Chapter 10 - The Confrontation in the Visiting Room
Three weeks after his arrest,
I finally agreed to visit Daniel at the federal detention facility on the outskirts of Dallas.
The visiting room was stark,
sterile,
and smelling faintly of industrial disinfectant.
A thick sheet of reinforced Plexiglass separated the two sides of the partitioned booths.
When Daniel walked in escorted by a correctional officer,
the change in him was staggering.
Gone was the immaculate bespoke suit,
the polished confidence,
and the effortless charisma.
He wore a standard-issue orange jumpsuit that hung loosely on his frame,
his hair uncombed,
and dark circles bruised beneath his hollow eyes.
He sat down heavily on the metal stool and picked up the heavy plastic telephone receiver.
I picked up mine,
keeping my expression completely neutral as I looked at him through the glass.
“Valentina,
” his voice rasped through the speaker,
ragged and desperate.
“Thank God you came.”
“You need to help me.”
“My attorneys say the federal prosecutor is pushing for a fifteen-year sentence without parole.”
“They say you control the victim impact statement that could sway the judge.”
I rested my elbow on the counter,
speaking in a calm,
measured tone.
“I am here to ensure that the victim impact statement reflects the absolute truth,
Daniel.”
“The truth that you systematically looted twelve million dollars from the company we built together.”
“The truth that you used corporate funds to finance a secret household while looking me in the eye every single night.”
“It was a mistake!”
he cried,
slamming his palm against the glass partition,
causing the correctional officer nearby to step forward instantly.
“Clare seduced me!”
“She manipulated the books!”
“She used our son to trap me!”
“Don’t you dare try to shift the blame onto Clare now,
” I interrupted,
my voice sharp enough to draw blood.
“She gave me the flash drive,
Daniel.”
“She gave me every single encrypted audio file of your voice orchestrating the shell companies.”
“She told me how you planned to frame me for insider trading when the merger went through.”
The color drained completely from his face.
His mouth worked silently for several seconds as he realized his betrayal had been betrayed in return.
“She...
she gave you the drive?”
he whispered,
the realization crushing whatever spirit he had left.
“She sold you out.”
“We were partners,
” I said softly,
standing up and preparing to hang up the receiver.
“You taught me how ruthless the business world could be,
Daniel.”
“I simply applied your lessons.”
“Valentina,
wait!”
he screamed as I turned toward the exit.
“Please!
Don’t leave me here!”
I did not look back.
I hung up the phone,
May you like
walked out of the sterile visiting room,
and stepped into the warm Texas sunlight.
