Chapter 17 - Genevieve’s trial begins
Genevieve refused a plea requiring admission she knowingly used a fabricated document to obtain control concessions.
She would plead to a false-statement misdemeanor.
Prosecutors refused.
Trial.
Adrian testified.
He looked older.
Prison does that quickly.
He admitted:
He created the false amendment.
He copied signatures.
He backdated.
He lied about provenance.
Then:
“Did Genevieve direct you?”
“She told me to make the draft enforceable.”
“Did she know you created it after Dominic died?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“I told her.”
Defense cross:
“You are cooperating to reduce your own consequences?”
“Yes.”
“You lied professionally before?”
“Yes.”
“You falsified documents?”
“Yes.”
“So the jury should trust you now?”
“They should trust the records.”
Good answer.
Then records.
Emails.
Texts.
Forensic report.
Genevieve’s statement to trust counsel claiming:
“I personally found the original signed amendment in Father’s locked cabinet.”
False.
She had never found an original.
Then defense.
Genevieve testified.
Risky.
She said:
“I believed Adrian reconstructed a legally valid instrument from signed materials.”
Prosecutor:
“Why tell counsel you personally found an original?”
She paused.
“I panicked.”
“Why?”
“Because Benedict would destroy me if I admitted Adrian recreated it.”
There.
Fear of me.
The courtroom felt colder.
Then:
“Did Benedict ever threaten to harm you over the amendment?”
“No.”
“Threaten Felix?”
“No.”
“Threaten Adrian?”
“No.”
“Then what did destroy mean?”
“My family. My status. My place.”
That was more honest than she intended.
Then the settlement draft.
“Did you intend to use the document to obtain governance concessions?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know its execution history was false?”
Genevieve said:
“I knew the version we had was reconstructed.”
Not:
May you like
Forged.
The jury would decide whether that distinction created reasonable doubt.
