Chapter 13 - The Glass Wall
The Federal Correctional Institution in Milan, Michigan, was a bleak monument to consequences. Concrete walls, razor wire, and the heavy, metallic clatter of locked doors. It was a place designed to strip a human being of their autonomy.
I sat in a sterile visitation booth. A thick pane of bulletproof glass separated me from the empty chair on the other side. The air smelled of industrial bleach and stale desperation.
I wore a tailored, slate-gray suit. My hair was pulled back into a severe, flawless twist. I wore no jewelry, save for a simple Cartier watch. I did not look like a woman visiting a lost love. I looked like a CEO attending a hostile acquisition.
The heavy steel door on the other side of the glass clanked open.
A guard escorted Jason into the booth.
For a moment, I simply observed him. The last time I had seen Jason, he was wearing a custom Brioni tuxedo, screaming at me in our marble foyer. The man sitting down across from me now was a ghost of that arrogance.
The khaki prison uniform hung loosely on his frame. His hair, once perfectly styled, was buzzed short and aggressively graying. But his eyes—those dark, calculating eyes—still held the same desperate, narcissistic hunger.
He picked up the heavy black telephone receiver on his side of the glass.
I picked up mine.
“You came,” Jason said. His voice cracked slightly, betraying a frantic excitement. He offered a crooked, familiar smile. “I knew you would. I knew you couldn't stay away when the pressure got too high.”
He was playing the old script. He thought he was the director, and I was just reading my lines.
“I am not here to reminisce, Jason,” I said. My voice was a flat, clinical monotone. “I am here for the twelve-word seed phrase to the Aura Trust.”
Jason’s smile widened into a smug smirk. He leaned back in his plastic chair, attempting to project dominance through a bulletproof wall.
“Ah,” he said softly. “The SEC must be breathing down your neck. The fabricated wire transfers finally hit your desk, didn't they? I have to admit, it cost me a fortune in favors to get those documents forged from in here. But seeing you sitting in that chair, asking me for help… it was worth every penny.”
“You think you have leverage,” I observed, feeling absolutely nothing.
“I have the only thing that can keep you out of federal court, Becca,” he leaned forward, pressing his hand against the glass. “You ruined my life. You took my company. You put me in this cage. Now, you’re going to pay for it. I will give you the cipher to the trust, and in exchange, your lawyers will file a motion advocating for my early release on compassionate grounds. You will publicly retract your statement about my involvement in the NovaDyne fraud.”
He sat back, crossing his arms. “That’s the price of your freedom, darling. Take it or leave it.”
I looked at him. A man so utterly consumed by his own ego that he couldn't see the guillotine hanging directly over his neck.
“You misunderstood the purpose of this visit, Jason,” I said softly.
I did not raise my voice. I did not break eye contact.
“I am not here to negotiate for my freedom,” I continued, my words dropping like ice cubes into a glass. “My lawyers have already proven the documents were forged. The SEC dismissed the inquiry this morning. Sullivan Strategic Partners is completely secure.”
Jason’s smirk faltered. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes. “You’re lying.”
“I don't lie, Jason. I don't have to,” I replied. “I am here because the DOJ found out about the Aura Trust. Madison came to my office last night. She was terrified. She handed over every single document tying you to that offshore account.”
I leaned forward, my face inches from the glass.
“The federal prosecutor is filing new charges against you tomorrow morning,” I whispered. “Conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Money laundering. Witness tampering from a federal facility. They are going to add fifteen years to your sentence, Jason. You are never getting out.”
The blood drained entirely from his face. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. The reality of his situation crashed into him like a freight train.
“No,” he choked out, slamming his hand against the glass. “No, Madison wouldn't do that. She doesn't know—”
“She gave them everything,” I cut him off, my voice sharp as a scalpel. “You are finished. However…”
I paused, letting the silence suffocate him.
“The prosecutor offered a plea deal,” I lied smoothly, flawlessly. “If you voluntarily surrender the seed phrase to the Aura Trust today, allowing the government to seize the stolen funds immediately, they will drop the new charges. You will serve your original sentence. Nothing more.”
Jason stared at me, his chest heaving. He was terrified. The arrogant mastermind was gone, replaced by a cornered animal realizing the trap had permanently snapped shut.
“Why are you telling me this?” he gasped. “Why would you help me?”
“I am not helping you,” I said coldly. “The money in the Aura Trust was stolen from Northstar’s employee pension fund. I promised Maya Hernandez I would get it back for her people. I am here for the nine thousand employees you tried to rob.”
I pulled a pen and a blank sheet of paper from my briefcase and pressed them against the glass.
“Write down the twelve words, Jason. Hold it up to the glass. Or enjoy the next twenty-five years in this room.”
He looked at the paper. He looked at me. He searched my eyes for any sign of a bluff, any trace of the obedient wife who used to crave his approval. He found nothing but an impenetrable fortress.
With shaking hands, Jason picked up a pencil from his side of the booth. He scribbled frantically on a piece of paper and pressed it against the glass.
I read the twelve words. I memorized them instantly.
I stood up, buttoning my suit jacket. I placed the phone receiver back on its cradle, cutting off the audio.
May you like
Jason was shouting something behind the glass, his face pressed against the thick pane, pleading. I didn't read his lips. I didn't care what he had to say.
I turned my back and walked out of the visitation room. The heavy steel doors locked behind me, sealing Jason into the past forever.
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