Chapter 10
The slate-gray skies of the city hung heavy as Julian and Rebecca’s town car pulled up to the imposing granite steps of the District Attorney’s office. The rain was beginning to spit against the windshield, blurring the towering skyscrapers into streaks of gray and glass. Inside the vehicle, the atmosphere was thick with tension. They had crossed the Rubicon; once they walked through those brass-trimmed doors, there was no turning back to the gilded cage of the Vance estate.
Julian adjusted the cuffs of his dark wool coat, his hands steady now. The uncertainty that had plagued him in the ballroom had been completely burned away by the revelation of his mother’s insurance fraud. He looked at Rebecca, who was quietly reviewing the encrypted drive and the certified Geneva insurance manifests provided by Marcus.
“Are you ready for this?” Julian asked softly, his hand covering hers on the leather seat.
Rebecca looked up, her dark eyes meeting his with unwavering resolve. “I’ve never been more ready. For three years, I’ve lived under the microscope of that family, treated like an interloper who didn't measure up to their bloodline. Today, we prove that their entire empire is built on stolen glass.”
They stepped out into the mist, the cool rain hitting their faces as they climbed the grand steps together, presenting a united front that defied the social hierarchy that had tried to crush them.
Inside, they were escorted past the bustling bullpen directly into the private office of Senior Assistant District Attorney Vance—no relation to Beatrice, a point of quiet pride for the dogged prosecutor. Elena Vance sat behind a massive oak desk stacked with case files, her sharp eyes assessing them over the rim of half-moon reading glasses.
“Mr. Vance. Mrs. Vance,” Elena said, motioning toward the two leather chairs opposite her desk. “Your security head, Marcus, dropped off quite an explosive package this morning. If even half of these digital logs and insurance manifests check out, we are looking at felony conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and international insurance fraud.”
“Every byte of it is authentic, Ms. Vance,” Rebecca stated, placing the drive and the manila folder squarely on the desk. “We have the complete audit trail of the system overrides, the IP routing to Arthur Sterling’s office, and the original Geneva registry for the diamonds planted in my possession.”
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Elena opened the folder, her eyes scanning the documents with clinical precision. A slow, appreciative smile crept onto her lips. “Well, it’s not often that high society brings its own dirty laundry straight to my doorstep wrapped in a digital bow. Usually, we have to dig through years of hush money and sealed settlements.”
“We aren't looking for a settlement,” Julian said, his voice hard and resolute. “We want a full, public indictment of everyone involved in this conspiracy, starting with Arthur Sterling and extending to the top of the Vance Foundation.”
