Chapter 12 - Behind Iron BarsInside the sterile, fluorescent-lit visitation block of Greenstone Federal Penitentiary, the air smelled of industrial disinfectant and stale despair.
Carter Sterling sat hunched over a heavy metal table, his orange jumpsuit hanging loosely over a frame that had lost all its arrogant posture. His hair was unkempt, his eyes hollow and bloodshot from sleepless nights spent staring at the concrete ceiling.
Across from him sat his former defense attorney, a man who had long since stopped returning phone calls with enthusiasm.
"The appeal was denied, Carter," the attorney said flatly, tossing a thin manila folder onto the scratched metal surface. "The federal circuit court upheld every single count of corporate fraud, asset manipulation, and intellectual property theft. Your sentence is final. There are no more motions to file."
Carter slammed his fist against the table, a pathetic whimper escaping his cracked lips. "It’s a rigged game! Samantha engineered the whole thing! She planted those digital signatures! She manipulated the trust accounts!"
"Even if she did, the court has ironclad paper trails signed by your hand," the attorney sighed, packing his briefcase with practiced indifference. "You signed over the executive authorizations. You validated the asset transfers. You walked right into every trap she set because you were too blindfolded by your own ego to check who actually owned the roof over your head. Accept it, Carter. You’re done."
As the guard pulled the attorney away toward the heavy steel exit, Carter slumped forward, his forehead hitting the cold metal table.
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In his pocket buzzed a smuggled, contraband micro-phone—a illegal device he had traded three months of prison rations to acquire. His heart raced with delusional hope. The proxy server connection was green, he thought wildly to himself. The backdoor key worked. I’m going to wipe her accounts. I’m going to take it all back.
With trembling, filthy fingers, he pulled the tiny device from his pocket under the table, tapping furiously at the screen to execute the final command script.
