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Amy felt as though all the breath had left her body as she sat up there on the witness stand.
The testimony she'd given when Miles Prescott had questioned her had been far from painless, but the wiry, soft-spoken man had helped to keep her calm.
Now, she eyed the attorney of Mr. McMahon, her heart pounding uncomfortably in her chest. The lawyer was a small blonde woman - someone she would never feel the least bit intimidated by if they were ever to meet in a wrestling ring - but the woman had a certain no-nonsense, all business look about her. Somehow, the redhead sensed that Dana Finley was of ruthless character.
Walking at a slow pace back and forth before Amy at the stand, the woman buttoned her tailored black suit jacket. Then, glancing almost cursorily at the redhead, she spoke.
"Now...Ms. Dumas..." Finley began.
Amy cocked her head to one side, making firm eye contact with the young woman. She was determined to be strong - no matter what the attorney asked her.
"You claim that Mr. Irvine harasses you, that he stalks you..."
"That is correct..."
"I intend to prove you wrong," Finley said, reminding Amy of Chris Benoit with her firm speech. "I have a question for you...On the night of March 2nd, did you and Mr. Copeland engage in sexual intercourse in the wrestling ring?"
"What?!" a voice roared, and all eyes shifted to Vince, whose face looked outraged.
"Order!" the Honorable Louise T. Williams cried, the African-American senior citizen banging down her gavel. "Counselor, proceed..."
Dana eyes Amy with an almost pleased look and gleam in her gray eyes. It was as though she were a lioness stalking her prey... And the prey knew she was trapped...
"As I was saying...Ms. Dumas...?"
The redhead swallowed hard, her gaze traveling from the woman to Adam across the way, then to Chris Irvine - who wore a satisfied smirk. Amy wanted to punch his handsome but nasty face in. Then, she returned her gaze to Finley.
"Y-yes..." she admitted, hating herself for the quaver in her voice.
There was a short-lived, audible reaction from the courtroom.
The attorney smiled ever so slightly, a satisfied, smug expression on her face.
"And is it true that you were also aware of the fact that Mr. Irvine was present at the arena when you engaged in this activity?"
"No..."
"Isn't it true that you knew he was there, and to entice and tease him further, you initiated sex with Mr. Copeland, who, of course, was not yet your husband at the time, to get a reaction out of him?"
"No!" Amy repeated, her voice now a shout. She glared at the woman interrogating her, so furious by the accusation - because that was what it was - that she wanted to jump onto her and pop her one right in the nose.
Dana continued with the near mockery, and Amy couldn't take it anymore.
"I did not know he was there! Neither of us did! Adam and I were falling in love! We were just following our hearts... Chris was spying on us!" she cried. "He's nothing but a sick pervert, and he was stalking me before and after that incident!"
"No further questions..." Dana Finley spoke calmly. Her steely gaze remained on Amy, whose breathing was visibly heavy with the excitement and aggravation she felt.
"All right...Ms. Dumas, you may step down," the judge said.
The redhead's glare remained on Finley as she stepped off the stand, her pulse still pounding. She couldn't help thinking how fitting it was that this woman represented Vince McMahon - a tyrant.
As she returned to her seat between Adam and Trish, her glare traveled to Chris Irvine. Although he wasn't looking at her for the moment, the blond man still wore that smug half-smile on his face.
She wanted to raise her fist and smash it into those handsome features...