Chapter 9 - The Sentencing
Six months later. The courtroom was packed to the gills. The air was thick with the scent of old wood, floor wax, and impending doom.
I sat in the front row, right behind the prosecutor. Julian and Victoria were seated at the defense table. They hadn't spoken to each other in months. Julian looked hollowed out, his expensive haircut replaced by a standard jailhouse buzz. Victoria looked small, frail, and utterly defeated.
The judge, a stern-faced woman who had refused every one of their delay tactics, banged her gavel.
"Victoria Sterling. Julian Sterling. You have been found guilty by a jury of your peers on all thirty-four counts of fraud, embezzlement, and conspiracy."
The courtroom held its collective breath.
"The scope of your greed is staggering," the judge continued, her voice dripping with contempt. "You ruined lives, destroyed pensions, and attempted to frame an innocent young woman to cover your tracks."
She looked directly at Victoria. "Victoria Sterling, I sentence you to fifteen years in federal prison, without the possibility of early parole."
Victoria let out a soft sob, covering her face with her hands.
"Julian Sterling. I sentence you to twenty-five years in federal prison."
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Julian didn't react. He just stared blankly ahead. As the bailiffs moved in to cuff them, Julian turned his head and locked eyes with me one last time. There was no anger left, just the haunting realization of his own hubris.
I didn't smile. I didn't gloat. I just held his gaze until they dragged him through the heavy wooden doors.
