Chapter 7
Inside a high-security federal holding facility on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., Evelyn Vance sat alone in a stark, fluorescent-lit holding cell. Her expensive emerald green suit was rumpled, and her pearl necklace lay discarded on the metal table.
The invincible matriarch who once controlled senators and corporate boards was now reduced to inmate number eight-four-seven. Her manicured fingers tapped nervously against the cold steel bench as reality finally set in.
A correctional officer unlocked the heavy cell door, sliding a small plastic tray of institutional food through the slot. Evelyn refused to look at it, her mind racing with desperate, impossible escape scenarios.
Her high-priced defense attorneys had already abandoned her once the federal grand jury unsealed the wire fraud and kidnapping indictments. There were no loopholes left, no offshore accounts accessible, and no judges willing to take her bribes.
"Your visitor is here, inmate Vance," the guard announced coldly, stepping aside to reveal Special Prosecutor Miller standing in the hallway.
Evelyn slowly stood up, smoothing down her wrinkled skirt with trembling hands. She walked toward the reinforced glass partition, picking up the heavy plastic telephone receiver with sheer defiance in her eyes.
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"If you think this little stunt will destroy my family's legacy, you are sorely mistaken," Evelyn hissed through the speaker, her voice dripping with venom. "My associates will tear this government apart."
"Your associates are currently cooperating with federal investigators to avoid indictments of their own," David Miller replied calmly from the other side of the glass. "Your legacy is officially over, Evelyn."
