Chapter 9 - The Final Verdict
The trial lasted two weeks, but the jury took less than two hours to reach a verdict.
"On the charge of attempted first-degree murder, how do you find?" the judge asked.
The jury foreperson stood up. "We find the defendant, Marcus Mitchell, guilty."
A collective murmur of satisfaction rippled through the gallery. Marcus didn't even look up; his spirit was completely broken. He was sentenced to life in a maximum-security prison without the possibility of parole, his name permanently erased from the corporate empire he had tried to steal.
Chloe Vance received a ten-year sentence for her role as an accessory, her dreams of luxury replaced by the cold reality of a federal penitentiary cell.
As Sarah walked out of the courthouse steps, surrounded by a wall of protective security and cheering supporters, she felt a sudden, familiar tightening in her abdomen.
She stopped, catching her breath.
May you like
Detective Hayes, who was walking beside her, caught her arm. "Sarah? Are you okay?"
Sarah looked down, a soft, beautiful smile breaking across her face for the first time in months. "Rebecca... it’s time. The baby is coming."
