A murmur swept through the room, flashes blinded the faces.

— Lucas! Victoria jumped to her feet, losing her flawless mask.

But the boy was already standing in front of Sofia, shielding her with his body. He spoke incoherently, yet every word struck home: his father hid the emerald behind the painting with horses, took the green stone from a hiding place in the wall, and whispered on the phone about debts and threats. A ringing silence fell over the courtroom.

Richard Harrison turned pale, then flushed red.

— It’s a lie! The child is confused!

However, the bewilderment in his eyes said more than any objection. The judge ordered the bailiffs to restrain him, and the expensive jacket tore at the seam, as if his reputation were ripping apart along with the fabric.

An hour later, the prosecution collapsed. Sofia was released right there in the courtroom. Outside, a dense corridor of reporters awaited her, but she looked only at Lucas, who held her hand tightly.

When a tall civil attorney — Daniel Reed — appeared, his calm smile left no doubt: a high-profile lawsuit was ahead.

Defamation, wrongful termination, emotional damages — the list already sounded like a sentence for the Harrisons.

Six months later, the mansion was put up for auction, Richard received a prison sentence, and Victoria left the state.

Sofia entered the empty house in a strict blue suit to see it one last time. In the envelope she had been handed that morning was not a compensation ruling, but guardianship papers for Lucas.

— Mom, let’s go, he smiled, no longer resembling a frightened witness.

Sofia squeezed his hand and calmly closed the door behind her.