Chapter 6 - Brooke’s Trial and the Fall of the Vances
While Jameson was being legally dismantled, Brooke Miller was facing the cold reality of the criminal justice system. The evidence I had gathered against her was overwhelming. For over a year, she had been using her position as junior art director to funnel proprietary marketing data from my family’s subsidiaries to our competitors, receiving hefty kickbacks under the table.
She had believed she was a criminal mastermind, using Jameson’s blind infatuation with her to cover her tracks. She had no idea that I had been tracking every single IP address, every offshore bank transfer, and every illicit text message they exchanged.
The trial was short, brutal, and highly publicized. The media caught wind of the story—the wealthy heiress who quietly dismantled her husband’s mistress and her husband’s family.
I sat in the front row of the gallery, wearing a pristine, tailored white suit, watching as Brooke was led into the courtroom in a drab orange jumpsuit. Her hair was greasy, her face pale and devoid of the expensive makeup she used to wear. When her eyes met mine, she flinched, looking down at her shackled hands.
The prosecution presented the digital footprint of her embezzlement. The defense tried to argue that she was manipulated by Jameson, but the evidence of her personal offshore accounts spoke for themselves.
The judge did not show mercy.
“Brooke Miller, you have shown a calculated disregard for the law, abusing your position of trust to engage in corporate espionage and theft,” the judge declared, his gavel hovering. “I sentence you to seven years in a federal penitentiary, followed by three years of supervised release, and full restitution of the stolen funds.”
As Brooke was led away, sobbing and crying out for a family that had long since abandoned her, I stood up and walked out of the courtroom. The air outside felt clean and fresh.
As I walked down the stone steps of the courthouse, reporters swarmed me, flashing cameras and shouting questions.
“Ms. Sterling! How do you feel about the verdict?” “Are you planning on pursuing criminal charges against your ex-husband as well?”
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I paused at the bottom step, looking directly into the lens of the lead camera.
“Justice is a slow process,” I said, offering a serene, confident smile. “But it is always absolute. As for my ex-husband? His punishment has already begun.”
