Chapter 9 - A New DynastyA month later, the gavel came down with a sharp, echoing crack in the federal courtroom.
Judge Arthur Sterling—no relation to the shell company, thankfully—looked down from the high mahogany bench with a grave expression.
"Dominic Vance, based on the overwhelming mountain of forensic evidence provided by the plaintiff and federal investigators, this court finds you guilty on all counts of grand larceny, corporate fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy."
Dominic didn't look up. He sat at the defense table in a standard orange jumpsuit, his hair unwashed, his shoulders slumped in utter defeat. His high-priced defense lawyers had abandoned him weeks ago once the asset freeze locked up every hidden offshore account he owned.
Beside him, Victoria sat rigidly in her own jumpsuit, her face pale, aged by a decade in just thirty days. Natalie was sobbing quietly into her cuffed hands two rows back.
"You are sentenced to twenty-five years in federal prison without the possibility of parole," Judge Sterling continued, his voice ringing through the quiet courtroom. "Furthermore, all remaining assets are ordered transferred immediately to the primary creditor and estate holder: Audrey Vance."
The gavel fell one final time.
Clack.
It was over. The game was won. The empire they had built on lies and cruelty had crumbled into dust.
I stood up from the plaintiff's gallery, smoothing down the lapel of my tailored charcoal blazer. I didn't smile, and I didn't gloat. I simply turned around and walked out of the courtroom doors into the bright, blinding sunlight of a brand-new afternoon.
Waiting for me on the courthouse steps was a sleek black sedan driven by one of my father’s most trusted senior investigators.
As I opened the car door and slid into the leather interior, my phone buzzed with a notification from Vance Global Forensics.
Subject: Acquisition of Vance-Sterling Holdings complete. You are now controlling shareholder.
I stared at the screen for a moment, a calm, quiet smile finally gracing my lips.
"Where to, Ms. Vance?" the driver asked respectfully, glancing back through the rearview mirror.
May you like
I looked out the window at the towering skyscrapers of the financial district glittering in the afternoon sun.
"Home," I said softly. "Let's go home."
