Chapter 7 - The Interrogation
Three days later.
Inside the stark, windowless interrogation room of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Manhattan, Adrian Carter sat at a metal table. He wore a baggy orange jumpsuit, his hair was unwashed, and deep dark circles bruised the skin beneath his hollow eyes.
Across the table sat two senior prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office, along with Marcus Vance—my father’s head legal counsel.
Adrian’s court-appointed public defender sat beside him, looking through a thick stack of court documents with an expression of complete hopelessness.
"Mr. Carter," the lead prosecutor said, sliding a three-hundred-page indictment across the metal surface. "We are offering a preliminary plea arrangement. If you plead guilty to twenty-four counts of grand larceny, wire fraud, securities manipulation, and corporate assault, the government will recommend a reduced sentence of thirty-two years in federal prison."
"Thirty-two years?!" Adrian shrieked, his voice cracking into a high-pitched whine as he slapped his palms against the table. "I’m thirty-four! That’s my entire life! My lawyers... where are my lawyers?!"
"Your private defense firm withdrew their representation seventy-two hours ago when their retainer checks bounced," his public defender muttered quietly without looking up from the papers. "Frankly, Adrian, thirty-two years is a gift. If this goes to a federal jury in New York, you're looking at consecutive life sentences."
"This is a conspiracy!" Adrian screamed, leaning across the table toward Marcus Vance. "She planned this! Emily set me up! She hid who she was! She tricked me!"
Marcus Vance slowly closed his leather portfolio, looking at Adrian with quiet, devastating contempt.
"Mrs. Vance did not trick you, Mr. Carter," Marcus said smoothly. "She gave you a home. She gave you her loyalty. She gave you three years of her life while you built a career on the quiet credibility of her family name. You chose to betray her. You chose to strike her. And you chose to humiliate her in front of your mistress."
"Where is Vanessa?!" Adrian demanded, tears filling his bloodshot eyes. "Has she called? What about my son?!"
Marcus Vance raised an eyebrow. "Miss Pierce was released from federal custody two days ago after agreeing to cooperate fully with the government's prosecution. As part of her plea deal, she handed over two years of text messages and voicemails detailing how you instructed her to hide corporate funds in offshore personal accounts."
Adrian stared at him, his mouth open in pure shock. "She... she gave you the text messages?"
"Furthermore," Marcus added, leaning back in his chair, "a DNA test authorized by the family court yesterday confirmed that Miss Pierce’s unborn child is not yours. The father is a junior associate at your former equity firm."
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Adrian sat entirely motionless. The final, crushing blow landed straight into his soul. His fortune was gone, his company was gone, his freedom was gone, and the child he had used as a weapon to destroy his marriage wasn't even his.
He slowly collapsed forward, his forehead pressing against the cold metal table, weeping uncontrollably as the dark reality of his complete destruction closed in around him.
