Chapter 9 - The State vs. Sarah Vance
The courthouse steps were swarming with reporters. The fall of the Vance family was the biggest scandal to hit the financial district in a decade. High society loved a wedding, but they loved a public execution even more.
Julian and Evelyn arrived in a sleek black SUV, stepping out into a flurry of camera flashes. Julian wore a tailored navy suit, his expression impassive, radiating control. Evelyn walked beside him, holding a slim leather briefcase, looking like the queen of a conquered nation.
Inside the courtroom, the atmosphere was stifling. Sarah sat at the defense table, looking nothing like the woman who had smirked at Julian in the law firm lobby months ago. Her hair was tied back in a messy knot, and her posture was defeated. Arthur Vance sat a few feet away, refusing to even look at his daughter.
"All rise," the bailiff called out.
The judge, a no-nonsense veteran of the bench, took his seat. "We are here for the sentencing phase of the United States versus Sarah Vance. The defendant has entered a guilty plea to three counts of wire fraud and one count of corporate espionage."
Julian watched from the gallery. He felt no joy, only a cold, clinical satisfaction. He remembered the night at The Obsidian Vault—the $750,000 bill, the sheer arrogance of a woman who believed consequences were for the lower classes.
"Before sentencing, does the victim wish to make a statement?" the judge asked.
Julian stood up, buttoning his jacket, and walked to the podium. The courtroom fell dead silent.
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"Your Honor," Julian began, his voice steady and commanding. "Sarah Vance did not steal out of desperation. She stole out of entitlement. She used my trust as a weapon, and she used my company as her personal treasury. The financial damage has been rectified, but the betrayal of trust is permanent. I am not asking for vengeance. I am asking for the law to apply to her exactly as it would to anyone else who stole four million dollars."
He locked eyes with Sarah for a brief, shattering second. "She believed she was above the consequences. It is time she learned she is not."
