Chapter 9 - THE FINAL WITNESSThe morning of the federal trial, the steps of the federal courthouse were a swirling vortex of flashing camera bulbs, shouting reporters, and microphones thrust into the air.
I stepped out of the matte-black Bentley, flanked by Marcus Vance and two towering security guards. Dressed in a striking white wool coat over a midnight-blue dress, I walked up the courthouse steps with the poise of an absolute queen. I didn't look at the cameras. I didn't acknowledge the reporters screaming questions.
Inside the courtroom, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
Richard sat at the defendant's table, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, his hair graying at the temples, his eyes hollow and bloodshot. When he saw me walk into the gallery, his head snapped down in immediate, profound shame. Victoria and Brooke were nowhere to be found; they had refused to attend, unwilling to face the public humiliation of watching their golden boy fall.
The prosecution presented its case with surgical precision. Marcus had submitted Arthur Pendelton’s sworn testimony, alongside the original unaltered trust documents proving the decade-long forgery and financial conspiracy.
When the judge called for final statements from the defense, Richard’s court-appointed attorney stood up, looking exhausted. "Your Honor, the defense rests. Mr. Sterling wishes to make a brief statement to the court before sentencing."
The judge nodded sternly. "Proceed, Mr. Sterling."
Richard stood up slowly, his shackles clanking against the floorboards. He turned around, looking up into the gallery where I sat alone in the front row. Tears welled in his eyes, spilling down his hollow cheeks.
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"I don't ask for your forgiveness," Richard's voice trembled through the courtroom microphone, breaking with agonizing grief. "I destroyed everything. I let my mother's poison and my own blind arrogance ruin the only real thing I ever had. I traded a queen for shadows... and now I have nothing."
He turned back to the judge, bowing his head. "I plead guilty to all charges. Whatever sentence this court hands down... I deserve every single day of it."
