“Typical. You folks can’t go anywhere without making a mess. Next time, stick to the drive-thru.”
A few people gasped. Angela looked up, meeting his gaze – her eyes steady, her voice quiet but firm.
“Are you quite done?”
He chuckled. “What are you gonna do, call the cops? Hate to break it to you, sweetheart and I am the cops.” He tapped his badge proudly.
Angela didn’t react. She simply paid for her coffee, provided a polite nod to the barista, and walked out. The silence she left behind felt heavy, like shame settling over the room. Keller smirked, convinced he’d won some unspoken battle.
But he had no idea who he’d just insulted.
Across the street, the courthouse awaited. Angela wasn’t just heading to any meeting and she was preparing to preside over one. Judge Angela Moore was one of the state’s most respected legal figures, known for her fairness and unshakable integrity. Before the day was over, Officer Keller’s arrogance would crumble beneath the truth.
A few hours later, Keller swaggered into the courthouse, still bragging to a colleague about how he’d “put a rude woman in her place.” He’d been called in to assist on a minor case and walked into Courtroom 4B and still amused by his own story.
Until he saw who was sitting on the bench.
His laughter di:ed instantly. There, in the judge’s chair, wearing a black robe and glasses, sat the same woman he’d m0cked that morning. Judge Angela Moore. The sight drained the color from his face.
Angela glanced up from the case file and spoke evenly, “Officer Keller, please step forward.”
Her tone was professional, but the weight in her voice made his palms sweat. He obeyed, unable to meet her eyes. No one else in the room knew what had happened earlier but he did. And the shame felt suffocating.
