After 12 years trapped in a wheelchair, the Mafia Boss thought betrayal couldn’t hurt more—until he caught his fiancée secretly injecting him… but why did the maid’s little daughter make him stand at midnight?

While the estate basked in the quiet peace of summer, the wheels of justice—both corporate and legal—ground relentlessly forward in downtown Chicago.

The trial of Valerie Vance took place behind closed doors in the high-security federal magistrate’s court on Dearborn Street.

Luca didn't attend. He had no desire to watch a drowning snake thrash in the mud. Instead, he received the live secure feed on his study monitor, watching from the comfort of his home with a cup of black coffee in hand.

In the courtroom, Valerie sat at the defense table in an orange jumpsuit, her hair unstyled, her face devoid of the heavy cosmetics she had relied on for years. Her expensive defense attorney was sweating through his collar, desperately trying to negotiate a plea deal for reduced sentencing.

Federal Prosecutor Sarah Jenkins stood before the bench, laying down three thick binders containing the digital forensics, the smart-dispenser logs, and Valerie's own signed confession.

"Your Honor," Prosecutor Jenkins said, her voice ringing clear and sharp through the mahogany room. "The defendant, Valerie Vance, systematically administered a neuro-paralytic compound to Mr. Luca Costello over a period of twelve years, inducing a state of artificial paralysis for the purpose of financial extortion, corporate takeover, and criminal conspiracy."

The judge, a stern man with decades on the federal bench, looked down over his half-moon spectacles at Valerie.

"Mrs. Vance," the judge said coldly. "In my forty years of practicing law, I have rarely encountered a betrayal of such calculated, prolonged malice. Do you have anything to say before sentencing is handed down?"

Valerie slowly stood up. She looked toward the courtroom camera, knowing Luca was watching on the live feed. Her lips trembled, parting to say something—perhaps a threat, perhaps a plea for mercy.

Then she realized how small she looked. How completely irrelevant she had become.

The empire she had tried to steal was still standing. The man she had tried to destroy was walking free in the sunlight.

"Nothing, Your Honor," Valerie whispered, her voice cracking as she lowered her head.

The gavel came down with a sharp, echoing crack.

Thirty years to life. No parole.

Luca clicked the power button on the monitor, plunging the screen into darkness. He stood up from his desk, stretched his arms over his head, and walked over to the tall windows of the study.