Volume 3: The Rise to Power
Summary: Richard's crimes are fully exposed. He is arrested and faces a long prison sentence.
The courtroom was illuminated by the cold glare of chandeliers, casting a pale, lifeless hue over Richard Clayton's once-confident face. Dressed in an expensive suit, he could not mask his inner collapse—his carefully manicured nails dug into the armrests of his chair until his knuckles turned white. The air was thick with tension; every breath seemed amplified, as if the world were holding its last.
Alan Greenspan, the seasoned prosecutor, moved like a veteran hunter, closing in relentlessly. His voice was low yet powerful, slicing through the silence like the scythe of death, peeling away layer after layer of Richard's crimes and laying them bare before the court.
"Mr. Clayton, we have conclusive evidence proving that you used offshore companies for money laundering operations totaling millions of dollars. Do you have any explanation?" Greenspan held up a document, his gaze piercing.
Richard opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His throat felt gripped by invisible hands. He wanted to deny everything, to shift blame elsewhere—but the signatures on those documents, the cold numbers, pierced through his façade like knives.
Even more damning was the audio recording Greenspan played—a secret conversation between Richard and Stephen. It revealed how he had instructed Stephen to manipulate stock prices using insider information and eliminate rivals through illegal means. Stephen! The man he had trusted most had betrayed him!
As the recording played, Richard's breathing quickened, like a drowning man gasping for air. He glared at the playback device as if willing it to explode. Betrayal cut deeper than imprisonment. The empire he had built with blood and deceit was crumbling—and the final blow had come from someone he once called a confidant.
"Mr. Clayton, do you have anything to say?" The judge's voice broke the suffocating silence, edged with impatience.
Richard lifted his head, scanning the room with hollow eyes. The partners who once bowed and scraped before him now watched him with indifference, like spectators observing a drowning dog. His high-priced lawyer, sweating profusely, flipped through files desperately, searching for a loophole. But Richard knew—there was none. The mountain of evidence made any defense futile.
Minute by minute, his hope sank deeper.
Suddenly, the courtroom doors swung open, and Emily Carter appeared in the doorway.
She wore a sharply tailored black suit, her hair neatly pulled back, exuding professionalism and composure. Yet Jack could see the flicker of anxiety behind her calm exterior. She took a deep breath, straightened her spine, and stepped forward like a soldier entering battle.
Richard's eyes darkened with hatred. He stared at her as if trying to tear her apart with his gaze alone. He knew she would be the final nail in his coffin.
"Miss Emily Carter, please take the witness stand," the judge announced.
Emily walked toward the stand, each step heavy with consequence. She understood that what she was about to say would change her life forever—and seal Richard's fate.
As she passed Richard, their eyes met briefly. His burned with rage and threat, while hers met his with quiet courage and regret. She had been his accomplice once. Now, she had come to answer for it.
After swearing to tell the truth, Emily sat down calmly, ready for questioning.
Greenspan approached, his tone measured. "Miss Carter, please describe in detail what you witnessed regarding illegal transactions during your time working for Mr. Richard Clayton."
Emily inhaled deeply and began recounting everything she knew. She detailed how Richard laundered money through offshore accounts, manipulated stock prices, and bribed officials. Her testimony was precise, aligning perfectly with previous evidence and forming an unbreakable chain of proof.
"I remember clearly—back in the fall of 2018, Mr. Clayton shorted a small tech company using inside information, deliberately crashing its stock price until it went bankrupt. He profited millions from it…" Her voice remained steady and clear, each word striking Richard like a blade to the heart.
His face grew paler with every sentence. He wanted to interrupt, to refute her—but her words were too convincing. Any denial would only deepen his disgrace.
"Miss Carter, can you confirm that everything you've just said is true?" Greenspan asked.
"Yes," she answered firmly, her eyes filled with remorse and resolve. "I swear under oath that every word I've spoken is the truth."
Greenspan turned to the judge. "Your Honor, we have concluded our examination of Miss Carter."
Knowing defeat was inevitable, Richard's defense attorney gave up cross-examining Emily without a fight.
After hours of deliberation, the jury reached a unanimous verdict: Richard Clayton was guilty on all counts.
"Defendant Richard Clayton, you are hereby convicted of illegal trading, money laundering, market manipulation, bribery… and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. All illegally obtained assets are hereby confiscated!" The judge's voice echoed through the courtroom like the toll of Richard's funeral bell.
Richard collapsed inwardly. He slumped in his seat, empty-eyed and broken, as though his soul had been stripped away. He whispered hoarsely, "No… this can't be real… How could I fail? How could I lose to a homeless vagrant?"
The marshals approached, lifting him to his feet and leading him out. He stumbled forward, filled with fury and bitterness. As he turned one last time toward Jack in the audience, his eyes burned with hatred.
Jack watched him silently, showing no pity. He knew Richard's end was well deserved. The Wall Street titan had finally paid the price for his greed and corruption.
Outside the courthouse, reporters swarmed like vultures circling a carcass. Live broadcasts replayed footage of Richard being escorted into a police car—his image now nothing more than a shattered shadow of his former self.
Emily stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air, feeling both relief and uncertainty. She had completed her act of redemption, but the road ahead remained unclear.
Jack approached her and gently patted her shoulder.
"You did great, Emily," he said, admiration in his voice.
She turned to face him, gratitude shining in her eyes.
"Thank you, Jack," she replied. "If it weren't for you, I might never have woken up."
"It wasn't me," Jack said softly. "It was your choice to do the right thing. You're brave, Emily. And I believe you'll find happiness."
With that, Jack turned and walked away from the courthouse. He knew Richard's downfall was a major milestone in his journey of revenge—but not the end. Greater goals awaited him. Harder battles loomed on the horizon.
He would return to Wall Street and reclaim everything that was taken from him. He would make those who betrayed and harmed him pay dearly. He would prove that even a man who crawled out of hell could rise to the top of the world.
Night fell over New York, neon lights blinking across the city streets. Jack sat alone in a bar near Wall Street, sipping whiskey. In his mind, he saw Richard's defeated eyes at the moment of arrest. That once-mighty financial titan had fallen from grace.
He raised his glass to the night sky.
"Goodbye, Richard," he murmured, a cold smile curling his lips. "Your end… is my beginning."
And this was only a small chapter in his rise to power. The real battle was still ahead. He needed to gather strength, seize every opportunity, and fulfill his destiny.
Wall Street—I'm back.