Chapter 10 - The ReckoningThe jury deliberated for less than six hours.
"On count one, wire fraud: Guilty. On count two, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments: Guilty. On count three, attempted aggravated assault: Guilty."
The verdict echoed through the silent courtroom. Victoria stood to hear her sentence. Her knees buckled slightly, but the marshals held her upright.
Judge Patricia Holloway looked down from the bench with stern gravity. "Wealth often creates an illusion of immunity. Ms. Vance, you operated with profound disregard for the law, for your family, and for human life itself. You are hereby sentenced to fourteen years in federal custody, without the possibility of parole."
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As the handcuffs clicked shut around Victoria’s wrists, she turned toward the gallery. She looked for friends, for allies, for socialites who had shared her tables for a decade. The benches were empty save for Marcus and Clara.
There was no triumph in Marcus’s eyes. Only the profound grief of an older brother watching a sister who had chosen her own cage.
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