Chapter 5 - The Walls Close In
During a forced thirty-minute recess, the tension in the courthouse corridors reached a boiling point. Reporters swarmed the exits, hungry for the dramatic collapse of a wealthy defense family.
I was sitting in a private consultation room with Marcus when the door opened.
My mother walked in. She was alone. Her pristine Chanel suit suddenly looked wrinkled, and the perfect composure she had maintained for months had shattered into a thousand jagged pieces.
“Elena,” she said, her voice shaking.
Marcus moved to intervene, but I held up a hand. “It’s fine, Marcus. Give us a minute.”
He hesitated, then stepped out, closing the door behind him with a firm click.
Elaine stood by the door, wringing her hands. The arrogance she had worn on the witness stand just a few hours ago was completely gone.
“Elena, you have to stop this,” she pleaded, stepping closer. “The embezzlement... the money... we can explain. We were just trying to secure our future. Your father was pouring all of Titan’s profits back into veteran charities and research. There was going to be nothing left for us!”
“He was pouring it into the people who bled for this country,” I replied, my voice icy, devoid of the daughterly affection she had severed long ago. “The people who actually earn their keep. Unlike you and Curtis.”
“We’re your family!” she cried, tears finally spilling down her carefully powdered cheeks. “You’re going to send your own brother to federal prison? Over money?”
I stood up slowly, stepping around the wooden table until I was inches away from her. She flinched, perhaps realizing for the first time that I was no longer the quiet teenager who had left for basic training. I was a combat veteran. A survivor.
“You didn’t just try to steal money, Mother,” I said, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. “You tried to steal my honor. You sat on a witness stand, put your hand on a Bible, and looked into a crowd of strangers, calling me a liar. You knew what I survived in that desert. You knew I had friends who d:i:e:d in that sand. And you used it as a weapon against me.”
“Curtis made me do it!” she sobbed, throwing her son under the bus with breathtaking speed. “He said if we discredited you, the judge would throw out the original will. I didn't want to hurt you, I swear!”
“You’re lying,” I said flatly. “You’ve always resented me. Because I was like Dad. Because I built a life outside your country club bubble. You wanted Titan, but you didn't want the dirt and b:l:o:o:d it takes to run it.”
I walked past her, placing my hand on the doorknob.
“Elena, please! What do you want? I'll give up my shares. I'll sign whatever you want. Just don't let them arrest me.”
I looked back at her over my shoulder. “I don't want anything from you, Elaine. The FBI already has the forensic files. You and Curtis are going to face the exact justice you tried to manufacture for me.”
May you like
I opened the door and walked out, leaving her alone in the cold, windowless room.
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