Chapter 5 - Pre-Trial Maneuvers
The three weeks leading up to the family court hearing were a masterclass in legal chess. Marcus Vance’s team worked tirelessly, dismantling Derek’s life piece by piece.
They discovered that Derek hadn't been working "construction management" as he had claimed. He was an hourly laborer who had recently been fired for safety violations and had a mounting pile of gambling debts at local off-track betting facilities. The silver sedan he had been driving belonged to a predatory car-rental service, and he was currently three months behind on his rent for a dingy rooming house on the east side of the city.
Furthermore, Malcolm Reed, an independent investigator hired by Ethan, discovered that Derek had been contacted by a minor competitor of Cole Innovation Group—a disgruntled former executive who had been ousted by Ethan two years prior. The executive had offered to pay for Derek’s legal fees in exchange for creating a public scandal that would damage Ethan’s standing with the board of directors.
"It's a conspiracy to defame," Marcus told Ethan and Claire during a briefing on the eve of the trial. "We have the bank records showing the wire transfers from the former executive to Derek’s attorney. Tomorrow morning, when we walk into that courtroom, the judge isn't just going to deny his custody petition—he’s going to refer this case to the district attorney for criminal extortion."
Claire sat on the couch in Ethan’s office, watching Sophie crawl across the plush rug, playing with the small stuffed rabbit Ethan had bought her on that fateful Tuesday night. Over the last month, Ethan had become a constant fixture in their lives. He had helped her move into a beautiful, secure two-bedroom apartment near a park, and he had dropped by on weekends under the guise of "checking on the company’s new director."
But the way he looked at her when she spoke, and the way Sophie reached for his hands whenever he entered the room, spoke of a bond that had outgrown the boundaries of professional gratitude.
"Are you nervous?" Ethan asked, sitting down on the carpet beside her, his long legs crossed as he handed Sophie the toy rabbit.
"A little," Claire admitted, looking at him. "Not for myself. For her. I don't want her growing up knowing her father only came back to use her as a lottery ticket."
"She won't know that," Ethan said softly, his hand resting near Claire’s on the floor. "She’ll know she has a mother who fought through hell to protect her. And she’ll know she has people around her who will never let anyone hurt her again."
Claire felt her throat tighten with emotion. She reached out, her fingers brushing against his. "Why are you doing all of this for us, Ethan? Truly. It’s well beyond a wrong-number text."
Ethan looked down at Sophie, his eyes clouded with a memory he had kept hidden. "Five years ago, I lost my sister. She was a single mother, struggling just like you were. She was too proud to ask me for help. She thought she had to prove to the world that she could do it alone. One winter night, she tried to drive her sick son to an emergency clinic in a broken-down car. The brakes failed. I had all the money in the world, Claire, but I couldn't buy her back."
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He looked back up at Claire, his amber eyes burning with an intense sincerity. "When I got your message that night, it felt like a second chance given to me by God. I couldn't save my sister. But I can save you. And over the last month... I’ve realized that you and Sophie aren't just a project to me. You’re my home."
Claire’s breath hitched. Before she could answer, the door opened and Marcus walked in, adjusting his glasses. "It’s time to rest up. Tomorrow morning, we end this."
