Chapter 6 - The Trap is Set
The mediation took place in a neutral law office downtown.
I sat at the long mahogany table, flanked by Marcus on my left and Arthur on my right. When Richard walked into the room, I barely recognized him.
The expensive suits were gone, replaced by an ill-fitting, wrinkled blazer. He had lost weight, and his eyes were manic, darting around the room with paranoid energy. His sleazy, cut-rate attorney trailed behind him.
"Let's make this quick," Richard's lawyer said, dropping his briefcase. "My client is legally the presumed father. If you don't want a messy, highly publicized custody battle over this 'designer baby' mix-up, my client is willing to sign over his parental rights for a one-time settlement of ten million dollars."
Marcus leaned forward, folding his hands. "Ten million is a steep price for a child you have zero biological connection to, Richard."
"It's the price for my silence," Richard sneered, looking directly at Arthur. "You Sterlings hate bad press. Imagine the headlines: Billionaire's Child Carried by Mistake in Local Scandal. Imagine the paparazzi hounding her. You pay me, I walk away. That's the deal."
Arthur didn't flinch. "You already took six million from the clinic for your silence, Richard. You breached that NDA when the truth came out."
"That wasn't my fault!" Richard snapped. "Emma is the one who demanded the blood tests! I was perfectly willing to let her raise the kid in ignorance while I kept the money!"
I felt a wave of nausea, but I kept my face utterly blank.
"So, to be absolutely clear," Marcus said, his voice calm and methodical. "You are stating, for the record, that you plan to use a fraudulent custody claim to publicly humiliate the Sterling family unless they pay you ten million dollars?"
"Call it whatever you want," Richard spat. "I call it a negotiation."
"I see," Marcus said. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a small black remote. He pressed a button.
The door to the conference room opened.
Two uniformed police officers stepped inside, followed by a man in a sharp grey suit holding a badge.
"Richard Evans?" the detective asked.
Richard jumped out of his chair. "What is this? This is a private mediation!"
"Actually," Marcus smiled coldly, "this is a sting operation. You see, Richard, under state law, utilizing the family court system to extort money through threats of public humiliation and false custody claims is a felony."
The detective stepped forward, handcuffs out. "Richard Evans, you are under arrest for extortion, wire fraud, and grand larceny."
"You set me up!" Richard screamed, pointing a shaking finger at me. "Emma, you crazy—!"
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"Save it," the detective interrupted, grabbing Richard's wrists and snapping the steel cuffs shut. "You have the right to remain silent. I highly suggest you use it."
I watched as the man who had abandoned me in my darkest hour was dragged out of the room, kicking and shouting, his entire life reduced to ruins by his own greed.
