Chapter 28 - The Trial of Steel
Arthur's knees buckled. He sank into a high-backed leather armchair, the facade of untouchable dignity crumbling into dust.
"You don't understand," Arthur whispered, his hands trembling as he stared at the marble floor. "I did it for the family. Your father was weak, Clara! He was going to squander the entire Bennett shipping empire on failing European rail ventures. Eleanor wanted to give away half the foundation to public charities! I preserved it. I built it into a multi-billion dollar powerhouse!"
"You preserved it for yourself!" Valerie's voice cracked like a whip through the quiet room. "You kept me in boarding schools and private sanitariums under armed watch! You told my father I was stillborn! You watched him drink himself to death from grief while you smiled and managed his funeral!"
"And Julian?" I asked, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Did you preserve the family when you paired me with a narcissist who tried to bankrupt my child?"
Arthur looked up at me, a pathetic, spiteful sneer curling his lip. "Julian was supposed to keep you docile! He was a pretty boy with an empty head. I never intended for him to get caught with that cheap tramp Sienna! He ruined thirty years of careful planning because he couldn't keep his hands to himself!"
"Thank you, Arthur," I said softly, taking out my phone and tapping the screen. "That confession was broadcast live to Federal Prosecutor Vance and the New York District Attorney's office."
Arthur stared at my phone in horror.
"Julian Vance took a plea deal two hours ago," Marcus added, showing Arthur the live wire confirmation. "He traded every private communication, every shell corporation, and every encrypted email he ever received from your private office in exchange for protective custody. You aren't just losing the Bennett fortune, Arthur. You are going away for wire fraud, embezzlement, kidnapping, and conspiracy."
The heavy oak doors swung open. Four Swiss federal officers in tactical uniforms stepped inside, accompanied by two American agents from the Department of Justice.
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As the steel handcuffs clicked around Arthur Sterling's frail wrists, he looked back at Valerie and me. For forty years, he had kept us separated, believing that by dividing the Bennett blood, he could conquer our destiny.
He had never imagined that the ashes of Julian's betrayal would ignite the fire that brought us back together.
