Chapter 8 - The Fall of the Empire
The trial was the biggest media circus the state had ever seen.
My parents, the beloved philanthropists, were exposed as the monsters they truly were.
The prosecution used the files from the attic to dismantle an international trafficking network.
My mother tried to play the victim, sobbing on the stand about how she was manipulated.
The jury didn't buy a single second of it.
My father remained stoic until the very end, glaring at me from across the courtroom.
When the judge handed down multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole, my father finally broke.
He screamed that I was an ungrateful daughter, that he had built his empire for me.
I just held Marcus’s hand and smiled.
Vanessa turned state’s evidence, ratting out the overseas buyers in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Even with her deal, she was locked away for thirty years.
The money my parents had hoarded was seized by the government.
A massive victim compensation fund was created to help the children they had sold.
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But my mission wasn't complete just because my parents were in prison.
I had a sister to find.
