Ch.66: The Aftermath

I walked out of the courtroom, not into the sunlight, but into the eye of the storm.

The media mob was waiting. A hundred cameras. A thousand microphones.

"Ms. Vance! Did you plan this?"

"Is Julian Vane a hero or a terrorist?"

"What will you do now?"

I ignored them. I walked past them, my head down, my hands still shaking from the adrenaline dump.

I needed air. I needed silence.

Julian was waiting by the APC. He opened the door for me.

"Get in," he said.

I climbed into the passenger seat. Silas was driving.

We pulled away from the curb, leaving the chaos behind.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To finish it," Julian said.

He handed me a bottle of water.

"Drink. You look like hell."

"Thanks," I said, taking a sip. The water was cold, grounding.

"We won," Julian said quietly. "The verdict is locked. Sterling is in custody. Mia is..."

"Mia is going to prison," I said. "For life."

"She deserves it," Silas grunted from the front seat.

"I know," I said. "But she's still my sister."

We drove in silence for a while. The city was waking up. The riots were dying down, replaced by a stunned, exhausted quiet.

We pulled up to a sleek, modern building in Sector 1. The headquarters of Vane Global.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

"I have a meeting," Julian said. "With the board. I need to re-take control of my company."

"And me?"

"You're coming with me," he said. "As my legal counsel."

I looked at him. He was serious.

"Julian... I'm a public defender. I represent drug dealers and petty thieves. I don't do corporate hostile takeovers."

"You do now," he said.

He opened the door.

"Besides. You're the only lawyer in this city I trust not to stab me in the back."

We walked into the lobby. The security guards snapped to attention. They knew who was boss.

We took the elevator to the top floor. The boardroom.

The doors opened.

Twelve men and women in expensive suits were sitting around a long mahogany table. They looked up as we entered. They looked terrified.

"Mr. Vane," the chairman stammered. "We didn't expect you."

"Clearly," Julian said, walking to the head of the table. "Since you tried to sell my company to Sterling while I was in jail."

He sat down. He put his feet up on the table.

"You're fired," he said. "All of you."

"You can't do that!" the chairman protested. "We have contracts!"

"Read the fine print," I said, stepping forward. "Clause 14, Section B. 'In the event of a board member engaging in criminal conspiracy, all severance packages are void.'"

I dropped a stack of files on the table.

"I have the receipts," I said. "From the blockchain."

The chairman paled.

"Now get out," Julian said. "Before I call security."

They scrambled for the door.

When they were gone, Julian spun the chair around. He looked at me.

"That was fun," he said.

"It was satisfying," I admitted.

"So," he said. "Job offer still stands. General Counsel. Five million a year. Stock options."

I looked out the window. The city was spread out below us. It was still broken. Still corrupt. But maybe... maybe it was healing.

"I can't," I said.

Julian's smile faded. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not a corporate lawyer," I said. "I'm a fighter. And there are a lot of people down there who still need fighting for."

"You can fight for them from here," Julian said. "With my resources."

"No," I said. "If I take your money, I become part of the system. And the system is what killed Liam."

I walked to the door.

"I have to go, Julian."

"Where?"

"To visit my sister," I said. "I have one last question to ask her."

"What question?"

"Why," I said. "Just... why."

I walked out of the office. I took the elevator down.

I walked out of the building.

I didn't look back.

But I knew Julian was watching from the window.

And I knew this wasn't the end. It was just the beginning of a different kind of war. Where do we go from here?