Chapter 8 - THE HEARING
The first major hearing took place five months later.
Victoria entered the courthouse visibly pregnant no longer.
Her daughter had been born six weeks earlier.
Healthy.
Her name:
Rebecca Grace Vance.
Not after Julian.
After the woman whose warning had finally been heard.
Lauren cried when Victoria told her.
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The baby’s birth permanently shifted the trust.
Julian could never control the assets through spousal succession.
Even if Victoria died now, Rebecca Grace became beneficiary.
The plan had failed in every possible way.
Julian lost the company.
Lost access to the estate.
Lost the insurance payout.
Lost his marriage.
And most importantly:
He lost the ability to decide his daughter’s future.
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The hearing included Victoria’s own conduct.
Her deliberate decision to lure Chloe onto dangerous stairs was reviewed separately.
Victoria did not minimize it.
Her attorney explained the context.
Fear.
Immediate threat.
Desire to preserve evidence.
But context was not immunity.
Victoria accepted responsibility.
The court ultimately treated her actions differently from the planned murder conspiracy, but she faced consequences and mandatory counseling tied to the reckless choice she had made.
That mattered to her.
Because she wanted her daughter to grow up learning one rule:
Being wronged does not grant permission to endanger someone else.
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Eleanor and Julian faced far more serious proceedings.
Rebecca’s old case was reopened.
The two investigations became connected but distinct.
Eleanor eventually admitted participation in staging the first fall after prosecutors confronted her with Rebecca’s recording and old financial evidence.
Julian continued minimizing.
Until Chloe testified.
His own sister.
She looked at him from the witness stand and said:
“You knew Mom did it before.”
Julian closed his eyes.
Chloe continued:
“You told me never to talk about Rebecca because family protects family.”
Then:
“But you never meant family.”
She cried.
“You meant yourself.”
May you like
That was the sentence that stayed with Victoria.
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