Chapter 5: The Trap is Set
Friday morning arrived with the stifling pressure of a looming storm. The conservatorship hearing wasn't in a courtroom; it was an emergency arbitration held right in the hospital's executive conference room, a courtesy for my father's status on the hospital board.
I was wheeled into the room by Sarah, the paramedic who had saved my life. I had requested her specifically for my medical transport, and the hospital hadn't dared say no to the heir of the Rose Empire.
My parents sat on one side of a long mahogany table, flanked by lawyers. Tyler sat beside them, looking smug in a custom Italian suit bought with credit he assumed he'd soon be able to pay off.
"Bridget, darling, this is for your own good," my mother cooed as I was parked at the opposite end of the table.
The arbitrator, a stern-faced retired judge, adjusted his glasses. "We are here to determine the medical and financial competency of Bridget Hayes. The petitioners claim Miss Hayes is experiencing severe psychiatric delusions and physical incapacitation following a tragic fall."
"It wasn't a fall," I said, my voice ringing out clear and steady. "It was attempted murder."
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Tyler sighed loudly. "See, Your Honor? She’s completely unhinged. She’s making up stories."
"I don't need stories, Tyler," I said, offering a shark-like smile. I nodded at Sterling, who plugged a flash drive into the conference room's main projector. "I have the cloud backup."
