The large double doors of Courtroom Four inside the Manhattan High Court opened with a heavy creak. The room was cold, filled with rows of dark wooden benches and harsh fluorescent lights overhead. At the front of the room, Judge Sterling sat behind a high mahogany bench, his face set in a hard, dishonest frown.

Marcus Vance sat at the plaintiff's table on the right side of the aisle, wearing an expensive suit and flashing a smug, confident grin as if he had already won the entire war.

Clara walked through the courtroom doors with her head held high. She wore a sharp black blazer over a simple white dress,...