Chapter 18 - Under Oath
The trial began seven months later.
Vale Meridian had a new CEO, and Richard Cole had been indicted.
Julian faced state assault charges and federal fraud and obstruction counts.
Without tailored suits and assistants, Julian looked small in a gray jacket before the jury.
His attorney tried charm first.
"Mrs. Vale, your family is extremely wealthy, correct?"
"Yes."
"And your father had the power to damage Mr. Vale's company?"
"He had contractual rights as a lender and shareholder."
"Please answer yes or no."
"Then ask a yes-or-no question."
The attorney changed tactics.
"You concealed your identity from your husband."
"I used my mother's surname professionally and did not discuss my father's holdings."
"You lied."
"I kept information private. Julian lied about sleeping with Selene, stealing from his company, forging my signature, sabotaging my car, and planning to frame me. If you'd like, we can compare categories."
The judge told me to answer only the question.
Then came the recording.
Julian's voice filled the courtroom.
There are no cameras tonight. No staff. No witnesses. And if anyone asks what happened, they'll hear that you attacked Selene first.
His attorney called it "contextless."
Then Selene testified.
"I counted the strikes," she said. "I wanted Elena humiliated. I thought if Julian chose me, it meant I had won."
The prosecutor asked, "Won what?"
Selene looked at me.
"A man who hurt women when he thought he owned them."
Julian stared straight ahead.
The final blow came from the red notebook.
Dates. Payments. Initials. Orders.
Richard's initials appeared beside the caretaker's crash and the lake-house shooting.
Julian's appeared beside my brake line and the forged documents.
After three weeks of testimony, the jury deliberated for six hours.
Then the clerk entered.
"We have a verdict."
May you like
Julian turned around and looked at me one last time.
And smiled.
