Chapter 6 - The Setup
Marcus’s ambush in the parking garage proved he was a loose cannon. I couldn't wait for the slow grind of family court to neutralize him. I needed a decisive strike to end this nightmare before my baby was born.
I called Sarah. "He wants to settle. He offered full custody and the house for a cash payout. But I know if I give him cash, he'll drag this out forever. I want him in a room. I want everything on the record."
"We can arrange an emergency mediation session," Sarah suggested. "We'll host it at my firm. I'll hire a private mediator. But Eleanor, you must understand, we have to offer him something to get him to the table. Even a token amount."
"Offer him fifty thousand," I said. "Tell him it's a lump sum alimony buyout, but he has to sign a full admission of fault regarding the embezzled funds to protect my company's liability."
"He'll never sign a confession of fraud," Sarah warned.
"He will if he thinks he's outsmarting us," I replied, a plan forming perfectly in my mind. "Draw up the papers."
The mediation was set for Friday afternoon. The conference room at Sarah's firm was an intimidating expanse of glass and polished mahogany. I sat at the table, my hands resting on my enormous belly, projecting absolute calm. Sarah sat beside me, files neatly stacked.
At 2:00 PM sharp, Marcus walked in, followed by a sleazy, cheap-looking attorney he must have found on a billboard. Marcus looked smug, clearly thinking he had backed me into a corner.
"Let's get this over with," Marcus sneered, dropping into a chair across from me. "Fifty grand is an insult, Eleanor, but my lawyer says it's faster than liquidating the assets in court. Show me the paperwork."
The mediator, a neutral third party, began laying out the ground rules. But Marcus wasn't paying attention. He was staring at me, a cruel, vindictive light in his eyes. He thought he was walking away clean. He had no idea the trap was already sprung.
"Before we sign the buyout," Sarah said smoothly, sliding a document across the table. "My client requires you to sign this liability waiver. It states that the eighty thousand dollars transferred to the secondary account was moved without her consent, and you release the company from any tax liabilities regarding those funds."
Marcus’s lawyer leaned over to read it. "Don't sign that. It's essentially an admission of embezzlement."
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Marcus waved him off, leaning forward. "Who cares? It's family money. You can't steal from your own wife. Give me a pen. I'll sign whatever she wants if it gets me out of this nightmare."
I watched him put pen to paper, my heart pounding a steady, victorious rhythm.
