The judge entered the room, a middle-aged woman with a commanding presence. Everyone rose briefly before sitting back down as the proceedings began. The judge’s eyes moved across the room, first landing on Daniella and her barrister, then shifting to Desmond, who sat by his mother and younger sister.
"Mr. Desmond." The judge spoke up, "Where is your legal representation?"
Desmond rose slowly and adjusted the cuffs of his suit, then said clearly, "I don’t have one, Your Honor. I don’t need it."
The judge raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by the casual confidence in Desmond’s voice. He nodded and gestured for him to sit. Daniella, however, couldn’t resist the opportunity to mock.
"Of course you don’t." Daniella said. "You know nothing can help you, Desmond. Even you know that hiring a lawyer would be a waste of money."
Desmond didn’t look at her. He remained seated, looking away and totally ignoring her. The judge frowned and turned to Daniella. "Mrs. Daniella, please keep quiet. We are not here to confront anybody. Compose yourself."
Daniella still has a lot to say, but for the sake of the judge, she decided to keep quiet. The proceedings began, and Daniella’s lawyer stood up confidently. She presented the folder filled with documents to the judge. She spoke with eloquence and precision, outlining the details of the divorce case and why Daniella was entitled to half of Desmond’s properties.
"Your Honor," Samantha began, "My client, Mrs. Daniella, has been married to Mr. Desmond for a week now. As per marital law, she is entitled to half of all his assets, everything that is owned by him."
Daniella nodded along as her lawyer spoke. She couldn’t help but glance toward Desmond to see his reaction, but his face remained neutral.
"Furthermore," the barrister continued, "during courtship, Desmond bought a Rolls Royce for my client. It was a gift. So, it is, without question, her property. Given these facts, we submit that Mrs. Daniella is entitled to half of all his properties, assets, and his biggest company out of the three he has. My client has chosen his house and his biggest company and is willingly leaving the other companies for Desmond."
The lawyer handed over the folder of evidence, which the judge flipped through, scanning the neatly prepared pages and nodding occasionally. Daniella felt satisfied, seeing that everything was going according to plan.
Once the lawyer concluded her presentation, the judge looked toward Desmond. "Mr. Desmond, it’s your turn. Do you have anything you’d like to say or present?"
Desmond stood up, and instead of speaking immediately, he slid out a single sheet of paper and handed it to the bailiff, who brought it to the judge.
Daniella furrowed her brow, exchanging a puzzled glance with Leonard. What was that? Surely it wasn’t anything important. Desmond didn’t even have a lawyer to back him up.
The judge took the paper and adjusted his glasses as he began to read. Her face changed as she scanned the document, and then his gaze shifted to Daniella.
"Mrs. Daniella." The judge called, "Do you recognize this document?"
Daniella leaned forward, straining to get a better look at the paper in the judge’s hand. She shook her head slightly. "What is it?" she asked.
"This is a prenuptial agreement paper." The judge replied. "Signed by you and Mr. Desmond prior to your marriage. Are you aware of this?"
Daniella’s heart skipped a beat. A prenuptial agreement? Signed by her? She felt her confidence falter for the first time that day. "A prenup? I don’t… I don’t remember signing any prenup. Why will I even sign a prenup? I'm not that stupid."