Chapter 10 - The Gavel Falls
Six months later, the trial concluded in record time. The mountain of evidence compiled by Judge Sterling’s task force left the jury with no alternative.
Standing in the same federal courtroom, Dominic Ward listened as the jury foreman read the verdict: Guilty on all forty-two counts.
Judge Victoria Sterling looked down from the bench, her expression entirely neutral, devoid of triumph or malice—only the pure, unyielding execution of justice.
“Dominic Ward,” Victoria’s voice rang clear across the silent courtroom. “For your crimes against the United States, for racketeering, extortion, and violent felony assault, this court sentences you to forty-five years in a federal penitentiary without the possibility of parole. May God have mercy on your soul.”
Bang.
The gavel struck the wood with a final, definitive crash, echoing through the halls of the courthouse and signaling the definitive end of an untouchable tyrant.
May you like
Later that evening, Victoria walked out onto her front porch. The rain had cleared, leaving behind a crisp, starry night. From the doorway, Clara stepped out, holding a sleeping newborn baby in her arms, smiling softly as she joined her mother in the cool evening breeze.
Victoria wrapped her arm around her daughter and her grandchild, looking out over the quiet street. The storm had passed, the gavel had fallen, and justice—pure, uncompromising, and absolute—had finally been served.
