Chapter 7 - The Courtroom Trap
Kenton entered the courthouse believing he still controlled the story.
He arrived with four attorneys, two assistants, and a public relations consultant. Reporters waited outside because his team had quietly informed them that Amber was attempting to destroy Northstar out of jealousy.
Amber arrived through a private entrance with Daniel.
Isaac did not enter the courtroom.
His presence would distract from the evidence, and Amber wanted Kenton to believe she remained financially dependent on him.
The hearing began at ten in the morning.
Kenton’s attorney described Amber as a former employee improperly interfering with a company contract. He requested an injunction preventing her from communicating with St. Augustine Medical Network.
Daniel stood.
“Your Honor, the petitioner has misrepresented the ownership of the technology involved.”
He submitted the original cofounder agreement, encrypted authorship records, and forensic analysis of the forged intellectual property transfer.
Kenton’s expression changed only slightly.
His lead attorney leaned toward him and whispered.
Daniel continued.
“We also have evidence that Mr. Hale attempted to destroy authorship records after removing Amber Hale’s name from corporate filings.”
The judge examined the documents.
Kenton’s attorney objected, arguing that the family court was not the correct venue for a patent dispute.
Daniel agreed.
“That is why these materials have also been provided to the appropriate federal authorities.”
A silence fell across the courtroom.
Kenton looked at Amber.
She met his eyes without smiling.
Daniel then submitted Naomi’s safety warnings and proof that Northstar had concealed incomplete validation results from the hospital network.
The judge denied Kenton’s request for an injunction.
She also ordered that disputed Northstar shares and relevant financial accounts remain frozen pending further review.
Kenton’s phone began vibrating before the hearing ended.
He ignored the first call.
Then the second.
By the fifth, his attorney asked for a short recess.
In the hallway, Kenton finally checked the screen.
St. Augustine had suspended the contract.
Northstar’s board had called an emergency meeting.
Victor Shaw, the chief financial officer, had retained his own criminal attorney.
And Sienna had provided investigators with the hidden phone.
Kenton pushed through the courthouse doors after Amber.
That was when he saw her walking into the rain.
“Amber!”
Everything that followed happened in front of witnesses.
He asked whether she had married Isaac.
She said yes.
He accused her of freezing the hospital deal.
She reminded him that the technology had never belonged to him.
Then he demanded to know what evidence she possessed.
“What you buried is going to destroy you,” she said.
The black car carried her away.
Kenton remained on the pavement as investigators approached.
They did not arrest him that afternoon.
They served warrants for Northstar’s executive offices, private servers, and financial records.
The distinction offered him little comfort.
By sunset, Northstar’s board had placed him on indefinite leave.
By midnight, the company’s valuation had fallen by forty percent.
And by morning, every major newspaper had stopped calling Kenton Hale a visionary.
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They called him the subject of a federal fraud investigation.
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