Chapter 8 - The Crisis of Trust
The peaceful sanctuary we had built was shattered on a Tuesday morning.
A black town car pulled up to the front gates. Richard stepped out, flanked by two corporate attorneys and a process server. Marcus blocked them at the door, but Richard screamed my name until I stepped out onto the porch.
"Julian!" Richard shouted, pointing a finger at me. "You’ve completely lost your mind! You’ve brought this fraudulent woman into your home, claiming she’s some kind of reincarnation of my sister! It’s sick, and it’s dangerous for those boys!"
"Get off my property, Richard," I said, my voice dangerously low.
"I have a court-ordered emergency custody hearing scheduled for tomorrow morning," Richard sneered, holding up a stack of legal documents. "I've filed a petition alleging that you are mentally unfit to care for Lucas and Owen, using company resources to fund a strange woman who manipulated her way into your estate. Your own board of directors is ready to testify that you abandoned a twenty-two-million-dollar deal to stay in a hospital room with a housekeeper!"
Claire stood in the doorway behind me, her face pale, her hands trembling.
"Julian," she whispered. "I don't want to cause trouble for you. Maybe I should leave..."
May you like
"No," I said, turning to look her dead in the eyes. "You are not leaving. We are going to fight this, and we are going to win."
I looked back at Richard. "I’ll see you in court, Richard. And I suggest you bring the best lawyers money can buy, because I am going to destroy you."
