Chapter 8 - The Sister’s BetrayalRealizing that her brother was going down for life and that her own trial was scheduled for the following month, Chloe decided to play her ultimate, most desperate card: total, unadulterated self-preservation.
Through her defense attorney, Chloe submitted an emergency plea bargain to the District Attorney's office: Full cooperation, complete confession of the financial conspiracy, and turning over encrypted hard drives containing Derek's private offshore passwords—in exchange for a reduced sentence.
The DA accepted.
On the third day of the trial, Chloe was brought into the courtroom not as a spectator, but as a cooperating witness for the prosecution. She wore a plain grey jumpsuit, her hair pulled back into a messy bun, devoid of all makeup and designer vanity.
As she walked past Derek’s table, Derek stared up at her with eyes full of pure venom and disbelief. "Traitor," he hissed under his breath. "You little piece of trash, I did everything for you!"
Chloe didn't even look at him. She climbed into the witness stand, her hands clutching her knees.
"Miss Evans," the prosecutor began smoothly. "Let’s talk about the financial embezzlement. Who originated the plan to siphon funds from Mrs. Skylar Evans?"
Chloe swallowed hard, casting a terrified glance toward the jury. "It... it was Derek. But I helped. I pushed him. I told him he was weak for letting his wife control her own money."
"Did your brother ever express remorse for what he did to his wife?"
"Never," Chloe sobbed, real tears of self-pity spilling down her cheeks. "He laughed about it. He called her a cash cow. And the day he threw the coffee... he did it because he thought if he broke her spirit enough, she would finally sign over power of attorney."
Derek couldn't take it anymore. He stood up so violently that his chair crashed backward onto the wooden floor.
"LIES! SHE'S LYING! YOU BITCH!" Derek roared, lunging forward before the heavy security detail tackled him to the floor, pinning him face-down against the courtroom carpet as he thrashed and screamed obscenities.
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"Order in the court! ORDER!" Judge Harrison slammed his gavel down repeatedly until the room quieted down. "Remove the defendant and strap him to the security chair in the holding annex immediately!"
As four guards dragged a kicking and screaming Derek out of the courtroom, Chloe sat frozen in the witness box, and Skylar calmly turned a page in her legal notebook—completely unfazed, entirely victorious.
