Chapter 2 Shattered Loyalties

Cold. That was all Andre felt.

The air in the holding cell was heavy, almost wet. The gray walls pressed in on him, and the single metal bench beneath him was hard and cold. The same questions ran through his head again and again.

How did it come to this?

Why didn't she speak for me?

Why did Tom do this?

He had been the Golden Son. The chosen heir. The one everyone admired.

Now? Now he was just a man in an orange jumpsuit. Betrayed. Broken. Alone.

Andre leaned back against the wall; eyes closed. Every time he thought of Hermosa, a sharp pain stabbed through his chest. Her face. Her voice. The bracelet she gave him. "I'll always be here."

Lies.

He opened his eyes when the cell door creaked open. Two guards entered.

"Time for your hearing," one said, rough and uninterested.

Andre stood slowly. His wrists were cuffed again, and they led him down the long hallway. His footsteps echoed. Cameras flashed through small square windows as he passed. Reporters pressed against the glass like vultures, shouting questions he couldn't hear.

Inside the courtroom, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

The judge, an older woman with strict eyes, sat high above. The room was packed. Reporters, family members, investors, and strangers filled the benches. All waiting to watch the golden boy fall.

On the far side of the room, Tom sat quietly, dressed in a crisp suit. He nodded to the judge respectfully and gave a soft, humble smile to the cameras. At his side was Hermosa.

She wore black.

A dress that made her look like she was mourning.

Her eyes were puffy. Her lips trembling.

But she didn't look at Andre.

Not even once.

The prosecutor stood. "We have one final witness, Your Honor. Ms. Hermosa Navarro."

Andre's heart dropped.

She stood slowly. Everyone watched as she walked to the front of the courtroom. Her heels clicked softly against the floor. She took the oath with shaking hands.

"Ms. Navarro," the prosecutor said, "you were the closest person to Mr. Gordonis, correct?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"You attended all his meetings, were with him daily, even had access to his files."

Hermosa looked pale. "Yes."

"Did Mr. Gordonis ever mention moving company funds into personal accounts?"

Andre's chest tightened. He stared at her, begging her silently. Please... tell them the truth.

Hermosa hesitated.

Then she spoke.

"He... he told me he was doing it for the company's survival," she whispered.

A gasp moved through the room.

Andre's jaw dropped. "No," he whispered, barely able to breathe.

"I didn't know it was illegal at first," Hermosa continued. "But he said it was the only way to protect the Gordonis legacy."

The prosecutor nodded, pretending to be sympathetic. "Thank you, Ms. Navarro. That will be all."

Hermosa stepped down. Her eyes flickered to Andre for a single moment, but she looked away before their gazes could meet.

That look. That one second. It told him everything.

She was lying.

But why?

The media had their headlines within seconds. "Andre Gordonis Confessed to Girlfriend, Courtroom Bombshell!"

"From Lovers to Enemies - Betrayal in the Elite Circle."

Cameras caught the moment Tom stood and gently placed a hand on Hermosa's shoulder. She leaned into him like he was her protector. It made Andre want to scream.

The judge pounded her gavel. "Order in the court."

An hour later, the room was silent again as the judge read the sentence.

"After reviewing the evidence, the financial records, and the witness testimony... the court finds the defendant guilty."

Andre's ears buzzed.

Guilty.

Guilty?

The word rang over and over in his head like a bomb.

"You are hereby sentenced to 15 years in federal prison."

The gavel came down.

And just like that, everything Andre had-his name, his family, his future...was gone.

The guards pulled him to his feet. He looked at Hermosa. She still wouldn't meet his eyes.

As he was led out of the courtroom, one thought echoed in his mind like thunder.

She chose him.

She chose Tom.

Over me.

Hermosa sat in a dark room at the back of the courthouse. Her hands trembled in her lap. Across from her, Tom leaned back in his chair, arms crossed casually.

"I don't want to do this," she whispered.

Tom didn't flinch. "Then your father dies."

Hermosa looked up sharply. "He's on life support, Tom. He doesn't have much time."

Tom pulled out a folder and placed it on the table. Inside were fake emails, forged records, and a signed confession-none of which Andre had ever seen.

"If you don't testify," he said calmly, "these files go public. And the media will spin it all on you. They'll say you helped him steal millions. They'll say you ran the fake charities. You'll go to jail too."

Hermosa's throat tightened. "He's innocent."

Tom's eyes darkened. "Maybe. But that doesn't matter now."

She stood. "Why are you doing this? You already have everything you wanted."

Tom shrugged. "I don't want everything, Hermosa. I want what's mine. The company. The legacy. And if I get you in the process..." He gave her a slow smile. "That's a bonus."

Hermosa backed away. "I'll tell the truth."

Tom stood too, suddenly cold and dangerous. "Then your father dies alone in a hospital bed. I made sure of that. One call. One message. And his medicine... doesn't arrive."

Hermosa froze.

She thought of her father's frail body, the way he had whispered her name yesterday through the oxygen mask.

"I'll do it," she said, her voice hollow. "But never touch me again."

Tom's grin didn't fade. "Smart girl."

---

Back to Present

Andre sat in the back of the prison transport van, wrists bound, staring at the floor.

He felt empty.

Like a shell.

He had dreamed of building an empire, of marrying Hermosa, of one day leading the Gordonis name into greatness.

Now he was just another man in a jumpsuit. A number in the system.

His last thought before the van drove off:

They broke me.

But I'll come back.

Even if it kills me.