Chapter 34 - The VerdictThe jury deliberated for nine hours.
Charles Vane was found guilty on all major counts.
Emma did not cheer.
Adrian didn't either.
Charles was seventy-four.
No sentence could return Julianne's lost years.
No verdict could give Emma a childhood with both parents.
But when the clerk read the final guilty verdict, Adrian closed his eyes.
Emma reached for his hand.
Charles finally turned toward them.
For the first time, his expression held no arrogance.
Only defeat.
Outside the courthouse reporters shouted questions.
Emma gave one answer.
“This isn't the end of my mother's story. It's only the end of the lie told about her.”
Leonard's case remained.
But after Charles's conviction, Leonard changed his plea.
Guilty to obstruction, conspiracy to conceal evidence, and fraud.
Age and illness reduced his sentence.
Emma did not care.
The greater punishment was public truth.
Leonard Mercer would spend the remainder of his life knowing that the company he sacrificed his family to protect had rejected him.
Adrian removed his father's portrait from corporate headquarters.
He did not destroy it.
Instead it went into the company archive alongside a detailed account of the scandal.
Emma approved.
“Don't erase him.”
May you like
Adrian nodded.
“That would be another kind of lie.”
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