The following morning at nine o'clock, Courtroom 3B was packed with journalists, family relatives, and corporate executives.
Evelyn sat at the defense table wearing a plain orange county jumpsuit, her hands cuffed to a chain around her waist.
Her hair was unwashed, and the cut on her cheek was covered by a small white bandage.
Her high-priced defense attorney, Richard, leaned over to whisper in her ear.
Richard: Evelyn, you need to remain quiet. Do not speak unless the judge addresses you directly.
Evelyn: I want my bail set immediately, Richard! I am not spending another night in that filthy cell!
Richard: The district attorney is arguing against bail due to the severity of the poisoning charges.
At the prosecutor's table, Mark Vance sat next to David and Sarah.
Sarah was wearing a simple grey dress, holding David's hand tightly under the table.
Judge Miller entered the courtroom, slamming his heavy wooden gavel onto the bench.
Judge Miller: Court is now in session regarding the emergency petition for trusteeship of the Vance Family Estate.
Richard: Your Honor, my client is a respectable philanthropist who is being framed by her disgruntled son after an argument over dinner!
Mark: Your Honor, we have submitted the certified hospital lab reports showing lethal levels of arsenic in Sarah Vance's blood work.
Judge Miller: I have reviewed the toxicology reports and the forensic evidence collected from the defendant's pantry.
Richard: The defense maintains that the pesticide was placed there by household servants without my client's knowledge!
Mark: We also submit into evidence the sworn affidavit of the family housekeeper, who witnessed Mrs. Vance adding drop liquids into Sarah's morning tea kettle every day for three weeks.
Evelyn glared at the housekeeper sitting in the second row of the spectator gallery, her eyes filled with venomous rage.
Evelyn: You ungrateful traitor! I paid you double your salary!
Judge Miller: Order in the court! Mrs. Vance, one more outburst and I will hold you in contempt!
Mark: Your Honor, under Section 9 of the Arthur Vance Revocable Trust, any trustee indicted on felony charges against a beneficiary automatically forfeits all legal authority over the estate.
Mark stepped forward, handing a thick leather-bound document to the court clerk.
Judge Miller: Does the defense dispute the authenticity of the late Arthur Vance's trust agreement?
Richard looked down at the document, his face falling as he recognized Arthur's verified signature and seal.
Richard: No, Your Honor... the trust agreement is valid.
Judge Miller: Then the court's ruling is clear.
Judge Miller signed the legal order with a black fountain pen, his voice resounding firmly across the quiet room.
Judge Miller: Evelyn Vance is hereby stripped of all trustee powers, management rights, and access to Vance Enterprise assets.
Evelyn: No! You can't take my home! You can't take my money!
Judge Miller: Full executive authority over the estate and corporate shares is immediately transferred to David Vance and Sarah Vance as co-trustees.
Evelyn: David, please! You're my son! You can't let them do this to me!
David stood up from the prosecutor's table, looking at his mother with a cold, steady expression.
David: You tried to kill my wife, Mother. You brought this on yourself.
Judge Miller: Bail is denied. The defendant will remain in county custody pending criminal trial.
The judge struck his gavel hard against the block, sealing Evelyn's fate as the court bailiffs grabbed her arms to lead her away.