Chapter 8 - The Sentencing
Guilty on all counts.
The judge’s voice echoed like thunder in the quiet courtroom. Julian stood at the defense table, pale, hollowed out, staring blankly ahead. He looked like a ghost of the arrogant prince who had cornered me on that balcony months ago.
The judge didn't hold back. Considering the premeditated nature of the attack, the subsequent break-in, and the massive financial fraud, the sentence was crushing.
"Julian Vanguard, I sentence you to thirty-five years in a maximum-security federal penitentiary, without the possibility of parole," the judge declared, striking his gavel.
Bailiffs moved in immediately, snapping heavy iron cuffs onto Julian's wrists. As they led him away, he stopped at the barrier, looking directly at me. There was no anger left in his eyes, only a pathetic, bottomless despair.
"Elena," he choked out, his voice cracking. "Please. I'm your family."
I stared back at him, feeling absolutely nothing. No pity, no rage, no triumph. Just a cold, solid peace.
"I have no family, Julian," I said quietly, though my voice carried in the silent room. "I have an empire."
The bailiffs shoved him forward, leading him through the heavy wooden doors and out of my life forever.
Outside the courthouse, a swarm of reporters waited. Flashes blinded me as Thorne guided my wheelchair down the ramp.
May you like
"Ms. Vanguard! Ms. Vanguard! What will you do with the company now?" a reporter yelled over the din.
I stopped, looking at the sea of cameras. "I'm going to rebuild it. I'm going to clean it out. And I'm going to make sure the Vanguard name stands for something my grandmother would be proud of."
