Chapter 5 - The Corrupt Court
I stared at the legal documents on my desk, my mind racing as I read the judge's signature at the bottom of the page.
Judge Robert Vance was known in the legal community for being incredibly strict, but this emergency order defied every standard protocol.
"You cannot simply freeze my corporate assets and take my daughter based on lies," I said, my voice cold and steady.
Daniel smirked, wrapping an arm around Chloe's waist as he walked toward the locked office door.
"You are about to learn that the truth doesn't matter, Sarah," Daniel mocked. "What matters is who you know, and my family knows everyone."
I unlocked the doors electronically and watched them walk out to the elevators, acting as if they had already won the war.
The moment the elevator doors closed, I picked up the emergency custody order and dialed Marcus.
"Daniel just served me with an ex parte custody order signed by Judge Vance," I told him the second he answered.
Marcus swore under his breath.
"That's impossible; an ex parte order requires substantial proof of immediate danger to the child," Marcus explained.
"He used his mother's connections," I replied, pacing across my office.
Marcus told me to stay put while he sent his best private investigators to dig into Judge Vance and Olivia's family ties.
For the next four hours, I sat at my desk, marshaling every corporate resource and legal contact I had spent the last decade building.
I legally transferred the majority of my liquid wealth into an untouchable corporate holding account just minutes before the freeze officially took effect.
By early afternoon, Marcus walked into my office holding a thick manila folder.
"You were right," Marcus said, dropping the folder onto my desk. "Judge Vance owes a massive gambling debt to an underground syndicate, and Olivia's brother is the loan shark holding the markers."
They had blackmailed a sitting judge to steal my daughter and my company.
Before we could discuss our counter-attack, my personal cell phone buzzed with a text message from an unknown number.
"I know what Daniel and Olivia are doing, and I know how to stop them," the message read.
I stared at the screen, hesitating for a moment before typing back to ask who was messaging me.
The reply came a few seconds later.
"It's Ashley, and I have all the security footage from the apartment that Olivia thought she deleted."
I showed the message to Marcus, and we both agreed this was a dangerous but necessary risk.
I texted Ashley back, arranging a secret meeting at a crowded coffee shop across town.
May you like
Just as I grabbed my coat to leave, the unknown number sent one final, terrifying message.
"Come alone, and hurry, because Daniel knows where you are hiding Emma."
