Chapter 10 - The Fall of Derek Vance
Federal District Courtroom 405 was packed to capacity for the sentencing hearing of Derek Vance.
The prosecution had laid out an airtight case encompassing domestic assault, felony financial fraud, embezzlement, and conspiracy to commit judicial tampering. The mountain of evidence compiled by Ironwood Holdings’ forensic accountants left no room for leniency.
Derek stood before the federal judge, dressed in his prison orange jumpsuit. His arrogant posture was entirely gone; his shoulders were hunched, his eyes fixed on the scuffed linoleum floor.
“Mr. Vance,” the judge spoke, her voice echoing coldly through the silent courtroom. “The crimes you committed against your wife, combined with your flagrant abuse of corporate entities to conceal criminal activity and evade accountability, represent a profound breach of public trust and human decency.”
She paused, taking a slow breath before delivering the verdict.
“For the counts of felony assault and financial fraud, this court sentences you to twenty-five years in a federal correctional facility without the possibility of parole for the first fifteen years.”
The gavel came down with a sharp, echoing crack.
Bang.
Derek gasped, his knees buckling slightly as two federal marshals stepped forward, gripping him firmly by the upper arms and slapping heavy steel cuffs back onto his wrists. He threw a frantic, desperate glance toward the back of the courtroom, hoping against hope that his mother or his lawyers would perform some miraculous rescue.
The gallery was empty of allies. Only one man sat near the back exit: Baldric.
May you like
Baldric didn’t gloat. He didn’t smile. He simply met Derek’s terrified, tear-filled eyes with a cold, expressionless stare—the look of a master mechanic watching a shattered, irreparable engine being hauled away to the scrap heap.
As Derek was dragged out through the side doors, his weeping protests swallowed by the heavy metal slamming shut, the courtroom began to empty.
