Chapter 13 - THE TRIAL OF ISABELLA ROSSI
Isabella’s trial began four months later.
Khloe’s daughter had spent seven weeks in intensive care before coming home.
They named her Hope Mercer Thorne.
Mercer honored Nathaniel.
Hope honored no dynasty.
Marcus resigned as chief executive while the investigations continued.
He surrendered private company records to federal authorities.
Several executives advised him to protect the family name.
Marcus answered that a name was not worth protecting if it required buried evidence.
The hospital recording became the center of Isabella’s trial.
Jurors watched her shove Khloe.
They watched the kick.
They heard her threaten the unborn baby.
The defense argued that Isabella suffered an emotional breakdown after years of manipulation by Marcus and Victoria.
Khloe did not deny that Victoria used her.
She also refused to let manipulation erase responsibility.
Isabella chose to testify.
She entered the witness box wearing pale blue instead of red.
Her attorneys had instructed her to appear fragile.
For the first hour, she cried softly.
She described a childhood in which Lorenzo treated marriage as a corporate contract.
She claimed Victoria promised Marcus to her when she was fourteen.
She said Marcus encouraged her attention during business negotiations.
Then the prosecutor played a private recording recovered from Isabella’s phone.
Her voice filled the courtroom.
If the baby dies, Marcus will be broken.
Broken men are easy to own.
Isabella’s tears stopped.
The prosecutor approached.
“Was that an emotional breakdown?”
She said nothing.
“Or was it a plan?”
Isabella looked toward Khloe.
Hatred returned to her face.
“She took everything.”
Khloe remained still.
The prosecutor shook her head.
“No.”
“You tried to take everything from her.”
Isabella was convicted of attempted murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy, medication tampering and evidence destruction.
She received forty-two years.
Victoria accepted a plea agreement after Owen agreed to testify against her.
She received thirty years for conspiracy, fraud and attempted kidnapping.
Owen received thirty-five years.
Dr. Voss lost his license and received twenty-one years.
Lorenzo Rossi faced federal charges across three states.
His political allies disappeared as quickly as they had supported him.
He received life imprisonment after investigators connected him to two earlier suspicious deaths.
The Thorne board offered Marcus his position back.
He refused.
Instead, he divided the company.
Hospitals became an independent nonprofit network.
Shipping assets were sold.
The family trust was rewritten so no child’s birth could transfer corporate power again.
Hope would inherit money.
She would not inherit an obligation to rule.
Khloe watched Marcus sign the final document.
“You gave up control.”
“No.”
He looked toward Hope sleeping beside her.
“I gave up ownership.”
“There is a difference?”
“I am learning.”
May you like
The criminal trials ended.
The marriage question remained.
