Chapter 31 The Surrogate Bench

• "After you, Mrs. Morello," Arthur Vane Senior rasped, his voice dripping with an aged, venomous frost as he gestured toward the open mahogany doors of Courtroom 302.
• Megan didn't blink. Her fingers remained tightly locked with Casian’s massive, calloused palm, her dark heels clicking against the marble floor as she walked past the old man. The scent of cold metal, wet wool, and Vane's expensive lavender cologne hung heavy in the narrow corridor.
• The courtroom was vast, vaulted, and smelled of polished oak and old parchment. Beneath the towering mahogany bench, Chief Judge Miller sat adjusting his reading glasses, his gray eyebrows furrowed as he scanned the docket sheet.