Chapter 4 - The True Covenant
"She can't ruin me, Lauren," I said, stepping past the threshold into the damp, cramped room. I gently laid Sophia down on the small cot in the corner, covering her with a clean, faded blanket.
I turned back to my wife, the tears I had been fighting back for the last two hours finally spilling over. I reached out, taking her cold hands in mine. "She lied to me, Lauren. She forged the letter. She told me you abandoned us. I’ve been sending money every month, thinking you were living in the luxury condo in Seattle."
Lauren stared at me, her eyes widening as the horrific truth of the last three years finally clicked into place. "She... she told me you signed the papers because you met someone else in London. She said if I ever tried to call your corporate line, she’d use her lawyers to take Sophia away from me forever because I couldn't afford a legal defense."
"I am your legal defense," I said, pulling her into my arms, holding her so tightly I could feel the steady, frantic beat of her heart against my chest. "And I am your husband. The game is over, Lauren. I’m taking you home."
By 3:00 AM, Arthur had loaded their single suitcase into the back of the town car. As we drove away from the Bronx, leaving the damp basement behind forever, I opened my laptop and connected to our corporate legal task force.
May you like
"Sir?" my chief legal counsel, Marcus Vance, answered on the first ring. "We’ve seen the videos from the Grand Plaza Hotel. It’s trending globally. The board is in an absolute panic."
"Good," I said, my voice turning to absolute ice. "File for an emergency injunction against Victoria Sterling for grand larceny, wire fraud, and child endangerment. I want a freeze on all her assets by the time the banks open at 9:00 AM. And Marcus? Call the District Attorney. Tell them I’m bringing them a federal embezzlement case on a silver platter."
