Chapter 22
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Three years later, the heavy metal doors of a minimum-security federal facility swung open, releasing Beatrice Lawson back into the world. She stepped out into the bright morning sun wearing cheap, state-issued clothing, holding her meager belongings in a clear plastic bag.
She had avoided the massive decades-long sentence Julian received, but her life was still entirely destroyed. Her probation terms were incredibly strict, requiring her to maintain immediate employment and submit to random financial audits. The millions of dollars, the expensive Paris apartment, and the flashy diamond necklaces were completely gone, seized by federal authorities to pay back the Vance firm.
Beatrice walked to the nearest bus stop, pulling her thin jacket tightly around her shoulders. She had no friends left; the high-society elite had blacklisted her the second the scandal broke, treating her like a toxic disease.
Two weeks later, she found herself working the grueling graveyard shift at a cheap, neon-lit diner on the outskirts of the city. She wore a stained, ill-fitting uniform, carrying heavy trays of greasy food to rude, demanding customers who didn't care that she used to drink expensive champagne on private yachts.
"Hey, sweetheart, my coffee is cold!" a truck driver barked from a corner booth, snapping his fingers aggressively at her.
"Coming, sir," Beatrice muttered, her voice devoid of any pride or fight.
She walked over to the coffee station, grabbing the heavy glass pot. As she poured the steaming liquid, she glanced up at the small, static-filled television mounted above the diner counter.
A prominent financial news segment was playing. The anchor was smiling brightly, discussing the massive, unprecedented resurgence of the Vance firm under the brilliant, highly ethical leadership of its new permanent CEO, Karen Vance.
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Beatrice stared at the screen, watching footage of Karen cutting a ribbon at a new, state-of-the-art corporate philanthropy center. Karen looked radiant, incredibly powerful, and entirely happy.
Beatrice looked down at her stained uniform and her rough, calloused hands, realizing with absolute, crushing clarity that she had completely thrown her life away for a fraudulent, arrogant man who had left her with absolutely nothing.
