Chapter 10
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District Attorney Thomas Sterling sat across from Beatrice in the bleak interrogation room, methodically sipping a cup of cheap precinct coffee. It had been four hours since he presented her with the damning evidence of her complicity in Julian’s massive financial fraud. Beatrice looked entirely broken, her designer dress wrinkled and stained with dried tears.
"Your public defender should be arriving shortly," Sterling said calmly, checking his silver wristwatch. "But I wanted to outline the reality of your situation before he gets here to fill your head with false hope."
"I don't want false hope," Beatrice whispered, her voice hoarse from crying. "I just don't want to go to federal prison. I wouldn't survive it, Thomas. You know I wouldn't."
"I am the District Attorney, Beatrice. Address me as Mr. Sterling," he corrected her sharply, refusing to allow any personal familiarity. "And whether or not you survive federal prison is entirely dependent on what you decide to do in the next ten minutes."
He slid a fresh legal document across the metal table. It was a drafted proffer agreement, completely outlining a potential plea deal.
"Julian Vance orchestrated a multi-million dollar embezzlement scheme," Sterling explained, tapping the document with his pen. "We have the bank records, but white-collar cases are notoriously difficult to present to a jury without a star witness who can testify to the defendant's specific state of mind and intent."
Beatrice looked at the document, her eyes wide. "You want me to testify against Julian?"
"I want you to get on the witness stand, under oath, and detail exactly how he directed you to set up the shell corporations," Sterling confirmed. "I want you to testify about how he bragged about stealing his daughter's trust funds to buy your silence. I want you to hand me the final nail for his coffin."
"If I do that... what do I get?" Beatrice asked, her survival instinct finally overriding her misplaced loyalty to the billionaire who had abandoned her.
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"If your testimony directly results in a conviction on all federal counts," Sterling promised, his voice turning deadly serious, "I will drop the conspiracy charges against you. You will plead guilty to a single count of accessory after the fact. You will serve three years of probation, pay a significant fine, and complete community service. Zero jail time."
Beatrice didn't even wait for her public defender to arrive. She picked up the pen with trembling, handcuffed hands and signed her name on the dotted line, officially sealing Julian’s fate.
