"Not immediately, Your Honor."

"Mr. Brighton has represented me for the past eight months."

"No one else is familiar with the details of this case."

Richard Hail rose once again, his voice dripping with manufactured sympathy.

"Your Honor, while I understand this is unfortunate for Ms. Moore, the plaintiff cannot be held hostage by the defendant's inability to retain counsel."

"We have prepared extensively for today's hearing."

"My clients have suffered significant financial losses because of Ms. Moore's theft of their intellectual property."

"Every day of delay costs them—"

"Spare me the theatrics, Mr. Hail."

Judge Chen's interruption was sharp enough to cut glass.

"I am fully aware of what's at stake."

She turned back toward Evelyn.

"Ms. Moore... I sympathize with your situation."

"But Mr. Hail does have a point."

"This hearing has been scheduled for three months."

"Multiple continuances have already been granted."

"I cannot simply postpone it indefinitely."

"I understand, Your Honor."

Evelyn's voice remained calm, though Lucas could hear the strain beneath it.

"I'm not asking for sympathy."

"I'm asking for fairness."

"My attorney abandoned me less than two hours before a critical hearing."

"I need time to secure new representation."

"How much time?"

"Two weeks."

"Maybe three."

Richard Hail practically shot out of his chair.

"Three weeks?"

"Your Honor, this is clearly a delaying tactic."

"Ms. Moore has been avoiding the evidence against her for months."

"Mr. Hail..."

Judge Chen's eyes narrowed.

"I swear I will hold you in contempt if you interrupt me one more time."

The courtroom fell silent once again.

She turned back toward Evelyn.

"Ms. Moore, I'm going to be frank with you."

"Your attorney's withdrawal... the timing... and the reasons he cited..."

"They do not look good."

Evelyn answered quietly.

"Or perhaps they suggest that someone familiar with my case concluded it couldn't be won..."

She paused.

"...or that someone got to him."

The courtroom went completely silent.

"That's a serious accusation," Judge Chen said.

"Do you have evidence?"

"Not yet."

Evelyn's voice remained calm.

"But Mr. Brighton's withdrawal came exactly twelve hours after Meridian Solutions made their final settlement offer."

"It was an offer that required me to surrender all rights to my technology and sign a non-disclosure agreement preventing me from ever working in water purification again."

"When I refused..."

She paused.

"...I was told I'd regret it."

Lucas's hands had stopped moving entirely.

He stared at Evelyn as pieces slowly clicked together in his mind.

He had read about the case in the local newspapers, but the coverage had been superficial.

The truth was clearly far more complicated than anyone outside the courtroom realized.

Richard Hail's smile disappeared.

"Your Honor, these conspiracy theories are exactly the kind of desperate deflection we've come to expect from Ms. Moore."

"My clients made a generous settlement offer to avoid costly litigation."

"She refused."

"That was her right."

"But to suggest that—"

"I'm not suggesting anything."

Evelyn interrupted him for the first time, her voice rising.

"I'm stating facts."

"Meridian Solutions wants my technology."

"They can't replicate it themselves, so they're using lawsuits and intimidation to take it."

"And apparently..."

She glanced toward the empty chair beside her.

"...they got to my attorney as well."

Judge Chen's gavel struck once more.

"Ms. Moore, unless you can provide evidence supporting those allegations, I cannot consider them."

"What I can consider is that you are currently without legal representation, today's hearing is critical to the progression of this case, and the plaintiff has a right to a timely resolution."

Lucas watched Evelyn's shoulders sink ever so slightly.

She already knew what was coming.

"I'm going to grant a one-week continuance," Judge Chen announced.

"That gives you seven days to secure new counsel."

"If you cannot do so, we will proceed with you representing yourself."

"I do not recommend that course of action, but it is your legal right."

"Your Honor..."

Evelyn took a step forward.

"One week is not nearly enough time."

"One week is what I'm giving you."

Judge Chen's tone left no room for negotiation.

"This case has already consumed eight months."

"I will not allow it to drag on indefinitely."

She gathered the papers before her.

"We will reconvene next Tuesday at nine o'clock sharp."

"I expect everyone to be—"

"I'll take her case."

The words left Lucas's mouth before his mind had caught up.

He hadn't planned to speak.

He hadn't consciously decided to speak.

Yet suddenly he found himself standing, the chisel still in his hand, sawdust clinging to his worn jeans, facing an entire courtroom frozen in disbelief.

For three heartbeats, no one moved.

Then Judge Chen slowly turned toward him, confusion and disbelief written across her face.

"I'm sorry..."

"What did you just say?"

Lucas carefully set down his chisel.

His heart pounded in his chest, but his voice remained steady.

Years spent in courtrooms had awakened a kind of muscle memory he thought he had lost.

"I said I'll take her case, Your Honor."

"If Ms. Moore will have me as her attorney."

The courtroom exploded for the second time in less than five minutes.

People rose from their seats.

Voices overlapped.

Reporters nearly climbed over one another trying to get closer.

The bailiff instinctively stepped forward as though Lucas might somehow pose a threat.

Judge Chen slammed her gavel repeatedly.

"Order!"

"Order in this court!"

She fixed Lucas with a stare capable of melting steel.

"Mr. Reed, you are the courthouse janitor."

"You are here to repair that witness stand, not practice law."

"Sit down and return to your work."

Lucas met her gaze.

"With respect, Your Honor..."

"I'm also a licensed attorney in this state."

Slowly, he reached into his back pocket.

He pulled out his wallet and removed a card he had carried for six years without ever expecting to use again.

Aware of every eye following him, he walked forward and handed it to the bailiff, who delivered it to Judge Chen.

She examined it carefully.

Her frown deepened.

"This license is inactive."

"Inactive, yes."

"But not revoked."

"Not suspended."

"I can reactivate it by filing the paperwork and paying the fee."

"The process takes less than an hour online."

Richard Hail rose once again, his voice dripping with contempt.

"You're a carpenter."

"You repair furniture."

"You mop floors."

Lucas turned toward him without hesitation.

"I'm a carpenter who used to practice law."

"I took a leave of absence six years ago for personal reasons."

"My legal education and experience didn't disappear."

Judge Chen continued studying him.

But now she was seeing him differently.

Lucas watched the exact moment recognition crossed her face.

"Wait..."

"Lucas Reed?"

"You're that Lucas Reed?"

"You worked for Blackwell & Associates."

"You defended the Bennett v. Northstar pharmaceutical litigation."

"Yes, Your Honor."

A ripple of whispers swept through the gallery.

The Bennett case had dominated headlines seven years earlier.

A massive class-action lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company accused of concealing dangerous side effects.

Lucas had been one of the lead attorneys on the defense team.

A rising star destined for partnership.

They had won.

Though the victory had been far more complicated than the public ever knew.

Richard Hail's expression shifted from contempt to calculation.

"I remember that case."

"You were Blackwell's golden boy."

"Then you vanished."

"The rumor was that you couldn't handle the pressure."

Lucas felt old anger stir inside him.

He forced it back down.

"The rumor was wrong."

"I left for personal reasons that I have no intention of discussing in open court."

"But you've spent the last six years working as a janitor."

"A carpenter."

"And you expect us to believe you're prepared to jump back into litigation in a case this complex?"

Lucas never broke eye contact.

"I expect you to respect Ms. Moore's right to choose her own attorney."

"Whether that attorney is me or someone else is her decision."

"Not yours."

Then Lucas turned toward Evelyn.

She stared back at him with an expression he couldn't quite decipher.

Surprise.

Certainly.

But mixed with something else.

Something that looked remarkably like hope.

Tempered by skepticism.

"Ms. Moore," Judge Chen asked carefully.

"Are you seriously considering this?"

Evelyn stood slowly.

"Your Honor..."

"May I have a moment to speak privately with Mr. Reed?"

"You may not."

"If you're going to make this decision, make it now."

"I'm not continuing this circus."

Evelyn looked at Lucas for a long moment.

He could almost see the impossible calculation unfolding in her mind.

A courthouse janitor who claimed to be a lawyer.

Representing herself against one of the most powerful corporate firms in the state.

Or trying to find new counsel within seven days after her own attorney had publicly abandoned her case.

Finally, she spoke.

"What kind of law did you practice?"

"Corporate litigation."

"Contract disputes."

"Intellectual property."

"Corporate governance."

"How long?"

"Five years at Blackwell & Associates."

"Before that, two years as a public defender."

She hesitated.

"Why did you leave?"

The question hung over the courtroom.

Lucas could feel everyone waiting for his answer.