CHAPTER 12: The Return
Julian’s trial began two weeks later. The courtroom was packed, every seat filled with reporters, family members, and people who’d been hurt by his schemes. He sat at the defense table, arrogant as ever, until Elias took the stand.
When Elias told the full story—of Julian’s threats, his lies, the way he’d twisted grief into a weapon—Julian’s composure finally cracked. He shouted, he accused, he tried to blame everyone but himself. But the evidence was overwhelming.
By the end of the second day, the judge ordered him held without bail until sentencing. He was facing life in prison.
On our way out of the courthouse, a woman stepped in front of us—Kael’s mother. She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I raised him to think money meant everything. I’m so sorry for what he did. For what I taught him.”
“He’s young,” I said gently. “He can still learn. But he has to want to change.”
Victor gave her his card. “If you need help, if you need work, if you need anything… you call me. Your son made a terrible mistake, but you don’t have to pay for it.”
That night, we stood on the balcony of our home watching the lights of the city stretch out below us.
“It’s not perfect,” I said. “There will always be someone who wants to take what isn’t theirs.”
“No,” Victor agreed. “But now they know. They know this city belongs to everyone who works for it. Not just the ones who think they’re entitled to it.”
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