Chapter 4 - The Legal StormWith Julian Vance, Victoria, and Veronica caught red-handed in a kidnapping and extortion plot inside an abandoned warehouse, the legal system moved with terrifying speed—fueled, of course, by Alexander’s immense wealth and influence.
The district attorney filed a massive racketeering, forgery, and conspiracy to commit murder indictment against all three of them.
The city was gripped by the scandal. Every day, news broadcasts showed footage of Victoria and Veronica, stripped of their designer clothes and wearing orange jail jumpsuits, being led into the courthouse. The public, which had once fawned over them at charity galas, now looked at them with absolute revulsion.
I spent the next two weeks reading through my father’s journal. It was heartbreaking but liberating. In his final entries, he detailed how he had discovered Victoria was poisoning his daily tea with a rare, undetectable toxin supplied by Julian Vance. He had written down his suspicions, knowing he was too weak to fight them alone, and had hidden the journal, praying I would find it.
"He knew you would be strong enough, Scarlett," Alexander said one evening as we sat in the penthouse office, reviewing the final estate transition documents. "He left this trail because he knew his daughter had the Sterling spine."
"We have enough to put them away for life, don't we?" I asked.
"Yes," Alexander nodded. "The medical examiner exhumed your father’s body yesterday. The toxin was found in his bone tissue, exactly as the journal described. Victoria and Julian Vance are facing first-degree murder charges. They will never see the light of day again."
He handed me a leather folder. "And this is for you."
I opened it. It was the official deed to the Sterling Foundation and the entire waterfront property. My name was listed as the sole proprietor and permanent Chairwoman.
"The board met this morning," Alexander smiled, a genuine, warm expression that rarely appeared on his face. "They voted unanimously to reinstate you. In fact, they were terrified I would ruin them if they didn't. The foundation is yours, Scarlett. You can build your father’s dream."
"Thank you, Uncle Alex," I said, a wave of profound relief washing over me. "For everything."
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"Don't thank me yet," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The criminal trial starts tomorrow. Victoria and Veronica are going to play dirty. They have hired a notorious defense attorney who specializes in character assassination. They are going to try to drag your name through the mud one last time to save themselves."
"Let them try," I said, looking at the scar on my palm, now healed into a thin silver line. "I’m not the girl they pinned to the floor anymore."
