Chapter 4 - The Legal Strike
By morning, the storm outside had cleared, but the one I was brewing was just making landfall.
I sat at my mahogany dining table, Chloe asleep upstairs, surrounded by my laptop and three of the most ruthless attorneys on the West Coast. Evelyn Vance, a corporate litigator, and Robert Sterling, a family law shark, were reviewing the files I had pulled.
"It’s worse than you thought, Jessica," Evelyn said, adjusting her glasses. "Marcus didn't just give Serena a credit card. He transferred trust funds to pay off her massive credit card debt, bought her a Mercedes, and signed a lease for a luxury penthouse in her name. Total stolen assets: $650,000."
"Can we claw it back?" I asked, sipping black coffee.
"Easily," Evelyn smiled. "It's federal wire fraud. We've already drafted the injunctions. Serena's assets are frozen as of 8:00 AM today. The Mercedes will be repossessed by noon."
Robert tapped his pen on the table. "As for custody, I've filed an ex parte emergency motion. Given Dr. Thorne’s medical and forensic report of child abuse, the judge granted full, sole physical and legal custody to you ten minutes ago. Marcus has a restraining order barring him from coming within 500 feet of you or Chloe. If he tries to contact her, he gets arrested."
"I want them both in a cell," I said, looking out the window at the peaceful Seattle morning. "Not just broke. I want them destroyed."
May you like
"We're filing criminal charges with the District Attorney this afternoon," Robert assured me. "Child endangerment and felony child abuse for Serena. Embezzlement and criminal negligence for Marcus. They are currently staying at a budget motel out on Highway 99, since their cards bounced everywhere else."
I closed my laptop. "Good. Let them sit in the filth for a day. I want them to feel exactly how helpless my daughter felt."
