Chapter 9 - Behind Steel BarsSix months later.
The high concrete walls of the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility were cold and gray against the bleak winter sky. I stood in the visitor’s room, separated from the cell blocks by a thick sheet of reinforced glass.
I had come to sign the final corporate dissolution papers, a legal formality that required Vanessa’s physical signature to permanently erase her name from any remaining assets linked to Halcyon Holdings.
Vanessa sat across from me, her orange jumpsuit rumpled, her face looking thin, haggard, and completely drained of life. Her once-perfect blonde hair was messy and unkempt.
“You came,” she whispered, her voice raspy and hollow against the glass partition. “I thought you had completely forgotten about me.”
“I came to finish the business of this family, Vanessa,” I said, my voice smooth, cold, and professional. “Sign the transfer documents through the slot. All your remaining corporate entitlements are being converted into a private trust for the Halcyon Sanctuary. You have absolutely nothing left.”
Vanessa looked at the paper, a bitter, pathetic smile touching her lips. “Elena... she got everything in the end, didn't she? The house, the money, the legacy.”
“She got what was rightfully hers, Vanessa,” I said, my voice flat. “And you got exactly what you earned.”
Her hands shook as she took the pen, her signature scribbled at the bottom of the page. “Adrian... the nights in here are a living hell. The other inmates know what I did to Elena. They don't let me sleep. Please, tell your prosecutor friend to move me to a protective wing.”
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“You should have thought about the price of your choices before you stood over Elena with that leather strap, Vanessa,” I said, standing up and sliding the papers into my bag. “The cage you built for her was comfortable. Yours is steel. Enjoy the stay.”
I walked out of the room, not looking back as the heavy steel door slid shut with a loud, final click, locking her away in the dark prison of her own greed.
