War God’s Last Stand

Chapter 3 — The Setup

Dawn broke with sirens.

The city’s headlines screamed across every newsstand and screen:

“Disgraced Heiress Selene Vaughn Sued to Court — Embezzlement Charges Mount.”

The courthouse buzzed with reporters, their cameras flashing like lightning. Voices blended into a storm of accusations.

Through the chaos, Damon Kael’s wheelchair screeched across the polished floor as he rolled into the building. His dark suit was neat, his face unreadable, and his useless legs hidden beneath the chair.

The cameras ignored him. Just another useless cripple.

But Damon’s eyes locked onto Selene as officers escorted her through the crowd. Her chin was raised, though her face was pale, and her clenched hands betrayed the weight on her shoulders.

Their eyes met. Her stare burned with quiet ferocity, then shifted to disgust as she looked away.

Damon’s jaw tightened, but his face stayed calm.

Selene had no lawyer beside her. Lucien Vaughn made sure of that. Damon knew Lucien bribed every firm willing to defend her. Money bought silence, and fear bought the rest.

Lucien’s smug face appeared above Damon’s seated form. He leaned down, voice dripping with mockery.

“Well, well… if it isn’t my favorite charity case,” Lucien sneered, his expensive cologne sharp in the air. “How does it feel? Watching your precious wife fall apart? Watching her lose everything?”

He nudged Damon’s wheelchair with his foot, smirking. “You can’t even stand up for her. Literally.”

Lucien clapped mockingly, like Damon was nothing but a sideshow.

Damon’s fists curled on the steel armrest, knuckles white. But his face stayed unreadable because he had everything planned out.

Lucien could gloat, but the tables were turning.

Inside, the trial began.

Reporters filled the gallery. The Vaughn family sat front row, smug and sure.

Selene stood alone at the defendant’s table with no lawyer beside her.

Whispers rippled through the courtroom.

“No legal representation?”

“She’s done for.”

The judge, a stern woman with steel-grey hair, adjusted her glasses. “Miss Vaughn, where is your legal counsel?”

Selene’s throat tightened. Her voice was small yet steady. “I… I don’t have one present.”

Lucien leaned back, crossing his legs, grinning wide.

The judge frowned. “You intend to defend yourself?”

Selene hesitated, swallowing hard. Her hands trembled slightly around the court documents. “I… I…”

The prosecutor rose, his confidence sharp as his tailored suit. “Your Honor, given the absence of counsel and the overwhelming evidence, I suggest we proceed to judgment.”

The judge nodded. “The charges: embezzlement, financial fraud, abuse of company funds. Serious accusations, Miss Vaughn.”

Lucien’s laughter was low but loud enough to hear. “What a shame,” he muttered. “The heiress of a billion-dollar family can’t even afford a lawyer.”

The gallery chuckled.

Selene’s heart pounded, but she straightened her shoulders. “I didn’t—”

Just then, the heavy courtroom doors creaked open.

Every head turned.

A tall man entered. He sharp black suit crisp, face unfamiliar but commanding. He carried a slim briefcase, strides confidently, and eyes like steel.

“Apologies for the delay,” his voice echoed smoothly as he approached the defense table. “I represent Miss Vaughn.”

Selene’s eyes widened. She didn’t know him.

Lucien’s face twisted. “What…?”

The prosecutor frowned. “And you are?”

The man set down his briefcase, flipping it open to reveal sealed files and data drives. He straightened his tie. “Leon Hart, legal representative for Miss Vaughn. Fully certified. Prepared to proceed.”

Lucien’s jaw clenched tight. “What the hell…?”

Damon sat back, calm but satisfied as the cracks in Lucien’s confidence appeared.

The room settled as Leon opened the first file.

“Your Honor, we have every document, every recording, and every financial trail disproving these false accusations.”

The judge tilted her head. “You came prepared.”

Leon nodded. “Prepared, Your Honor, because this case is built on lies.”

The prosecutor scoffed. “Bold words. The evidence shows embezzlement. Money missing. Company records altered.”

Leon slid documents to the judge. “Audited by third-party firms, untouched by Vaughn influence. No missing money. Every transaction accounted for.”

The prosecutor’s jaw tightened, but Leon wasn’t done.

“Exhibit B.” Leon pulled a flash drive from the briefcase. “Audio recordings from board meetings, showing clear sabotage.”

The judge played the recordings.

“…bribe the auditors… blame Selene… make her fall…”

Lucien’s voice was unmistakable.

Gasps filled the courtroom.

Selene’s heart raced, shock flooding her. Damon watched calmly, his eyes burning with quiet pride.

Lucien jumped to his feet. “That’s fake! You can’t—”

Leon’s eyes sharpened. “Forgeries?” He held up sealed certificates. “Verified by independent sound engineers. The voice is yours.”

Lucien’s face reddened.

The prosecutor scrambled. “These could be edited—”

Leon opened another file. “Independent audits. Offshore accounts. Traced transactions. All clear. Nothing connects Miss Vaughn to any crime.”

The judge read through the pages, her eyes hardening with each one.

Leon’s voice stayed steady. “Your Honor, this is not justice. It’s a power grab. Lawyers were bribed. Evidence was planted. They nearly destroyed her name.”

The gallery whispered, and reporters scribbled furiously.

Selene stared at Leon, disbelief and hope clashing in her chest.

Only Damon knew. Leon was his network’s best legal strategist, sent to protect Selene from the shadows.

The judge leaned forward. “Mr. Hart, will you counter-sue for false accusations?”

Leon smiled faintly. “Already filed, Your Honor.”

Lucien’s face twisted as cracks spread across his mask of control. “This isn’t over,” he hissed at Selene.

But Selene, for the first time in weeks, stood taller. Her eyes fierce, her voice steady. “Yes… it is.”

The judge slammed her gavel down. “Case dismissed. Miss Vaughn is cleared of all charges and the countersuit stands.”

Noise erupted.

Lucien stormed out, fury trailing behind him.

Selene turned, scanning the court room, her eyes landing on Leon and she hurried towards him.

Her gaze softened, confusion, gratitude, and suspicion swirling together.

Damon’s wheelchair rolled smoothly across the marble floor, stopping near where Selene stood with Leon. She was thanking the lawyer, her voice low but relieved, eyes still wide with disbelief.

“You saved me,” Selene breathed. “Thank you… I don’t even know how—”

Leon simply nodded, his face calm.

Damon approached, his tone casual. “Thank you for saving my wife, sir,” he said to Leon, as if he wasn’t the one who sent him.

“It's my pleasure,” Leon said and shook hands with him.

Selene’s eyes shifted, landing on Damon. The relief in her face faltered. Her expression hardened. A husband who couldn’t stand beside her.

Couldn’t fight for her.

Couldn’t even stand at all.

She turned away slightly, guarding her face. Damon’s eyes darkened, reading every flicker of emotion. His hand gripped the wheel tightly.

She didn’t know yet.

But she would.

And when she did… nothing would ever be the same.

Selene walked away as Damon’s phone buzzed in his jacket pocket.

He pulled it out, the screen flashing Dimitri.

He answered with a low voice. “Talk.”

Dimitri’s voice crackled through the line, sharp and urgent. “Sovereign… the coalition… they know you’re alive and they’re coming.”

Before Damon could reply, a scream split the air. It was Selene’s.