Chapter 10: The Aftermath
Chapter 10: The Aftermath
Six Months Later
The courtroom was silent as the judge read the sentencing.
Adrian Cross stood in an orange jumpsuit, looking ten years older. His hair had thinned, his posture was slumped, and the arrogant fire in his eyes had completely burned out. He was sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison without the possibility of early parole.
Margaret had taken a plea deal, turning on her own son for a reduced sentence of eight years in a minimum-security facility. The betrayal had shattered what little bond they had left.
Their empire was liquidated. The mansions were sold, the accounts drained to pay off the massive lawsuits, and the Cross name was nothing more than a cautionary tale on Wall Street.
I didn't attend the sentencing. I was too busy living my life.
I sat on the sun-drenched patio of my father's estate, bouncing six-month-old Leo on my knee. He giggled, a bright, happy sound that filled the gardens. I had taken a position as a senior analyst at Whitmore Capital, finally stepping into the legacy I had run from for so long.
I had wanted to be loved for who I was, not for my money. I had learned the hard way that there were predators in the world who would exploit a quiet, unprotected woman. But I wasn't unprotected. And I wasn't quiet anymore.
My father walked out onto the patio, handing me a glass of fresh lemonade. He smiled down at Leo, who reached his tiny hands up for his grandfather.
"Did you see the news?" my father asked casually.
May you like
"I don't watch the news anymore, Dad," I replied, smiling. "I have everything I need right here."
I had walked into hell as Elena Hart, the vulnerable, terrified victim. But I walked out as Elena Whitmore. And no one would ever raise a hand to me, or my son, ever again.
