Chapter 8 - The Ashes of an Empire
The federal courthouse steps were a roaring sea of reporters, flashing camera bulbs, and microphones thrust forward like hungry metal beasts.
I stood between Nathan and Grace as we walked up the limestone stairs, our footing steady and deliberate. Behind us, Marcus carried a sleek leather briefcase containing the final audit reports of the Vance Foundation’s liquidation. Inside the courtroom, Victoria sat at the defense table, her designer clothes replaced by standard orange institutional garb, her hair pulled back into a severe, unadorned knot. The cold arrogance that had once defined her posture was completely gone, replaced by a hollow, defeated stare.
Judge Miller didn't waste time on flowery preludes.
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“On all counts of conspiracy, corporate embezzlement, financial fraud, and the premeditated poisoning of Arthur Cole,” Judge Miller announced, his gavel striking the wooden block with a sharp, decisive crack, “this court sentences Victoria Vance to thirty-five years in federal prison without the possibility of parole.”
The heavy thud of the gavel echoed through the silent room. Victoria didn’t flinch, nor did she look back at us as the marshals stepped forward to escort her away. The Vance empire—built on decades of stolen wealth, forced disappearances, and intimidation—had finally collapsed into ash.
