"Mr Sheng Jinzhe do you choose to settle out of court?"

"My son was forced to sign the child custody paper! These people are trying to use their position as Judges to manipulate my son and my family!"

"You do realize that you are in the presence of a Judge, I could have the case thrown out if you don't conduct yourself appropriately!"

The family court Judge, Lang Ting had a stern look on her face while facing the woman who was making a ruckus in her court.

"Madam Sheng, it would not do us any good to provoke the judge, please hold it in no what what the other part says or do."

Sheng Ying s.h.i.+fted uncomfortable on her seat, which wasn't usually because it was a hard seat of wood not made for comfort. Her son, Sheng Jinzhe and lawyer, Liu Dan sat on each side, leaving Sheng Ying in the middle of both men. Sheng Henian sat beside his son with a s.p.a.ce in between the Luos. The arrangement was such that a long brown desk separated them from the judge, who was the only one that sat across from them, the setting was almost like that an office conference except for the court insignia of red and yellow on the wall that stood for justice.

Sheng Liena sat in the middle of her grandparents, their lawyer Du JianLian sat beside Luo Fei on the last seat. The couple had received a summon to appear in court, the grieved party stating in the letter that the accused party unlawfully look custody of their grandchild after the death of their daughter-in-law.

"Your honor, my client and I are here to contest the custody of the said grandchild, Sheng Liena, who was taken from the home of her father almost in the middle of the night. My client and her family have not been able to get sleep peacefully in their bed after the fall out took place. My client is suing for emotionally damages that the accused have caused to her and her family and wants full custody of her grandchild."

"Is there any evidence to support any of your claims?"

The Judge looked at the male lawyer impa.s.sively while asking him to provide material evidence to support his claim.

"Here it is your honor."

Liu Dan reached across the table to pa.s.s a brown envelope to the Judge who wore a robe of black. Both lawyer were dressed similarly in dark suits and tie.

Judge Lang Ting opened the envelope to look at the doc.u.ments, after a couple of minutes had pa.s.sed did the Judge look up to face the people across from her.

"Judges Luo Fei and Luo Xue are you aware that you are being sued for kidnapping and emotional distress?"

Luo Fei decided to speak up on behalf of his wife.

"Judge Lang Ting, the only letter we received was a court summon. My wife and I are not aware that we are being sued for any of those things you mentioned."

Luo Fei calmly spoke to the judge who was a colleague of theirs, it was not a guaranteed win for them, since they knew the type of person that they were dealing with, the tigress of ChaoXiCheng legal system!

"I need the lawyer of the Luos to take a look at the doc.u.ments!"

Du JianLian stood up and went to where the judge sat to collect the stacks of paper from her, it was only after he got to his seat did he begin going through each paper to see what the Shengs were actually suing his clients for and also checking for loopholes in the suit.

"Your honor Mrs Sheng did not send this to my law firm, this is the first time I am seeing a doc.u.ment like this, my client never spoke of receiving a doc.u.ment that stated that they were being sued for emotional damages and kidnapping. The only doc.u.ment they showed me was the child custody papers which the accused party signed."

After speaking, the lawyer rose up to return the doc.u.ment back to the judge before making his way back to take his seat by Lu Fei.

"It looks like the other party is not aware of the suit you filed against them, Mrs Sheng?"

"I.."

Before she could open her mouth and make a blunder that would cause the judge to dismiss their case, the lawyer quickly rose to his feet to speak in her defense.

"My client has made several attempts to contact the Luos but to no avail."

"Is there any evidence to support that your client has reached out to the accused party?"

"Your honor, my client's phone record shows that she made calls to the number of Mr and Mrs Luo, but neither of them answered her call."

"Can I take a look at the phone?"

"Yes your honor!"

The lawyer turned to look at Sheng Ying, his hand stretched out to her.

"Madam Sheng, please can you hand me your phone?"

Sheng Ying pulled out her phone from a glittery blue clutch purse on her lap, placing it on the palm of her lawyer.

The lawyer then pa.s.sed the phone to the judge who began flipping through its screen to check the connects of the phone.

"Mrs Sheng I see you don't have a lock on your phone, it is either you really have nothing to hide or you are pretending not hide anything."

Judge Lang Ting made a pa.s.sing comment while flipping through the screen. Meanwhile, the Luos stiffed the laughter that threatened to come out from the judge's caustic comment.

"I see you called a "madwoman" and "nut job" of recent, could you explain what they mean?"

"Mom! You saved them under madwoman and nut job?!"

s.h.i.+ng Jinzhe shook his head with disbelief that his mother saved his mother-in-law and father-in-law as madwoman and nut job respectively.

Judge Lang Ting kept looking at the glamorously dressed woman, in navy blue dress suit, waiting on her response. The blue stones of Sheng Ying's earrings dangled as she stood to answer the judge, while clenching and unclenching her hands nervously.

"Hmm...Those are...my in laws."

Sheng Ying's face flushed with embarra.s.sment from being caught in a difficult spot, from the looks of the Judge surmised that Luo Xue was the "madwoman" on the phone while Luo Fei was the "nut job" needlessly to say, they were both considered crazy people by Sheng Ying.

"Is this now a new trend, where in-laws are saved using your choice of words."

It was clear that the Judge was picking on the client and the lawyer was left with no other option, but to stand up for his client.

"Your honor it is irrelevant to the case, how my client saves the name of her contact is not something she should be judged by."

the Judge raised her hand as if to say "okay, okay I have heard you" to the lawyer, who sat back on his seat after seeing the hand gesture that the lawyer made.

"Mrs Sheng, you may now have your phone."

Sheng Ying took the phone from the Judge's hand and placed it in her purse, before taking her seat.

"I went through Mrs Sheng's phone and nothing in there proves to me that she made attempts to contact Judge Luo Fei and Judge Luo Xue. There was no text message only call logs that lasted for five seconds at the most. There is no way you can talk to someone in five seconds or less. Did you pay a visit to their house? Or sent an email to them? Mail?"

Judge Lang Ting threw many options at which Mrs Sheng could have attempted to contact the Luos, as an expert at reading people, she couldn't believe the words that came out of the mouth of Sheng Ying.

"Let's say you actually reached out to them, I want you too convince me that you actually did, because there is nothing in what you showed me that proves otherwise!"

Now they could see that the Judge looked very upset at what Mrs Sheng and her lawyer brought to her court.

"Did you file a police report that your granddaughter was kidnapped?"

"No your honor, my client wanted to s.h.i.+eld their grandchild from the press and possible speculation regarding her mother's death."

"Let me ask the child some questions."

Judge Lang Ting motioned with her hand for the little girl to come to where she sat. The family court depending on the district could be a bit laid back in the setting, unlike the usual court which had a somewhat serious atmosphere to it.

"Liena it's okay, the Judge wants ask you a few questions and after you can come back to sit with me."

The little girl nodded to her grandmother, who took her by the hand to see the Judge.

"Do you know why you are hear?"

"No!"

"Are you happy living with your grandparents?"

The Judge pointed at the couple that brought her to the court hearing.

"Yes!"

"Do you know those people?"

The little girl followed the direction of the Judge's hand which moved from Sheng Henian to Sheng Ying and finally landing on Sheng Jinzhe.

"Yes!"

"Do you want to live with any of them?"

One thing about children is their innate ability to form fake friends.h.i.+p anytime they encounter a new environment or new people. Therefore, it easy for them to "adjust" to a new place, such as the home of the Luos without actually loving where they are, before the court hearing Sheng Liena had seen a Psychiatrist by the name Hu Beixing with specialty in child psychiatry. The Luos did not know how their visit to a specialist would help them in their child custody battle, although their son-in-law had signed the paper to hand over his rights as parent to his daughter, but he could still come back later on to fight for the right to have his daughter. In Sheng Jinzhe's case he never spent much time with his child, neither the grandparents, the few months their grandson was around was spent more with him than the last three years with their granddaughter.

It is said that children know when they are loved and would go to a place where they feel that they would be treated well. Although, not all children are able to discern what is in their best interest.

Sheng Liena looked from one face to the other, to the little girl they looked familiar to her, but at the same time not so familiar.

"Sheng Liena, look at the faces in the room and tell me who you want to live with starting from today."

The little girl stood beside the Judge, which made them almost at the same level.

"Grandma and Grandpa!"

She pointed to the Luos rather than the Shengs, although they were both the child's grandparents, but one loved her more than the other.

"Okay Liena, you can now return to your seat."

The Judge gave the little girl a gently pat on the head, watching as she ran towards her grandparents. Tears flowed from the eyes of Luo Fei and Luo Xue, both didn't take for granted that they would win the case, because nothing in life was certain.

"Liena!"

Both took turns in lifting their grandchild in the air, watching as a smile appeared on her face after many round of bouncing in the air.

"The case is dismissed! The Luos now have full custody of their grandchild!"

The Judge pa.s.sed her verdict amidst the jubilation taking placing in her court.

"This is not the end! Ha!"

"Mom! We already lost! Let it go!"

"No! I'm not going to let them..."

Sheng Ying did not get to complete her words, as she slumped right there in the court.

"Mom!"

"Honey!"

"Mrs Sheng!"

That was the last thing that Sheng Ying heard, before the ambulance arrived to carry her out of court.