The Don Tore Up Our Divorce (Gemma and Cassian) novel Chapter 405

Chapter 405

Gemma’s POV

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For a moment, Antonios and I are both perfectly still, taking a second to process the absurdity of the claim.

The explanation for hundreds of posts bullying me is a faceless,

convenient ‘hacker.‘

Antonios recovers first. He doesn’t smirk or sigh, just turns a fraction more toward the woman. “If that is your defense, then I must ask you to provide concrete evidence of this alleged breach. Logs. IP discrepancies. Anything substantive.”

The woman and her lawyer share a look of pure, deer–in–headlights panic. They have nothing. It was a Hail Mary pass, and it’s failing completely.

“My account…” the woman stammers, her voice muffled by the mask but trembling audibly. “It’s shown logins from other cities before. That’s proof, isn’t it?”

Antonios tilts his head. “Is it? How can you prove those logins weren’t you using a VPN? Or that someone with physical access to your device, a friend or a roommate, wasn’t responsible for it? ‘Other locations‘ is not evidence of malicious hacking. It’s evidence of internet use.”

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She deflates, her shoulders slumping. She looks down at her hands, knotted together in her lap.

Seeing her retreat, Antonios shifts gears, and the new direction is so unexpected it steals the breath from my own lungs.

“Let’s discuss something else,” he says, pulling a single sheet of paper from his file. It looks like a social media profile printout. “Your account, ‘GossipVanguard,‘ began following another account, ‘ReyLife,‘ approximately thirteen months ago. Our investigation has confirmed that ‘ReyLife‘ is the former online alias of Ms. Reyna Holloway.”

Reyna.

My mind scrambles. ReyLife was Reyna’s old social media handle, the one Jace had hacked into and blocked. This woman was following her?

“You cultivated a connection to ReyLife,” Antonios continues, “An account belonging to a woman who has publicly, and verifiably, expressed significant animosity toward my client. This makes your claim of impartiality, or random targeting, rather difficult to believe. It suggests a motive. Maybe, your slander was, in fact, a form of defense. Or perhaps, curation for an idol.”

The defense lawyer is on his feet again, sputtering. “Objection! Conjecture! Wild speculation!”

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Antonios merely glances at the judge. “It is a reasonable inference drawn from documented behavioral links, Your

Honor.”

The judge peers over his glasses. “Overruled. Mr. Voss, you may continue.”

Antonios turns his full attention back to the woman.

“Ma’am,” Antonios’s voice is almost sympathetic, which makes it more terrifying. “Did you intentionally target and retaliate against my client because of your admiration for P Were you, in effect, acting as a proxy?”

Life?

“No!” The word bursts from her. The mask does little to hide the contortion of her features. “I don’t even know who that is! You’re making this up! You’re the one slandering me now!”

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touches Antonios’s lips….. the smile of a chess player who has just called ‘check.” “Alright! If you have no knowledge of ReyLife, perhaps you can explain

this.”

He nods to the court clerk. The large screen behind the judge’s bench flickers, and a candid photo appears on the screen, taken in what looks like a cozy restaurant.

There’s Reyna, smiling brightly right beside her, leaning in

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with an expression of rapt, star–struck excitement, is the woman currently trying to shrink into her chair.

It’s unmistakably her, even without the mask and sunglasses.

My own mind is reeling. When was this? How did Antonios find it?

“If you truly don’t know her,” Antonios asks, “why do you appear so… thrilled in her company? And if you have met her, why deny it so vehemently?”

The foundation of her entire defense is crumblin

dust.

Her own lawyer looks momentarily lost, his legal pad useless in his hands.

He tries anyway, his voice weaker. “This… this is just a photograph of two people. It proves nothing about my client’s state of mind or actions.”

Antonios doesn’t even bother to argue with that.

“I’m not questioning her state of mind in the photo. I’m questioning her denial under oath. We have witness statements confirming this was not a passing encounter. They shared a meal that afternoon. So, I ask again: why lie?”

On the screen, the woman’s smile is a brutal contrast to her current agony. She’s blinking rapidly, her gaze fixed on the 4/8

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floor.

Her silence is a screaming admission.

The judge leans forward. “The witness is instructed to answer the question.”

She doesn’t. She just stubbornly squeezes her hands together until her knuckles turn. Antonios watches her for a three–count, then turns smoothly to the judge.

1. ar. The

Ion

“Your Honor, I believe the facts of the case are no defendant has offered no credible alternative expl. for her actions, has been demonstrably untruthful about her connections, and has failed to provide any evidence supporting her core defense.”

It’s over. The defense lawyer has nothing left. No surprise witnesses, no technicality, no magic bullet.

After a brief, hushed consultation with the jury foreperson, the judge delivers the verdict: defamation, slander, a court order for a public, written apology to be posted by tonight, financial damages, and most meaningfully to her, an injunction.

She is prohibited from accessing the ‘GossipVanguard‘ account to post any further information, and the account is to be suspended immediately.

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Her platform, her weapon, is being taken away.

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Outside, the sunlight feels aggressively bright after the

courtroom.

I turn to Antonios, genuine gratitude pushing aside the last of my anxiety. “Mr. Voss, you were… incredible in there. Truly. Thank you. I don’t think it would have gone nearly so smoothly without you.”

He offers a modest, dismissive wave. “The evidenc

strong,

Ms. Marino. My job is just to present it clearly. The credit isn’t really mine.”

His humility is so at odds with the formidable force he was minutes ago. I understand now why Meredith boasted about his perfect record.

That kind of calm, unwavering competence is a superpower. But one thread is still dangling, puzzling me.

“Mr. Voss, when did you discover the connection to Reyna? That was….. a surprise.”

“Ms. Marino, I must apologize. To build the most robust case, I sometimes have to conduct investigations that may feel a little intrusive. While digging into your history to understand 6/8

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potential motives against you, Reyna’s name came up, and this connection revealed itself. If you feel I have overstepped, I am sincerely sorry.”

“No,” I say quickly, shaking my head. “Not at all. I’m grateful you found it. I just…” I trail off.

“I don’t understand what she stands to gain. Even through a proxy. It’s so… petty.”

Before Antonios can respond, a sharp voice echoes behind us.

“Still playing the relentless white knight, I see.”

We both turn. It’s the defense lawyer. He’s shed his court formality, his expression now one of pure, personal contempt as he stares at Antonios.

Antonios’s entire demeanor changes. The warm humility

vanishes, replaced by a frost that could chill the sunlight. “It’s my duty to represent my client’s interests vigorously. As you well know.”

“Oh, I know!”

The other man scoffs, taking a step closer. His gaze flicks to me with disdain before locking back on Antonios. “It’s always the case with you, isn’t it? The victory, the case, your precious identity as the unbeatable lawyer. It doesn’t matter who’s on 7/8

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the other side. You know what, leaving you was the single smartest thing I ever did.”

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