Chapter 23 - The Desperate AppealThree years into his twelve-year sentence, Ethan Walker could no longer endure the gray walls of the federal penitentiary. Desperation breeds delusion, and Ethan had convinced himself of a new narrative: he was the victim.
He filed a pro-se federal appeal, claiming that Emma Carter and Marcus Vance had illegally conspired to alter the original IP holding documents while he was distracted by wedding planning.
The appeal was a long shot, but it triggered a mandatory evidentiary hearing in the Federal District Court of Massachusetts.
Ethan was transported to the courthouse in handcuffs and a bright orange jumpsuit. As he sat at the defense table with a bored public defender, he looked toward the heavy oak doors, desperately hoping to see a crack in Emma’s armor.
When Emma entered the courtroom, the air seemed to shift. She was flanked by a team of elite corporate litigators, but she walked with the serene confidence of a woman who had already won the war.
She took the witness stand, raising her right hand to swear the oath.
May you like
"Ms. Carter," Ethan’s public defender began hesitantly, clearly hating his own assignment. "My client alleges that you manipulated the holding trust documents in the weeks leading up to your canceled wedding. Is this true?"
Emma leaned forward toward the microphone. "No. The documents were drafted, signed, and notarized three years before Ethan Walker even proposed to me. They were designed to protect my family's assets from predatory practices."
