Chapter 15
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Julian’s trial preparation was an absolute, unmitigated disaster. His public defender, a tired man named Davis, sat across from him in the bleak concrete consultation room of the county jail, completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of evidence the prosecution had dumped on his desk.
"Julian, you have to understand the gravity of this situation," Davis sighed, rubbing his temples and looking at a massive stack of banking ledgers. "Sterling’s office didn't just find a smoking gun. They found an entire arsenal. The paper trail connecting you to the Cayman Island shell accounts is absolutely irrefutable."
"They forged those documents!" Julian lied desperately, slamming his chained fists onto the metal table. "Karen and Sterling conspired against me! They orchestrated a hostile corporate takeover!"
"No jury on earth is going to believe a vast conspiracy theory over concrete bank routing numbers," Davis retorted sharply, losing his patience with Julian’s endless, delusional arrogance. "And that’s before we even discuss their star witness."
Julian’s jaw clenched so tightly his teeth ground together. "Beatrice."
"Yes, Beatrice," Davis nodded, pulling a copy of her official statement from his briefcase. "She gave the DA everything. She detailed exactly how you ordered her to sign the incorporation papers for the dummy LLCs. She provided emails where you explicitly bragged about bypassing the board's oversight committee. Her testimony alone is enough to convict you on twenty counts of wire fraud."
"She’s a liar and a gold digger!" Julian shouted, pacing the small room like a caged animal. "We destroy her character on the stand! We tell the jury she was a bitter mistress trying to extort me!"
"She signed a proffer agreement, Julian," Davis explained slowly, as if speaking to a child. "The jury will see a woman who took accountability for her minor role in your massive scheme. If we aggressively attack her, the jury will just see you as a bully trying to blame his subordinate."
"So what the hell are you suggesting?" Julian demanded, glaring at the exhausted lawyer.
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"I am suggesting you plead guilty," Davis said bluntly, closing his briefcase. "If we go to trial and you lose, the judge will hit you with the maximum penalty. We are talking sixty years. If you plead out now, I might be able to negotiate it down to twenty."
"I am not pleading guilty," Julian growled, his eyes burning with toxic, misplaced pride. "I am going to trial. I will beat them all."
