Federal Courthouse – One Week Later Michael's cuffs gleamed in the harsh fluorescent lighting of the courtroom as marshals led him past the cameras and the packed gallery. The orange jumpsuit hung loosely on his frame—he had already lost weight in the seven days since his arrest, his cheekbones more pronounced, the skin beneath his eyes shadowed with exhaustion or calculation or both. Yet he maintained the ramrod posture that had intimidated boardrooms across three continents, his gaze sweeping the courtroom with the confidence of a man who still believed, against all evidence, that he would somehow emerge victorious.When his eyes found mine in the front row, something flickered across his features—not quite regret, not quite defeat, but a momentary crack in the facade of invincibility. He held my gaze as he was guided to the defense table, his lips forming two words, distinct enough that I could read them even from a distance:"You win."Beside me, Griffin tensed, his fourteen-yea
Last Updated : 2025-05-06 Read more