Chapter 15 - The Final Verdict
Eight months after my return from Saudi Arabia, Marcus Hale called me with the news we had been waiting for.
Evelyn and Victoria had formally rejected a trial, realizing that facing a jury with the photographic evidence Marcus possessed would result in maximum life sentences. They took the plea deals.
Evelyn was sentenced to eighteen years in a maximum-security state penitentiary without the possibility of parole for the first twelve years. Victoria received ten years for felony fraud, forgery, and grand larceny.
Their socialite friends abandoned them completely. The mansion in Chicago was sold at auction for $3.2 million, and after clearing the legal fees, the entire sum was deposited into Julian and Elena’s security trusts.
That evening, I sat on the porch step of our California cottage with Julian sitting on my lap. The sun was setting over the horizon, painting the Pacific Ocean in brilliant shades of violet, orange, and gold.
Julian leaned back against my chest, watching the waves crash against the shore.
"Daddy?" he asked softly.
"Yeah, buddy?"
"Are we safe now?"
I kissed the top of his head, holding him close as Elena stepped out onto the porch carrying two mugs of warm hot chocolate. She sat down right beside us, resting her hand on my knee.
"We're completely safe, Julian," I said, looking at my wife and son under the glowing sky. "We're safe, we're free, and we're together."
May you like
As the sun dipped below the ocean line, the shadows of the past finally faded into the light of our new beginning.
The Price of Blood and Gold
