spoke.
“The witness is excused.”
Kieran stood, gave one last look toward the camera toward Genesis and walked out of frame.
The screen shifted back to the judge.
“The defense may call its next witness.”
Grant rose again.
“Your Honor, the defense calls Jimmy Caldwell.”
The living room went still.
Genesis’s hand tightened on the edge of the sofa.
Across the screen, the courtroom doors opened.
Jimmy was brought in, orange jumpsuit, wrists and ankles cuffed, flanked by two U.S. Marshals. His hair was longer, unkempt. His eyes were wild, red-rimmed. He looked thinner, unhinged. He’d been in psychiatric custody since the estate attack, ranting, grieving Mark, blaming Genesis for everything.
The marshals sat him in the witness chair. He stared straight at the camera, straight at Genesis.
The judge spoke.
“Mr. Caldwell, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
Jimmy laughed, the sound low, and bitter.
“Sure. Why not.”
The judge nodded.
“Proceed.”
Grant approached carefully.
“Mr. Caldwell, you are the son of Monica Caldwell. Correct?”
“Yeah.”
“And you were living with her and your step-sister Genesis Caldwell for many years?”
Jimmy’s eyes narrowed.
“She wasn’t my sister. She was a fucking parasite.”
Revelation sucked in a breath.
Grant kept his tone neutral.
“You were arrested after an incident at the Blackwood estate. You shot Donald Blackwood in the leg, took a child hostage, and attempted to harm Genesis Caldwell-Blackwood. Correct?”
Jimmy’s laugh was sharp.
“I went there for justice. She killed my brother. She ruined my family.”
Grant nodded.
“Your brother Mark… he took his own life outside the estate that night. Correct?”
Jimmy’s face twisted.
“She killed him. She broke him. She made him think he was nothing. She’s the reason he’s dead.”
Genesis’s hand flew to her mouth.
Kieran’s fists clenched behind her.
Grant continued.
“Did you ever witness any abuse of Genesis Caldwell by your mother?”
Jimmy spat the word.
“No. My mother was grieving. She was strict. That’s it. Genesis was always dramatic. Always playing victim.”
Grant tilted his head.
“So you never saw or heard anything that would corroborate her claims of abuse or sedation?”
“No.”
Grant paused.
“And the incident at the estate — you say it was about justice for your brother?”
Jimmy leaned forward, eyes locked on the camera.
“I wanted her to feel what we felt. I wanted her to suffer.”
The AUSA rose.
“Your Honor, objection — relevance. The witness’s actions are not on trial.”
Judge Ramirez nodded.
“Sustained. Mr. Grant, move on.”
Grant turned back to Jimmy.
“Did you ever physically or sexually assault Genesis Caldwell?”
Jimmy’s laugh was ugly.
“No. I never touched her like that. She’s lying about everything. She’s a whore who spreads her legs for attention.”
The courtroom gasped.
Monica’s head dropped into her hands. Silent sobs shook her shoulders.
The judge banged the gavel.
“Order in the court!”
Jimmy surged forward against the cuffs.
“I’ll kill you, Genesis!” he screamed at the camera. “I’ll slit your throat and watch you bleed out like you made my brother bleed!”
The marshals grabbed him, yanking him back.
Kieran who was seated just stared at him, his face blank, eyes emotionless.
Jimmy twisted, eyes wild, staring straight at Kieran through the screen.
“And you, you bastard, you think you’re safe? She’s gonna ruin you too. She ruins everything!”
The marshals dragged him out.
The courtroom doors slammed shut.
Genesis sat frozen. Tears streamed down her face. Revelation’s hand found hers under the table. Squeezed hard.
The judge cleared her throat.
“The witness is excused. The court is adjourned until tomorrow for closing arguments and verdict.”
The feed cut.
Genesis didn’t move.
Her family was behind her in an instant, arms wrapping around her shoulders.
She didn’t cry this time.
She just whispered, her voice small and raw:
“He said he’ll kill me.”
Kieran pressed his lips to her hair.
“He won’t touch you. Ever again.”
Revelation knelt in front of her.
“Tomorrow is closing. Then the jury decides.”
Genesis closed her eyes.
“Then it’s over.”
Rev tightened her hold on her sister.
“Then it’s over.”
But the room felt heavier than ever.
Tomorrow wasn’t just the verdict.
Tomorrow was the end of one nightmare… and the beginning of whatever came next.