At first, he thought it was approval. Validation. A public acknowledgment that he had won.
Then he noticed something was off.
The judge wasn’t looking at him.
He was looking at Maria.
“Ms. Alvarez,” the judge said, lowering his hands slowly, “this is… exceptionally well-structured.”
Alex frowned. “Your Honor, I don’t understand—she just agreed to everything.”
“Yes,” the judge replied calmly. “She did.”
A pause.