Lucas stood alone at the defense table, his hands resting flat against the polished wood, his confidence drained by the growing certainty that he was about to face the court without protection. He had built companies from nothing, negotiated billion dollar contracts, and stared down rivals without blinking, yet the absence of his lawyer left him exposed in a way nothing else ever had. Across the room, the opposing counsel, a woman named Penelope Cross, rose gracefully, her tailored suit immaculate and her expression sharpened by anticipation.