Chapter 7 - Securing the Legal Shield
The next morning,
I woke up early,
long before the sun had even begun to paint the sky in shades of orange and pink.
Grant was still fast asleep,
snoring softly,
entirely unaware that his world was about to crumble.
I slipped out of bed,
dressed quietly,
and left the penthouse without making a single sound.
I drove directly to Victoria’s office,
located in a towering glass skyscraper in the heart of the financial district.
The office was quiet,
the city below still waking up,
but Victoria was already waiting for me with a steaming mug of tea.
"Did you get the recording?"
she asked the moment I walked through the door.
"I got everything,"
I replied,
handing her my phone.
"He admitted that Cynthia’s happiness is tied to his business success,
and he blamed me for the scene at the clinic."
Victoria smiled,
plugging my phone into her computer to transfer the audio file.
"Perfect,"
she muttered,
her fingers flying across the keyboard.
"This,
combined with the financial records and the custody agreement draft,
is more than enough to secure a temporary restraining order."
"But we are not going to file it just yet."
"Why?"
I asked,
taking a seat opposite her desk.
"Because we want him to commit to his next big business move,"
she explained,
her eyes gleaming with strategic brilliance.
"On Monday,
Grant is scheduled to sign the final contract with Arthur Vance for the expansion project."
"He will be committing all of his remaining personal assets,
as well as a massive loan from your joint estate,
as collateral."
"If we file before then,
he will back out and protect his funds."
"But if we wait until the contract is signed,
he will be legally locked into a deal he cannot afford without your money."
I felt a cold chill of satisfaction wash over me as I understood the plan.
"So,
once he signs,
he is legally bound to Vance,"
I said,
"but the moment I freeze the joint accounts,
he won't have the funds to fulfill his end of the contract."
"Exactly,"
Victoria agreed.
"He will default on the loan,
Arthur Vance will sue him for breach of contract,
and his business will be liquidated."
"And what about Cynthia?"
I asked,
thinking of the woman who had dared to hold my husband's hand at my ultrasound.
"Cynthia will be exposed to her father as a liar and a manipulator,"
Victoria said.
"We have proof she was faking her own fertility status and plotting to steal a child to secure her inheritance."
"Arthur Vance is a proud man,
he will not tolerate his daughter dragging his family name through the mud like this."
I leaned back in my chair,
feeling a sudden,
overwhelming sense of relief.
The chess pieces were all in place,
and the board was ours.
"What do I need to do until Monday?"
I asked,
ready for whatever was required.
"Go home,
play the quiet wife,
and let him believe he is the master of his own destiny,"
Victoria replied.
"And most importantly,
keep yourself safe,
Vivienne."
"The storm is coming,
May you like
and you need to be in the eye of it,
untouched."
