Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 181 -

Весса.

I couldn't believe we had a witness. Someone who also knew and was willing to talk about the REAL Chad, the one that had to be exposed if we wanted to win this.

I just prayed James hadn't gone too far in procuring her. This process was battering me mentally, but I had to keep my head clear.

Alessandro's life as a happy child and successful person was on the line, after all. I kept telling myself as I stood there, the stress weighing me down.

Chad kept giving us incredibly dirty looks, something likely meant to be offputting but came across more as aggressive and childish. I kept my expression neutral, my eyes narrowed slightly as I fixed my gaze forward. The proceedings carried on as usual, with the typical back-and-forth. Then, a woman was called on to testify. Chad's eyes flashed with recognition, and a scowl crossed his face. I saw his jaw clench as he looked upon the woman.

She was practically shaking, her eyes darting around the room. I watched as she inhaled slowly, then swallowed. She wrung her hands, her eyes narrowed as I could tell she was concentrating her thoughts on a particularly stressful matter. Judge Hopper gave her a nod of approval when she swore to tell the truth. Then, the woman looked toward Ms. Loveless, who cleared her throat to get her attention. "One Sasha Lace... stage name. True name, Sarah Lawrence, correct?" the attorney asked.

Sasha nodded in confirmation, focusing hard on the attorney. I could tell she was doing her best to avoid looking at Chad, who looked almost as though he was going to explode.

He held his tongue, for now, though I secretly wondered if he was going to lose it. That would help our case if he did, at least, though it may give this poor woman a heart attack.

The other Cartwrights in attendance wore tight-lipped scowls, as if they smelled something foul. Kennsington furrowed his brow, deep in thought. The tension in the air could practically be cut with a knife as the woman waited for Janet's next question.

"You worked for Chad Cartwright, correct?" Ms. Loveless asked, prompting another nod. Sasha bit her lip, wringing her hands a bit harder before she could replace the words to actually respond. When she did, it was short. "Yes."

"Can you please describe what you witnessed him doing at the parties you were employed for?" Ms. Loveless asked.

"I can," Sasha said. She took in a deep breath, still avoiding Chad's gaze, but steeling her resolve to actually describe a few things. "Chad is a horrible client. He will regularly abuse those who work for him, either physically, mentally, or by simply not paying. He threatened us when we would speak up. Some of us work for pennies, you see, just trying to get by."

The courtroom remained silent, a few glances exchanged between the jury. By their deep frowns, they were currently not impressed by this information about Chad.

A few were studying his reactions closely. With how red he was in the face, it was obvious he wasn't taking too kindly to this woman's honesty about working conditions.

Sasha continued. "He regularly used drugs. I'm not talking once or twice. It was a pattern, as was the abuse. He and his crew were notorious in the industry."

Ms. Loveless nodded, scowling deeply at this. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Kennsington, who waved his hand dismissively. He was none too pleased with this situation either.

By his tone when he spoke next, I got the impression he didn't believe a thing Sasha was saying.

"Your honor, this is preposterous! Why would she continue working for him if he is as horrible as she claims?" Bruce asked, causing Sasha to wince. I hoped the judge told him he couldn't interrupt.

"I'll allow it," Judge Hopper said, much to my surprise.

Ms. Loveless nodded a thanks and returned to Sasha, who was trembling as she answered Kennsington's question, though she didn't have to. Manipulation could be poison, and I suspected that was the case here.

"When he did remember to pay, it was hefty," Sasha said softly. "I relied on him for income. I was someone he did return to regularly. I was afraid." She shuddered, clenching her jaw for a moment before getting ahold of herself. "He threatened me, you see. I was one of his favorites. That meant I was in a lot of danger if I ever decided to leave the situation."

Ms. Loveless wore a smug grin, narrowing her gaze. She said with sympathy, "That sounds rather stressful, Sarah. Thank you for giving an honest testimony despite your fear. Can you describe any specific incidents regarding Chad Cartwright's habits?"

"I can," Sasha confirmed, causing Chad to tense up even further. I was surprised such a thing was even possible, given he already had been as tense as a viper about ready to strike. Thankfully, he had no venom. At least, not right now. Sasha risked casting a glance over to the angry man before snapping her gaze back to Ms. Loveless. "The night on the ship. I was assigned to pleasure him. I was there to do my job and carry a large paycheck home to hopefully support my family. His 'way of life' showed through that night even more than normal."

Tears began to flow down her cheeks as she recalled the memory, shuddering a bit. Ms. Loveless waited patiently for her to continue after she wiped her eyes of tears. A bit of eyeliner smeared on her cheeks before she continued. "He had been high on coke, practically the entire night. He yelled at me and other women he hired to take care of him and his friends on the boat, at times striking us with high aggression. Then, his stupid 'game' came into play. He was playing Russian roulette and disabled himself. There was no tragic accident that caused this."

Ms. Loveless nodded, then looked at the jury, lowering her head. "Chad Cartwright brought his disability onto himself. Rather than being a responsible gentleman with his time, he participated in bad behavior as described by Miss Sasha, here. He is incredibly unfit to be a father, and Alessandro will be in danger should he be exposed to such activities."

Kennsington growled, "Objection. Some people enjoy their one-off fun. His mistake on the ship does not make him unfit to be a father, and quite frankly, it is unprofessional to suggest such a thing. Judge?"

Judge Hopper stared at Kennsington for a moment, waving Ms. Loveless off. That wasn't good.

"Unprofessional indeed," the judge said, his gaze sliding back toward Ms. Loveless. He wasn't amused. "Your conduct is not appreciated, Ms. Loveless.

Ms. Loveless winced, but continued, headstrong as ever. She shook her head, then said, "Your honor, this is about the safety of a child. Given Chad Cartwright brought this upon himself due to his irresponsibility, the child will not lead a fulfilling life or be safe. It is an unfortunate reality we must accept for the sake of the child."

The judge simply said, "Procede with your line of questioning, Counsellor."

Ms. Loveless focused on Sasha again, giving a kind, reassuring smile. "You implied this was a pattern. The 'way of life'. Can you elaborate further? I think it would be fruitful to describe more events where this has occurred."

Sasha swallowed, but kept her head and nodded. "I can. I would say Chad behaved like this nearly every day, if not every day. As far as I've seen, he's never held a productive career, and lapses into drugs and women every night." She wrinkled her nose. "Not even in a fun way."

For some reason, this offended Chad even more than the rest of things he said, and he sputtered opening his mouth to snarl out, "Oh, it was 'in a fun way', you wh*re." Judge Hopper looked over at him with scrutiny, and Kennsington tensed. "Forgive my client, Judge Hopper," Kennsington said quickly. "He is under quite a bit of stress due to these accusations, you see. They are heavy and causing him to lash out. I believe any reasonable person would replace themselves rather aggressive in the same situation."

The Cartwrights' attorney then focused on Sasha, and his scowl deepened. "These stories she is spin: how can we be certain these details are not greatly exaggerated? The cocaine could have been alcohol, and the abuse of women could have been much enjoyed. Most women like that sort of thing, after all."

A few members of the jury exchanged very annoyed glances, most of which were women. I narrowed my own eyes, realizing how much of a scumbag this attorney was. No surprise, given who he worked for.

Noting this reaction, Kennsington worded what he said next carefully. "In her 'profession,' rather. It comes with the occupation, does it not? Something she should expect. Her lot would obtain a real career if it was bothersome enough to pose as a valid complaint."

"Mr. Kensington, please wait for cross-examination," Judge Hopper finally said, starting to sound slightly fair.

Sasha's eyes narrowed at Kennsington's statements, and I watched the novelty of seeing the woman's face redden in anger. She didn't lose her composure aside from that, though, and rather, shifted her gaze to Chad, fixing him in a very cold stare, one of hatred. Kennsington was, no doubt, echoing that asshole's sentiments.

"You can, indeed, test my honesty by simply studying Chad Cartwright a little closer. Cocaine use over time will cause a chronically inflamed, runny nose. He's injected it, too, for more of a high. Look for track marks on his arm. He's pale, malnourished, and very skinny. As for my profession," Sasha said, her voice somewhat of a growl.

She held her head high, a spark of intelligence in her gaze that I was positive most here didn't expect. I hadn't noticed through the nervousness, but had a newfound respect for the woman's bravery here and now. I widened my eyes as she spoke through a clenched jaw.

"The attorney speaking for the Cartwrights reflects their attitudes on women, especially Chad's. My profession is my choice, and I should be treated with the same amount of respect as any other woman in a different career. I choose what I want to do with my body. Society's disdain of me does not make me any less valid as a human being than anyone else. Evidently, that isn't the mindset of Chad, because he saw me as lesser, and treated me in kind."

Whispers erupted between the jury members, causing Judge Hopper to slam his gavel. He was expressionless, without any indication of what was going through his mind right now. He glanced toward Sasha and nodded, then let out a sigh. Chad took this opportunity to snap at Sasha. "Sold out by some wh*re. My free time is my own time. Won't impact my care for the damn kid."

Ms. Loveless jumped in right there, talking to the judge and jury. "Drug use has a high correlation to an abusive household, and Chad Cartwright exhibits both examples of dangerous behavior. Your honor, was Mr. Cartwright drug tested before this trial? Perhaps he should be, given these heavy claims. A cocaine addict does not create a healthy environment for a child."

Kennsington interjected with, "That would be a violation of his privacy." The jury didn't seem impressed by this response and whispered amongst themselves once again. Judge Hopper wasn't accepting the interruption anymore and called order once again.

The session proceeded, and Kennsington interrupted less, waiting for the cross-examination finally. My gaze slid over to the jury, who continued to display dissatisfied looks with Chad's responses. Ms. Loveless radiated confidence at this point, like a cat who'd cornered a mouse.

Would they truly believe Sasha's story, though? Kennsington kept trying his best to poke holes in it. Even if they did believe it, would it be enough for me to keep Alessandro?