Ch.38: The Midpoint Climax

The courtroom was packed. Every seat taken. Every drone camera active.

I stood at the defense table. Julian sat next to me. He was still bruised, his suit torn, but he looked focused. The Cleaner was gone, vanished into the city to secure an extraction route. Kael was in the wind.

It was just us.

"The Prosecution calls its final witness," Sterling announced, his voice smooth despite the bruise blooming on his cheek where Silas had hit him. "Ms. Mia Vance."

A murmur went through the gallery.

Sterling clicked a remote. The massive holographic screen above the judge's bench flickered to life.

Mia appeared. She was sitting in a nondescript room with plain white walls. She looked composed, sorrowful. A perfect victim.

"Ms. Vance," Sterling said, addressing the screen. "Thank you for joining us from... a secure location."

"Thank you," Mia said softly. Her eyes found the camera lens. She was looking at the jury. Not at me.

"Can you tell the court what you saw on the night of October 12th?"

Mia took a breath. A tear slipped down her cheek.

"I saw my brother," she whispered. "I saw him arguing with Julian Vane in the alley behind his apartment."

"And what happened?"

"Mr. Vane was angry. He was shouting about money. About a deal." Mia paused, wiping her eyes. "Then I saw him hit Liam. Liam fell. And then... Vane's men put him in a van."

It was a lie. A perfect, seamless lie that stitched together the fragments of truth into a noose for Julian's neck.

"Did you try to stop them?"

"I tried," Mia sobbed. "But they threatened me. They said if I told anyone, they'd kill my sister too."

She looked at me then. A look of pure, heartbreaking love.

"I'm sorry, Harper. I tried to protect you."

The jury was eating it up. They were glaring at Julian. The P-Stock ticker plummeted.

**VANE INNOCENT: 22%**

Sterling turned to me. He was smiling.

"Your witness, Counselor."

I stood up. I walked to the center of the room. I looked up at the giant face of my sister.

"Hello, Mia," I said.

"Hi, Harper."

"You say you saw Julian Vane hit our brother."

"Yes."

"And you say you were threatened."

"Yes."

"By whom?"

"By Vane's security chief. A man named Silas."

"Interesting," I said. "Because according to the timestamp on the security footage from the alley—footage we recovered—you were the one who closed the van door."

"I was forced to!" Mia cried.

"Were you?"

I picked up the shard. I held it up so the camera could see it.

Mia's eyes widened. She recognized it.

"I have the Ghost Drive, Mia," I said. "I opened it."

"That's illegal evidence," Sterling shouted. "Objection!"

"It's impeachment evidence!" I shouted back. "It goes to the witness's credibility!"

"Overruled," Halloway said. He looked pale. He knew what was coming.

"The drive contains emails," I said, turning back to the screen. "Emails between you and Liam. Emails where you discuss blackmailing Marcus Sterling."

"That's a lie!" Mia screamed. "Those are forged!"

"Are they?" I asked. "Then explain this."

I clicked a remote.

The screen split. On one side, Mia's face. On the other, the bank records Julian and I had found.

**WALLET ID: 994-X-ALPHA.**
**OWNER: MIA VANCE.**
**BALANCE: 10,000,000 CREDITS.**

The gallery gasped.

"Ten million credits," I said. "Transferred from Chimera Solutions on October 13th. The day after Liam died."

"I don't know what that is!" Mia insisted, sweat beading on her forehead.

"It's blood money, Mia," I said, my voice rising. "It's the price of your silence. It's the price of your brother's life."

"No!"

"You didn't try to save him," I said, stepping closer to the screen until I was shouting up at her. "You sold him. You told Sterling where he was. You set up the ambush."

"He was going to ruin everything!" Mia shrieked, her composure shattering. "He was weak! He was going to give the key away for nothing!"

The courtroom went dead silent.

Sterling froze.

Mia realized what she had said. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"You admit it," I said, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "You admit there was a key. You admit there was a deal."

"I..." Mia stammered. "I meant..."

"You meant that you valued a partnership at Sterling & Wolfe more than your own flesh and blood."

I looked at the jury. They looked horrified.

I looked back at Mia.

"Liam wasn't the blackmailer," I said. "You were. You used his code to extort the Firm. And when he got cold feet... you eliminated the partner."

Mia was shaking. She looked off-camera, presumably at the guards Sterling had stationed with her.

"Marcus!" she screamed. "Cut the feed! Cut it!"

But the feed stayed live.

"Answer the question, Mia," I demanded.

I looked my sister in the eye and asked, "Did you split the blackmail money 50/50, or did you kill him to take it all?"