Chapter 12 - The Prison Deal
The maximum-security federal penitentiary was a cold, desolate fortress of concrete and steel. Gabriel Linwood sat in the sterile visitation room, his once expensive, tailored suits replaced by a faded orange jumpsuit. His arrogant face was bruised, and the crushing reality of a thirty-year sentence had completely drained the arrogant light from his eyes.
The heavy steel door buzzed loudly and swung open. Gabriel expected to see his overworked public defender. Instead, a woman walked into the dreary room who looked like she belonged on the cover of a high-society magazine.
She wore a pristine white designer suit, expensive dark sunglasses, and carried a crocodile leather handbag that cost more than Gabriel’s former house. The two massive, heavily armed private security guards flanking her immediately stepped outside and closed the door, leaving them entirely alone.
Victoria Vance slowly removed her sunglasses, revealing piercing, icy blue eyes that were completely devoid of human warmth. She was Julian’s mother, and the undisputed, iron-fisted matriarch of the Vance shipping empire.
"You look absolutely pathetic, Mr. Linwood," Victoria stated smoothly, her voice dripping with refined, aristocratic venom. She gracefully sat down in the cheap plastic chair across from him, entirely unbothered by the grim surroundings.
Gabriel stared at her in stunned silence. He knew exactly who she was. The woman controlled politicians, judges, and entire international markets with a single phone call.
"I know what you did at that fertility clinic, Gabriel," Victoria continued, folding her manicured hands on the metal table. "You bought my son's genetic material. You tried to steal my bloodline to secure your own pathetic, minor trust fund. It was incredibly bold, and completely stupid."
Gabriel swallowed hard, his hands trembling violently against the table. He tried to apologize, desperately attempting to explain that he only wanted to ensure a strong heir, but Victoria raised a single, sharp finger to silence him instantly.
"I am not here for apologies. I am here for a business transaction," Victoria said coldly. "My son Julian is a foolish, rebellious disappointment. He refuses to take his rightful place at the head of my empire. But now, thanks to your criminal manipulation, I have a brand new grandson."
Victoria slid a thick, legally binding document across the metal table. Gabriel looked down and realized it was a sworn affidavit.
"I need you to testify in family court that Clara Linwood was entirely complicit in the donor fraud," Victoria instructed. "I need you to swear under oath that she is an unstable, manipulative criminal who forced you to alter the medical records. I need you to completely destroy her character on the public record."
Gabriel looked at the billionaire matriarch with a mixture of fear and desperate hope. "If I lie under oath and destroy her... what do I get in return?"
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Victoria smiled a terrifying, predatory smile. "You are facing thirty years. My legal team can have that reduced to five on appeal, and I will personally deposit ten million dollars into an offshore account for you upon your release."
Gabriel did not hesitate for a single second. He grabbed the cheap pen provided by the prison guards and violently signed his name at the bottom of the sworn affidavit, officially selling Clara’s peace in exchange for his own greedy salvation.
