Chapter 8 Enzo #2
Enzo nodded, leaning against the front of his table, crossing his legs at the ankle.
“Your Honor, this matter constitutes a clear and enforceable breach of contract. Mr. Rumpelstiltskin rendered an extraordinary magical service—namely, the transformation of straw into gold—at the express request of the Queen. In consideration of the immense value conferred upon her, she agreed to surrender her firstborn child at a future date. The Queen accepted the benefit of my client’s performance, then repudiated the agreement.
Oral or not, it was supported by valid consideration, and such a willful breach must carry consequences. ”
When he finished, he winked at Seven, who flushed, the tips of his ears turning fire-engine red.
Cute.
Excited cooing rose from their fellow employees in the gallery.
Seven huffed out a breath through his nose, then said, “Objection, your honor. Opposing counsel is clearly attempting to weaponize flirtation as a trial tactic.”
He gave Enzo a slippery smile. One he returned without hesitation.
“Your honor, there’s nothing in the rules that says I can’t participate in a bit of extrajudicial seduction, is there?” Enzo countered breezily.
Wolf whistles came from the gallery.
Lourdes rolled her eyes. “Well, there is now.” She gave their fellow employees a pointed look. “If the jury—and counselor—could please keep it in their proverbial pants. We are on a time crunch,” she intoned, waving her gavel around in a vague gesture.
Seven glared at Enzo. When Lourdes looked down at something on the ground, Seven stuck out his tongue. The gallery laughed, and Lourdes snapped her head up, narrowing her eyes at the two.
Seven gave her his most charming smile. The lucky bitch.
“There was no valid oral contract, Your Honor. What occurred was not a negotiation between equals, but a coercive exchange executed under extreme duress.” Seven turned to level a withering look at the empty seat beside him at the table.
“Mr. Rumpelstiltskin exploited a woman facing imminent loss of her freedom, demanding her child in return for aid. That isn’t consent—it’s coercion.
Under modern legal standards, such an exchange could even constitute child trafficking. ”
Enzo leaned back in his seat, smirking. “Objection your honor. Emotional hyperbole,” he said.
Lourdes gave a dry chuckle. “Sustained. Tone it down, Mr. Symanski. Less Law that is breach by surveillance.
” Enzo turned his lazy smile on Seven. “Opposing counsel may attempt to reframe the facts, but the reality is simple: the Queen unilaterally violated a binding agreement.”
Seven gave a snort of derision, giving Enzo a dismissive eye-roll.
“You’re referring to the condition precedent—the clause allowing the Queen to retain custody of the child if she could correctly identify your client by name.
” He turned to Lourdes. “That’s not a breach, Your Honor.
That’s performance under the terms of the agreement.
Mr. Rumpelstiltskin outlined the rules. The Queen fulfilled the condition.
His underestimation of her resourcefulness doesn’t void the contract—it completes it.
” He shrugged. “And if the so-called ‘fine print’ happened to be delivered via forest ballad by a peculiar little man in unfortunate footwear…well, that doesn’t make it any less enforceable. ”
Enzo snorted, shaking his head. “Your Honor, the evidence suggests the Queen never intended to fulfill her contractual obligation at the time the agreement was formed. Her conduct indicates that she entered into the bargain in bad faith, securing the benefit of my client’s performance while actively seeking to evade her own.
Such a deliberate misrepresentation of intent at the moment of contract formation constitutes fraudulent inducement.
At a minimum, this bad faith entitles my client to restitution for the value of the services rendered. ”
“That’s a mighty bold claim,” Seven fired back before returning his attention to Lourdes.
“Your Honor, Mr. Rumpelstiltskin deliberately constructed a condition designed to ensure failure. Absent covert surveillance and ethically dubious reconnaissance, the Queen had no realistic means of fulfilling the clause. This wasn’t a fair contractual safeguard—it was the equivalent of burying a kill switch in a digital end-user license agreement.
Obscure, inaccessible, and intentionally deceptive.
That’s not enforceable. It’s predatory.”
Enzo grinned. “That’s tech law, baby. We do it all the time,” He gave him a cocky grin. “Don’t you work in cyber crimes?”
Seven ignored him. “Your Honor, opposing counsel is conflating consumer protections with magical extortion.”
“You’re not going to object to opposing counsel calling you baby?” Lourdes asked drolly.
Seven scoffed. “He can call me whatever he wants. I’m still gonna win this case.”
There was a chorus of “Oohs” from the gallery.
Lourdes banged her gavel, then narrowed her eyes at the two of them.
“I want to hear alternate theories of liability. Assume, for the sake of argument, that your opponent’s position has merit.
Now, tell me why it still fails to hold under scrutiny.
The real test here isn’t who can recite precedent, it’s who can pivot under pressure and still land the argument.
Let’s see who’s thinking like counsel and who’s just playing advocate. ”
Seven didn’t miss a beat, almost like he’d been anticipating this.
“Even in adoption and surrogacy, courts favor the biological mother, and that’s when the child already exists.
But in this case, there was no embryo. No biological connection.
That distinction renders this matter even more clear-cut.
What Mr. Rumpelstiltskin seeks to enforce is not a custodial agreement, but a claim over a hypothetical, unborn child.
This isn’t a question of family law—it’s speculative commerce.
He didn’t contract for a child. He attempted to secure a future human being as consideration for services rendered.
And that is not only unenforceable, it borders on commodification. ”
Enzo leaned back on his hands. “Speculative contracts are enforceable, Counselor. The trading of future interests is a recognized principle—just ask Wall Street. The fact that the child had not yet been conceived does not negate the existence of consideration. The Queen clearly identified the terms of the exchange, accepted the benefit—immense wealth—and then failed to perform. That isn’t ambiguity. That’s breach.”
Seven was shaking his head before Enzo even finished speaking, now looking at him instead of the judge.
“Even assuming the Queen entered into the agreement in good faith, the law must provide recourse for a change in conscience when the subject of the contract is a child. Family law recognizes this principle—birth parents retain the right to revoke consent in adoption proceedings, even after preliminary agreements are made because the law prioritizes the child’s welfare and the parents’ autonomy over the sanctity of contract.
Mr. Rumpelstiltskin has no biological connection to the child and no legal parental standing.
To compel performance under these circumstances would be not only unjust, it would be a gross violation of public policy. ”
Enzo gave him a patient look that he knew would drive Seven insane.
“Once again, Counsel conflates this with family law. But this isn’t about custody or parentage—it’s speculative commerce.
The contract wasn’t for a child born out of love or biology.
It was for future consideration—a bargained-for exchange.
The moment the Queen accepted the gold, she shifted this from sentiment to transaction. ”