Chapter 8 - The RemnantsChloe sat in a cramped, fluorescent-lit waiting room at the downtown precinct, wrapped in a cheap wool blanket provided by a sympathetic public defender. Her designer clothes were gone, her luxury bags were impounded as evidence, and her phone had been permanently confiscated by federal investigators.
The glass door opened, and her defense attorney walked over, shaking his head.
"Miss Sterling—no relation to the trust, obviously," the lawyer muttered, tossing a pen onto the clipboard. "I have bad news. The prosecutors aren't offering a plea deal. Because you actively participated in the possession and concealment of stolen generational artifacts—specifically the Montague emerald pendant—you're facing up to five years accessory to grand larceny."
Chloe gasped, tears welling in her eyes. "Five years?! But I didn't steal anything! Julian gave it to me! He told me his wife abandoned it!"
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"Mr. Vance’s statements to you are legally irrelevant," the lawyer replied coldly. "Furthermore, Montague-Sterling Global has filed a civil injunction freezing every asset your family ever accumulated. You're legally indigent."
Chloe buried her face in her hands, finally realizing the catastrophic price of chasing a man who had built his entire identity on borrowed land. She had traded her dignity, her freedom, and her future for a cashmere coat and a stolen necklace—and the bill had finally come due.
