Chapter 5 - The War for the Estate
Two weeks later.
The news of the Parker family legal war had leaked into the high-society circles of Oak Creek like wildfire.
Richard Parker’s commercial real estate firm was hemorrhaging clients. Banks had frozen his corporate accounts, and the local sheriff's department had served him with a formal subpoena regarding the 2018 probate fraud allegations.
Desperate to regain control of the narrative, Richard called an emergency press conference on the steps of the County Courthouse, flanked by his wife and a high-priced defense attorney named Julian Croft.
Local reporters gathered with microphones and cameras as Richard stood before the podium, looking tired, sorrowful, and deeply wronged.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Richard spoke into the microphones, his voice thick with rehearsed emotion. "I stand before you today not as a businessman, but as a heartbroken father. My daughter, Olivia, has fallen under the influence of predatory corporate figures who are using her to stage a hostile takeover of my family's legacy. She has filed malicious lawsuits against her own flesh and blood, driving her mother into illness and her brother into financial ruin."
Eleanor, wearing a black dress and dark sunglasses, dabbed her eyes with a tissue for the cameras.
"We love Olivia," Richard continued, clutching his hands together. "We forgive her for abandoning her family on the night of her brother's celebration. We urge her to come home, drop these baseless lawsuits, and let us heal as a family behind closed doors."
Inside a high-rise office suite twenty floors above the city, Olivia watched the live broadcast on a wall-mounted television screen.
Standing beside her were Arthur Harrison and Sarah Vance.
"He's playing the victim card in the press," Sarah noted, taking notes on her tablet. "He’s trying to build public pressure so you’ll agree to a quiet out-of-court settlement before the grand jury convenes next month."
"He thinks I’m still the scared twenty-year-old girl who will hide in the kitchen when he raises his voice," Olivia said, her tone completely calm. She turned to Sarah. "Is the forensic accounting audit complete?"
"Finished an hour ago," Sarah replied, pulling up a digital file. "And it’s far worse than we anticipated. Your father didn't just mismanage your grandfather's trust, Olivia. He actively funneled over eight hundred thousand dollars from your grandfather's medical care accounts into Ryan’s private stock trading accounts between 2016 and 2018."
Olivia’s breath hitched. "He deprived Grandpa of better hospice care just to fund Ryan’s day-trading?"
"Yes," Sarah confirmed. "And we have the bank transfer receipts bearing your father’s electronic signature."
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Olivia stood up from her chair, buttoning her navy blazer.
"Call a counter-press conference for three o'clock, Sarah," Olivia commanded, her eyes burning with an unyielding, righteous light. "It’s time the public sees the receipts."
