He looked down again.
His expression hardened.
“Ms. Vale,” he said slowly, “according to these certified records, you are the founder and chief executive officer of Aegis Financial Security.”
My mother’s mouth opened.
No sound came out.
Judge Whitman continued. “A cybersecurity and financial technology company providing infrastructure services to Fortune 500 clients and federal contractors.”
Brittany whispered, “What?”
I did not turn around.
“The respondent,” the judge said, voice colder now, “is not a low-level IT support worker.”
He lifted the second page.
“Her verified net worth exceeds eighty-five million dollars.”
That broke them.
Not loudly.
Not at first.
My father’s face emptied.
My mother clutched her tissue in both hands.
Brittany stared at me as if I had transformed into a stranger.
Jamal closed his eyes.
He understood.
He had built his entire plan on the assumption that I was small.
Poor.
Embarrassed.
Easy to corner.
But I had not been hiding failure.
