Chapter 10: The Reckoning**
The trial of Mauricio and Silas Kane was the media event of the decade.
High-profile lawyers tried to argue that Mauricio was merely an unwitting pawn, but federal prosecutors laid out an airtight case of corporate treason, embezzlement, and conspiracy to commit murder. Mauricio’s pristine suits were replaced by an orange jumpsuit; his slicked-back hair grew unkempt as he broke down in tears on the witness stand, begging the judge for leniency.
He was sentenced to thirty-five years in maximum security without parole. Silas Kane received two consecutive life sentences.
Sitting in the back row of the courtroom, dressed in an unassuming grey coat, Leo watched the verdict delivered. When Mauricio was led away in handcuffs, his tear-streaked eyes briefly met Leo’s. There was no arrogance left—only the crushing realization that his vanity had cost him his life.
Leo walked out of the federal courthouse into the crisp autumn sunlight.
Reporters lunged toward him with microphones and flashing cameras.
*"Mr. Vance! What happens to the company now?"* *"Will you step down as CEO?"* *"Are the rumors true about the corporate restructuring?"*
Leo paused at the top of the marble steps. He looked into the sea of lenses and took a deep breath.
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"Vance Global Logistics is no longer a public corporation," Leo announced, his voice carrying clearly across the plaza. "Starting today, fifty-one percent of all company profits will belong directly to an employee-owned trust. The people who move our world will finally own the world they build."
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