Chapter 9: The Public Trial, The Private Peace
The media circus that followed Nathan’s extradition was relentless. Paparazzi camped at the edges of the Bennett estate, desperate for a statement from the billionaire's daughter who had survived the betrayal. Reporters wrote endless think-pieces on the corporate greed that brought down one of the city's most promising executives.
Through it all, Ava chose silence.
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Legal Consequences Private Resolution
- 12 counts of wire fraud - Ava refuses interviews
- Asset forfeiture - Total focus on therapy
- 25-year maximum sentence - Freedom from the past
When the prosecutors asked if she wanted to testify regarding his unauthorized access to her medical files, she declined. Nathan’s financial crimes alone were enough to put him away for the rest of his natural life. She realized that giving him her energy, even in a courtroom, was giving him power.
"Let the state handle him," she told her father. "My court case is already won. My son is safe, and Nathan will never see his face."
