Chapter 6 - The Extortion Attempt
Two days passed without a word from Rebecca, but the silence was shattered on Thursday morning.
I received an email from a sleazy, low-tier attorney representing her.
The demands attached to the email were nothing short of delusional.
Rebecca wanted the house, fifty percent of my retirement accounts, and ten thousand dollars a month in alimony.
She also demanded I pay her legal fees.
At the very bottom of the document was a thinly veiled threat.
"If my client's demands are not met by Friday, she will proceed with filing formal charges against Evelyn Vance for assault."
I read the line three times, almost laughing out loud at the absolute audacity.
She was threatening to frame my injured, elderly mother for the very crime she committed.
I forwarded the email straight to Sterling.
He called me less than five minutes later, chuckling into the receiver.
"David, this is extortion, plain and simple," Sterling said.
"Her lawyer is an idiot for putting this in writing."
"What's our next move?" I asked, pacing the floor of my living room.
"We agree to a mediation meeting," Sterling replied confidently.
"We invite them to my office, let them make their demands in person, and then we drop the hammer."
I agreed, and the meeting was set for Monday afternoon.
Over the weekend, I spent every moment caring for my mother.
Her burns were healing slowly, but the psychological scars were still raw.
She jumped every time the doorbell rang, terrified that Rebecca had returned.
"You don't have to worry, Mom," I promised her as I served her dinner.
"She is never stepping foot in this house again."
"Are you sure, David?" she asked quietly.
"I saw on the iPad that people are saying terrible things about you online."
"Don't read those comments, Mom," I sighed, gently closing her tablet.
"By Tuesday morning, the entire world will know the truth."
Monday arrived with dark, stormy clouds rolling over the city skyline.
I dressed in my sharpest tailored suit, feeling like a soldier suiting up for battle.
I arrived at Sterling's office fifteen minutes early, sipping a black coffee in the conference room.
Exactly at two o'clock, the heavy oak doors swung open.
Rebecca strutted in, wearing a ridiculously expensive designer dress, looking utterly unbothered.
She was followed by her lawyer, a sweaty, balding man in a cheap, wrinkled suit.
She sat directly across from me, crossing her legs and offering me a smug, triumphant smirk.
"David," she said smoothly, as if we were meeting for brunch instead of a hostile divorce.
"You look tired."
May you like
I didn't blink, didn't move, and certainly didn't smile.
"Let's just get this over with, Rebecca."
