Chapter 17
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The courtroom was completely silent, heavy with anticipation, as Beatrice Lawson was called to the witness stand on the fourth day of the trial. She walked down the center aisle wearing a conservative, understated navy dress, completely devoid of the flashy jewelry and heavy makeup she used to flaunt. She looked nervous, but profoundly determined to save herself.
Julian glared at her from the defense table, his eyes burning with a toxic mixture of absolute hatred and terrifying betrayal.
District Attorney Sterling approached the podium, offering Beatrice a reassuring, professional nod before beginning his direct examination.
"Ms. Lawson, could you please describe to the jury your professional relationship with the defendant, Julian Vance?" Sterling asked clearly.
"I was officially hired as an executive marketing consultant for the Vance firm," Beatrice answered, speaking directly into the microphone. "But in reality, I was his mistress. And my primary function was signing legal documents he didn't want his name attached to."
"Can you elaborate on those legal documents?" Sterling prompted, projecting a massive spreadsheet of corporate filings onto the screen behind the witness stand.
"Julian directed me to register three offshore LLCs in the Cayman Islands," Beatrice testified, her voice steady despite Julian’s terrifying glare. "He explicitly told me these were 'dummy accounts'. Whenever the firm landed a massive marketing contract, Julian would divert twenty percent of the gross profit into these LLCs before the board ever saw the quarterly reports."
"And what was this stolen money used for?" Sterling asked.
"His gambling debts in Macau, mostly," Beatrice admitted. "And luxury purchases. He bought me a two-million-dollar apartment in Paris using funds directly wired from an account labeled 'Lily Vance Educational Trust'."
"Objection!" Julian’s public defender shouted, jumping to his feet. "Hearsay!"
"Overruled," Judge Harrison snapped immediately. "The witness is testifying to direct knowledge of financial transactions. Proceed."
Julian lost his temper entirely. The polished facade he had maintained for the jury shattered into a million pieces.
"You're a liar!" Julian roared, standing up and slamming his chained hands onto the defense table. "You begged me for that apartment! You were a pathetic gold digger trying to steal my empire!"
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"Order in the court!" Judge Harrison bellowed, slamming his gavel aggressively. "Bailiffs, restrain the defendant! One more outburst, Mr. Vance, and I will hold you in contempt and bind and gag you for the remainder of this trial!"
Julian was violently forced back into his chair by two massive federal marshals. He looked at the jury box. Every single juror was staring at him with unadulterated disgust. He had just proven Sterling’s entire narrative in front of their eyes.
