Free Web NovelChapter 330: Ruining Families
The next morning, the courthouse was already surrounded before the sun had properly risen over Chicago. Police barricades stretched across the street, patrol vehicles blocked both ends of the road, and armed officers stood near every entrance with their eyes constantly moving through the growing crowd.
Reporters had gathered behind the barriers with cameras raised toward the courthouse steps, while protesters stood in the cold with signs demanding justice for Ethan and Emily Morales. Some called Victor Hale a murderer. Others demanded an investigation into Black Sheep Firm and the powerful people surrounding the Hale family.
The attempted assassination of Judge Damian Hill had turned the case into something much larger than a drunk driving trial. It had become proof, at least in the minds of the public, that someone powerful was desperate to stop the truth from reaching a courtroom.
Inside, Damian entered through a secured hallway with his security detail moving around him in silence. He wore a dark suit, his expression calm and unreadable as he walked toward the courtroom. His eyes were still recovering from the injury he had suffered days earlier making everything before him a bit blurred, but there was no sign of weakness in the way he carried himself. It was impossible to know he was partially blind with the eye he moved.
The courthouse staff lowered their voices whenever he passed. Everyone knew what had happened at his estate. Everyone knew men had been sent to kill him because of this case. Yet he had returned to the bench the next day as if nothing had happened. It was beginning to make people wonder whether Judge Hill feared anything at all.
He was a badass while a lawyer and that fact has not changed as a judge.
Victor Hale was already seated at the defense table when Damian entered. He looked worse than he had the previous day. His suit was expensive, but it could not hide the dark circles beneath his eyes or the stiffness in his shoulders. His hands remained clasped together in front of him, but his fingers trembled whenever he thought no one was watching.
Richard Hale sat behind him with the defense team, speaking quietly to one of the lawyers while keeping his face composed. He still looked like a man who believed he could control a room with money and influence, but the confidence in his eyes had changed. It was no longer the confidence of a man who knew he would win. It was the confidence of a man who had not yet accepted that he might lose.
Damian took his seat and glanced over the courtroom. Sophia Morales sat beside Emily near the front, her hand resting protectively over her daughter’s shoulder. Emily watched Victor with a quiet expression that made him unable to look in her direction for long. The jury filed in shortly afterward, their faces tired but attentive. They had heard the testimony. They had seen the crash data. They had listened to the experts. Now the final pieces of the case were about to be placed before them.
"Defense may call its final witness," Damian said calmly.
Victor’s lead attorney rose from his seat and called Dr. Elaine Mercer to the stand. She was a woman in her late forties with silver hair tied neatly behind her head and a calm, professional expression. She introduced herself as a behavioral systems specialist who studied the relationship between human judgment and autonomous technology. Her voice was steady, her language was careful, and she spoke in a way that made every sentence sound reasonable.
"Dr. Mercer," the defense attorney began, "can drivers become overly dependent on autonomous driving systems?"
"Yes," she answered. "That is a recognized concern in the field. When drivers repeatedly experience a vehicle correcting errors, braking automatically, or preventing collisions, they can begin to overestimate the system’s capabilities. Over time, they may develop a false sense of security."
"Could that false sense of security affect their decision making?"
"Yes. A driver may believe the vehicle will compensate for impaired judgment, delayed reaction time, or poor road conditions. They may behave in ways they would not otherwise behave if they were driving a conventional vehicle."
"Would that include someone who had consumed alcohol?"
"It could," Dr. Mercer answered. "Alcohol impairs judgment. A driver who is intoxicated may make dangerous assumptions about the vehicle’s ability to protect them."
The defense attorney nodded slowly as if the answer had given him exactly what he needed.
"So it is possible that Mr. Hale believed the vehicle would prevent a collision even if he made an error?"
"Yes," she said. "It is possible."
"Would that belief necessarily mean Mr. Hale intended to endanger anyone?"
"No," Dr. Mercer replied. "It would suggest recklessness, poor judgment, and misplaced reliance on technology. It would not automatically establish intent."
Victor lifted his head slightly as he listened. For the first time that morning, a small amount of color returned to his face. The defense was not claiming he was innocent. They were building something more realistic. They were trying to make him look foolish instead of monstrous.
The prosecutor rose for cross examination and approached the witness stand with a stack of documents in his hand.
"Dr. Mercer, you agree that autonomous driving systems are not designed to give intoxicated people permission to drive, correct?"
"Correct."
"You agree that every manufacturer warning states that the driver must remain alert and prepared to take control at all times?"
"Yes."
"You agree that Mr. Hale was warned by his assigned driver, Marcus Doyle, not to drive that night?"
"Yes, based on the testimony."
"You agree that Mr. Hale’s vehicle issued a safety warning before the collision?"
"Yes."
"You agree that the vehicle attempted to reduce speed before reaching the intersection?"
"Yes."
The prosecutor placed a chart on the screen for the jury. "And you agree that after the vehicle attempted to reduce speed, the accelerator was pressed manually?"
Dr. Mercer looked at the chart. "Yes. The data indicates manual input from the driver’s position."
"Then let us be clear," the prosecutor said, his voice growing firmer. "Mr. Hale was intoxicated. He was offered a driver. He refused. His vehicle warned him. His vehicle attempted to slow down. He manually accelerated. He manually took control. He drove through a red light at nearly ninety miles per hour. Are those facts consistent with someone relying on technology, or are they consistent with someone ignoring every opportunity to avoid disaster?"
Dr. Mercer remained quiet for a moment. "They are consistent with extremely reckless conduct."
"Exactly," the prosecutor replied. "The autonomous system may have malfunctioned. But it did not force Mr. Hale to drink. It did not force him to refuse a driver. It did not force him to accelerate. It did not force him to take control. It did not force him to drive through a red light. Mr. Hale made those choices himself."
The courtroom fell silent as the prosecutor returned to his table. Victor lowered his head again. Richard Hale leaned forward behind him, but he said nothing. The damage had already been done.
After the witness stepped down, the defense rested its case. The prosecutor also confirmed that the State had no further witnesses. Damian looked toward the jury, then toward both legal teams.
"Both sides have rested," Damian said. "We will recess until after lunch. Closing arguments will begin at one thirty. Jurors are instructed not to discuss this case with anyone, including one another, until deliberations begin. Court is in recess."
The jurors were escorted out of the courtroom, and the room immediately filled with movement. Reporters rushed toward the doors. Court officers moved to keep the public from crowding the attorneys. Sophia held Emily’s hand as they were guided toward a private room. Victor remained seated for several seconds, staring at the empty witness stand as if he had forgotten where he was.
Richard stepped forward and grabbed his son’s arm. "Come with me," he said quietly.
Victor did not resist as Richard led him through a side door into a private consultation room. Two defense attorneys followed behind them, but Richard turned toward them the moment the door closed.
"Give us a minute," he said.
The lawyers exchanged uncertain glances before stepping back outside. The room became silent except for the faint sound of people moving through the courthouse hallway.
Victor finally looked at his father. "Can we still win?"
Richard did not answer immediately. He walked toward the window, looked down at the police vehicles outside, and rubbed his temple.
"The case is not over."
"That is not what I asked," Victor said, his voice tightening. "Can we still win?"
Richard turned around slowly. His face had changed. The fatherly concern and confidence was gone. All that remained was calculation.
"The jury may convict," he said. "The evidence is stronger than expected. The vehicle data is a problem. Marcus Doyle is a problem. The blood alcohol report is a problem. Sophia Morales was a problem."
Victor stared at him. "So I am going to prison?"
"We are still fighting," Richard replied. "The goal is to reduce the charges. We establish that the autonomous system was a contributing factor. We prevent the prosecution from making this look intentional. If necessary, we appeal."
Victor laughed once, but there was no humor in it. "You are not trying to save me."
Richard’s eyes narrowed. "Do not start this."
"You are not trying to save me," Victor repeated. "You are trying to save yourself. You are trying to save Black Sheep. You are trying to save your politicians and your donors and every person who is waiting for this case to disappear."
Richard’s expression hardened. "You made the choices, Victor."
Victor stepped closer. "You told me I could handle anything. You told me nobody could touch us. You told me our name meant something."
"Our name does mean something," Richard replied coldly. "That is why it cannot be destroyed because you decided to drink, refuse a driver, and drive like an idiot."
Victor’s face went pale. "So I am just supposed to take the fall?"
"You are supposed to face the consequences of what you did," Richard said. "The family cannot burn because of one man’s mistake."
For several seconds, Victor simply stood there. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. He had spent his entire life believing his father would protect him. He had believed the Hale name was a shield. Now he understood the truth. The shield had never existed for him. It existed for the empire. If Victor became a threat to that empire, then he would be discarded like anyone else.
Richard moved toward the door, but Victor spoke again before he could leave. "Did you ever care about me?"
Richard paused with his hand on the handle. He did not turn around. "Do not make this harder than it already is."
Then he opened the door and walked out.
Victor remained alone in the consultation room, staring at the space where his father had been standing. For the first time since the crash, he was no longer afraid only of prison. He was afraid because he finally understood that he had no one left
