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Headline: "He Left Her Bleeding in the Rain for a Mistress—Until the City's Most Dangerous Boss Stepped In!" / Chapter 18 / 20

Chapter 18 - The Trial of the Century Headline: "The Final Verdict That Erased the Vance Name from the Tech World Forever!"

Three months later, the State of Washington vs. Vance & Associates reached its historic conclusion at the William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse in downtown Seattle.

The courtroom was packed with international journalists, tech executives, and legal scholars.

Grant Vance, Victor Vance, and Chairman Harrison sat at the defense table in orange jump-suits, flanked by public defenders after every major law firm in the state refused to represent them.

I sat in the front row of the gallery, wearing an elegant ivory wool dress, holding Noah’s hand.

The jury foreman stood up, holding a thick stack of verdict sheets.

"On Count One: Grand Larceny and Fraud against Arthur Sterling—Guilty," the foreman announced into the silent courtroom.

"On Count Two: Corporate Espionage and Software Theft—Guilty."

"On Count Three: Conspiracy to Commit Murder—Guilty."

"On Count Four through Twenty-Eight: Financial Fraud, Tax Evasion, and Wire Tampering—Guilty on all counts."

Grant dropped his head onto the defense table, sobbing uncontrollably. Victor Vance stared blankly at the floor, his legacy reduced to absolute ashes.

The judge slammed his gavel down with a sharp, thunderous crack. "Grant Vance, for your heinous crimes, betrayal of public trust, and cruel endangerment of human life, I sentence you to thirty-eight years at Pelican Bay Federal Penitentiary without the possibility of parole."

The judge turned his eyes to me, his tone softening with profound respect. "Miss Emma Sterling, this court hereby orders the complete restitution of all Vance assets to the Sterling Estate, along with the official, perpetual expungement of the Vance name from all patents associated with Project Aegis."

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"Lock every gate, seal every exit, and cut the main grid to manual," I b...

The silence in the ICU room was heavier than the lead aprons I wore in radiology. Dante’s words hung in the sterile air like poison: I had people watching you.

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The silence in the room was heavier than the snow piling against the windowpane. Declan sat motionless in the chair, his green eyes fixated on me as if I were a stranger who had spoken in a language he couldn't comprehend. Outside, the Seattle storm howled, but inside, the only sound was the soft, rhythmic breathing of our six-day-old son against my chest.

The silence in the room was heavier than the snow piling against the win...

The courtroom erupted into thunderous applause. Reporters rushed the aisle, camera flashes blazing.

Grant was hoisted up by federal marshals. As he was led past the gallery railing, he looked at me one last time, his eyes filled with absolute hollow regret. But I didn't even look at him. I was looking up at Noah, whose dark eyes were filled with a pride so intense it warmed my very soul.

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