Chapter 10 - The Fall of the Empire
Six months later, the federal courthouse in Washington D.C. was completely surrounded by news vans.
The trial of Viktor Volkov had become the biggest international criminal case of the decade.
Elena's hard drives had provided the FBI with enough evidence to dismantle his entire syndicate.
Viktor had been extradited and was currently sitting behind bulletproof glass, glaring at us with unbridled hatred.
He looked old, frail, and entirely stripped of the terrifying power he once held.
When Elena took the witness stand, she looked absolutely radiant and fearless.
She detailed the illegal adoption ring, the bribes, and the attempted assassination at the cabin.
I sat in the front row next to Arthur, holding his hand as we watched my sister dismantle an empire with her words.
The jury returned a guilty verdict on all ninety-four counts of racketeering, attempted murder, and human trafficking.
Viktor was sentenced to life in federal prison without the possibility of parole.
As the guards hauled him away, he didn't even look back.
We walked out of the courthouse and into the bright, warm afternoon sun.
The nightmare that had started with a ruined wedding was finally, truly over.
Andrew was serving ten years for his role in the conspiracy, and his father's company had been liquidated.
Margaret remained in her cell, entirely forgotten by the world she had tried to manipulate.
"So," Elena said, linking her arm through mine as we walked down the marble steps.
"What do we do now that we aren't running for our lives?"
I looked at my identical twin sister, and then at the father who had never given up hope of finding us.
"We go home," I smiled brightly.
"We have a lot of lost birthdays to catch up on."
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For the first time in my entire life, I didn't feel an emptiness in my soul.
I was whole, I was safe, and my real family was finally together forever.
