Chapter 14: The Verdict
The verdict took less than three hours. Guilty on all counts. As the judge read the sentence, Veronica didn't cry. She didn't scream. She simply sat there, a small, inconsequential figure in a world that had moved on without her. Her life, built on the destruction of others, had finally been returned to the void.
Daniel walked out of the courthouse, the sun blinding after the dim lighting of the hall. Emily was waiting for him, Clara by her side. They didn't speak. They simply stood together, a family finally, truly whole. The legal battle would continue for years, but the war was over. They were alive, they were together, and the secrets of the mansion had finally been unearthed.
The media swarm gathered at the gate, but Daniel ignored them. He wasn't the man they knew; he wasn't the billionaire, the mogul, the untouchable. He was a father, and that was enough. He helped Emily into the car, his movements gentle, protective, and for the first time in years, he felt a sense of peace that wasn't bought or sold.
