CHAPTER 7: JUDGMENT DAY
The courtroom was freezing. I sat in the front row, wearing a sharp, tailored black suit. I wasn't there as a victim. I was there as a witness to the end.
Jason stood before the judge in an orange jumpsuit. His expensive suits were gone. His charm was gone. The judge didn't even look up from her paperwork as she delivered the sentence. "Forty-eight months in a federal correctional facility. No possibility of early parole."
Jason collapsed into his chair, weeping into his handcuffed wrists. I didn't feel a thing.
Then came my mother and Chloe. They weren't facing jail time, but their punishment was arguably worse for people who worshipped money.
The judge hit her gavel. "The court orders full financial restitution to the estate," the judge announced. "All remaining assets, vehicles, and luxury items currently in possession of the defendants will be seized and auctioned. Wages will be garnished for the next twenty years."
Chloe looked over at me from the defense table. Her eyes were filled with pure, unadulterated hatred. "You ruined our lives!" she screamed, lunging toward the barrier before a bailiff grabbed her. "You took everything!"
I didn't flinch. I didn't look away. I simply stood up, buttoned my jacket, and offered her a calm, chilling smile.
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"I didn't take anything, Chloe," I said, my voice carrying perfectly across the silent courtroom. "I just took out the trash."
I walked out of the double doors, leaving them to their ruin.
