Chapter 12
After three hours of intense deliberation, the jury foreman stood up to deliver the official verdict on all twenty-four counts.
"On the count of attempted murder in the first degree, we find the defendant guilty," the foreman announced clearly.
Gasps rippled through the courtroom gallery as the cascading series of guilty verdicts echoed off the oak-paneled walls.
GUILTY OF CORPORATE ESPIONAGE, ASSAULT, AND MALICIOUS ENDANGERMENT.
Judge Miller looked down from the elevated bench, her expression carved from absolute granite and zero judicial mercy.
"Ms. Vance, your greed and malice have destroyed lives, and society requires permanent protection from your calculated violence," the judge stated.
"I sentence you to forty-five years in a federal penitentiary without the possibility of parole," the judge ruled decisively.
The heavy gavel slammed down with a final, echoing crash that signaled the permanent end of Chloe's freedom and career.
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Marshals immediately handcuffed the weeping defendant, dragging her away through the side doors as camera flashes blinded the room.
Lucas and Sarah watched her departure with calm, unbothered detachment, knowing true justice had finally prevailed.
