“That’s true,” the Judge says nodding his head and turning to Samantha. “Why did you wait so long, Counsel?” he asks.
Samantha goes through some spiel about seeing if I had changed my ways but I know the fucking truth now. She had set Alicia on me, seeing if more dirt could be dug up. To get the people in an uproar and demand my head.
Only, Alicia didn’t do that. Sure, she may have lied, but she actually came up with the shit that got me in the public eye as a do-gooder. She actually helped me in that respect.
She helped me as Daphne. But she was there looking for dirt as Alicia.
Fuck, this shit is starting to give me a headache.
“Your Honor, my client has done numerous good works and stayed out of trouble since these events occurred,” Larry persists. “If the DA has her way and he’s indicted today, immigration rules state that he would be deported back to his country.”
“Your Honor, Prince Blaine is a direct threat to the moral fiber of the United States and his original actions cannot be allowed to go unpunished,” Samantha replies, as if she’s been rehearsing for this moment.
Judge Byrd looks at me.
“Prince Blaine,” he begins, “Do you think you’ve learned your lesson? Or are you that same man whose actions have him teetering on the brink of deportation?”
The courtroom goes quiet and I can feel every eye turned towards me. For the first time in two days, I focus on what’s happening instead of wallowing in a feeling of betrayal.
Because it’s a pretty simple question. But one that cuts to the heart of the matter.
“Your Honor,” I say. “There is no way in all hell that I am the same man as to whom these charges are being applied.”
The Judge smiles and I continue, “I’m not going to go off and beat my own drum about how I’ve started the beginnings of a charitable organization or found a cause that I believe in philanthropically, or any of that.” People are beginning to whisper but I don’t fucking care. “All I can say is that I was rescued, Your Honor. Rescued by the love of a woman. That’s literally all it took. She made me want to be a better man. And her memory still makes me want to be a better man today.”
The Judge furrows his brows in confusion.
“Her memory, Prince Blaine?” he asks. “Where is she now?”
“She was never real to begin with,” a voice says from behind me.
There are loud gasps and murmurs. I turn around as well. These proceedings are supposed to be closed once they close the doors so I’m curious.
Holy fucking Christ.
It’s the President of the United States.
I shit you not. It’s Austin fucking Bain. The most badass President that this country has ever seen. If you don’t believe me, check out his story after mine.
This President Bain is something else. Probably the one that had been negotiating the trade deal my dad kept going on and on about. The one he concluded when he came to see me find out the truth about Daphne/Alicia and then get dragged away in fucking cuffs.
“You see, she was sent by Samantha over there to go find something about the Prince,” the President says, walking in. Secret Service agents fan across the courtroom and he walks up the aisle. “Only she couldn't find anything over four months. She even gave up trying, and fell in love with him, because at heart, Prince Derrick Blaine is a good fucking man.”
Now normally, there would be gasps of shock and surprise because the President of the United States just cursed, but if you’re surprised, then you really haven’t read about how the President ended up marrying the love of his life - who was actually his fake fiancee. You will, if you want. It’s added as a bonus book after this. You really should.
Instead, there’s no gasping. Just sheer pandemonium at the accusation.
Judge Byrd bangs his gavel bringing the courtroom to order.
“Mr. President,” the judge says, “It seems you’ve caused quite the stir in my court. I don’t like that. You may be the President of the United States, but this is still my Court.”
The President shrugs. “I’ve been dealing with the Prince’s father for about six months now, and I gotta be honest,” he says as he pushes past the gate and approaches the bench. “At first, I used the Prince’s antics to get a better bargaining leverage against his father by embarrassing him, but over the last four months the tables have turned.”
I’m fucking silent. It’s not every day you get the leader of the free world advocating for you.
“I also feel a bit responsible because Samantha used to be my Chief of Staff before I fired her,” he says looking at the judge. “Everywhere she’s gone, she’s been the villain. I let her come to New York and I felt bad so I wrote her a reference that she used to become District Attorney. I guess she had some issues she needed to work out and she felt that by taking advantage of people like the Prince she’d find a little peace - or at least get some sort of revenge. But the good news is she’s been stopped before. Don’t let her win this time.”