Turn the page and step into the next chapter of this unforgettable story.

-10

While the new board was busy charting a multi-million-dollar philanthropic and commercial expansion, the legal reality for Garrick Sterling was rapidly closing in.

The federal arraignment took place in Courtroom 4B of the Dirksen Federal Building—ironically, just two floors above the municipal courtroom where Judge Blackwood had first laughed out loud at my letter.

The media circus outside the federal courthouse was deafening. Camera crews, financial reporters, and curious onlookers crowded the granite steps, all eager to catch a glimpse of the fallen golden boy of Chicago real estate.

When Garrick was led through the glass-paneled security doors by two federal marshals, the cameras flashed like a continuous bolt of lightning.

He looked unrecognizable. The arrogant, self-assured swagger was entirely gone. His bespoke suit was replaced by a standard-issue orange detention jumpsuit that hung loosely on his frame. His hair was uncombed, his eyes bloodshot and hollow, staring blankly at the floor as the media shouted aggressive questions.

"Mr. Sterling! Is it true you embezzled millions from your own corporate accounts?"

"Mr. Sterling, do you have any comment on your mother's eviction from the Lake Forest estate?"

Garrick didn't answer a single question. He kept his head down, his wrists locked in heavy steel cuffs, as the marshals hurried him toward the elevator bank.

Seated across the street in a quiet, sunlit café booth behind a tinted glass window, I watched the spectacle unfold on my laptop screen via a live news broadcast.

My phone buzzed on the wooden table.

It was an encrypted notification from the county detention center's visitor management registry.

Visitor Request Log: Garrick Sterling has requested an emergency legal-advocate meeting with primary shareholder Marlowe Ashby.

I stared at the screen for a long, quiet moment.