Chapter 9 - The Trials of Judgment
The federal district courthouse in lower Manhattan was surrounded by a dense wall of media vans, satellite dishes, and journalists eager for the trial of the century. The collapse of Meridian Global Capital and the simultaneous indictment of Julian Vance alongside Lucinda Bellini had triggered a financial earthquake that dominated front-page news across the globe.
Inside Courtroom 402, the atmosphere was thick, tense, and suffocatingly formal.
Sitting at the defense table, Julian Vance—his face still bearing visible purple contusions from his brief encounter with Salvatore Moretti’s grip—stared blankly ahead, flanked by two high-priced defense attorneys who looked like men who knew they were defending a corpse.
Across the aisle sat Salvatore Moretti.
He wore a tailored obsidian suit, his posture straight and unyielding, his face carved from impenetrable stone. He didn't look at Julian once. His entire focus was fixed on the federal judge’s bench where the final verdicts were about to be handed down.
The Honorable Judge Evelyn Vance—no relation to the defendants—adjusted her spectacles, looking down at the thick stack of federal indictments, financial audits, encrypted communication logs, and verified video exhibits resting before her.
"The court has reviewed all evidence submitted by the United States Attorney’s Office, alongside the comprehensive digital exhibits provided by Moretti Security Solutions," Judge Vance announced, her clear, ringing voice carrying effortlessly across the silent courtroom. "The charges include massive wire fraud, corporate espionage, extortion, international conspiracy, criminal trespass, and child endangerment under federal jurisdiction."
Julian Vance’s chief counsel stood up nervously. "Your Honor, we request leniency based on mitigating circumstances regarding corporate restructuring and—"
"Sit down, counselor," the judge said flatly, her tone leaving zero room for debate. "There are no mitigating circumstances for terrorism directed against a minor and systematic economic sabotage."
She looked directly down at Julian and Lucinda, who sat two rows apart.
"Julian Vance, you are hereby sentenced to forty-five years in federal penitentiary without the possibility of parole. Lucinda Bellini, for your role in corporate espionage, financial embezzlement from a pediatric charity fund, and intentional physical endangerment of a minor child, you are sentenced to thirty years in federal penitentiary."
The gavel came down with a sharp, echoing crack.
Bang.
The sound signaled the official, permanent end of the syndicate that had dared to challenge the Moretti name.
As federal marshals stepped forward, clicking heavy steel handcuffs onto Julian Vance and leading him away toward the holding cells, Julian cast one last, venomous glare toward Salvatore’s direction.
Salvatore didn't even flinch. He didn't blink. He simply watched the doors close behind them with the quiet, indifferent detachment of a man watching garbage being hauled away from his front porch.
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When the courtroom began to empty, Salvatore stood up, adjusted his jacket cuffs, and walked out into the bright Manhattan sunshine where his private armored SUV waited at the curb.
The war was won. The shadows were gone. Now, it was time to go home.
