Chapter 12 - The Truth ExposedThree weeks after Scott's removal as CEO, the criminal preliminary hearing for Scott Carter and Richard Vance opened at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse.
The courtroom was packed with journalists, corporate executives, and curious onlookers. Scott sat at the defense table wearing an ill-fitting grey suit, looking hollowed out, dark circles under his sunken eyes. His high-priced criminal defense team looked tense, sitting across from the state prosecutor and Victoria Sterling.
Beside me in the second row sat Evelyn.
She held my hand tightly, her knuckles pale. It was the first time we had been together in public since the stormy night she threw the vintage suitcase at my feet. She wore a simple navy blue dress, her silver hair styled neatly, her chin held high with quiet dignity.
"Are you ready for this, Diane?" Evelyn whispered softly into my ear, squeezing my fingers.
"We brought the truth, Evelyn," I replied, looking back at her with immense gratitude. "There’s nothing to be afraid of."
The state prosecutor called our first key witness to the stand: the forensic accountant who had spent three weeks dissecting Carter Enterprises’ financial records.
For two grueling hours, the accountant broke down the evidence with mathematical precision. He presented charts showing over $4 million in systematic wire transfers from Carter Enterprises into unauthorized shell accounts registered under Scott's name, as well as a $500,000 secret transfer directly into Richard Vance’s personal trust account.
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When the prosecutor entered the recorded phone conversation between Scott and Richard—where they explicitly discussed framing me for embezzlement and leaving me penniless—a collective gasp rippled across the spectator benches.
Scott slumped forward, resting his head in his shaking hands. He couldn't even bring himself to look at his defense attorneys.
