Chapter 14 - Justice and RestorationThe jury deliberated for less than four hours before returning with their verdict: guilty on all counts—wire fraud, corporate embezzlement, identity theft, and first-degree arson resulting in grievous bodily harm.
Judge Robert Vance—a fair and formidable jurist—handed down the sentence without hesitation: thirty-five years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. As the bailiffs placed cuffs on Grant and led him away through the heavy oak doors, he didn't look back. His dream of aristocratic luxury had officially ended behind iron bars.
Vanessa was sentenced to three years of probation and mandatory community service after cooperating with prosecutors and testifying against Grant’s secondary offshore accounts in exchange for clemency. She tried to reach out to me one final time outside the courthouse, calling my name and weeping softly as my car door closed. I looked at her through the tinted window, offered a quiet, sorrowful nod of closure, and instructed my driver to pull away. I had forgiven her in my heart, but forgiveness did not mean inviting the fire back into my home.
