Chapter 5 - Unholy Alliances
By noon, the legal retaliation began in earnest.
My private security force had completely locked down the Tribeca building, blocking dozens of reporters and paparazzi from entering the lobby. Meanwhile, Harrison delivered on his promise. He slipped into my penthouse through the basement garage, holding a encrypted flash drive containing five years of internal financial audits from Vance Enterprises.
"It’s worse than we thought, Julian," Harrison said, plugging the drive into my laptop as Cole and I watched. "Mom didn't just pay off Mara’s old landlord. She used a shell company based in the Cayman Islands to funnel two hundred thousand dollars to a doctor at St. Jude’s Hospital six years ago."
Mara, who was listening from the doorway, gasped. "Dr. Vance? No... Dr. Keller! He was my OB-GYN! He told me my medical records were lost when the clinic’s server crashed!"
"He was paid to destroy your prenatal records, Mara," Harrison explained, pointing at the ledger on the screen. "Victoria wanted to make sure there was no paper trail connecting Julian’s name to your pregnancy. If you ever filed for child support, the state registry would show no record of Julian being listed as the father."
"That’s criminal conspiracy and medical fraud," Cole said, his eyes gleaming with professional fury. "If we submit this to the District Attorney, your mother won't just lose a custody battle—she’ll be facing federal indictment."
Before we could celebrate the discovery, my house phone rang. It was the building's front desk.
"Mr. Vance, there is a Ms. Brielle Cartwright in the lobby. She insists on coming up alone. She says if you don't grant her five minutes, she will release private correspondence between your family and her father to the press."
I looked at Mara, whose jaw set into a firm line. "Let her up," Mara said calmly. "I’m not running from anyone anymore."
Five minutes later, Brielle Cartwright walked into the penthouse.
She was immaculately dressed in a ivory tweed suit, her blonde hair styled into a flawless chignon, her face a mask of high-society composure. But beneath the polished exterior, her blue eyes burned with cold, humiliated fury.
"Julian," Brielle said, ignoring Mara and the boys completely as she stepped into the living room. "You made a very public spectacle out of me last night."
"Brielle," I replied coldly. "I'm sorry you were dragged into my mother’s schemes, but this marriage was a business arrangement, and you knew it."
"It was a merger that secured my family's legacy!" Brielle snapped, her voice rising. "My father spent millions preparing the European expansion! And you threw it away for a... a waitress and four illegitimate children!"
"Watch your mouth, Brielle," I warned, my tone dropping into a deadly register that made her pause. "You are speaking about my family in my home."
Brielle let out a bitter laugh. "Your family? Julian, your mother offered my father twenty percent of Vance Enterprises' private shares this morning if we join her in filing a court injunction to deem you mentally unfit due to the stress of your London accident."
May you like
I froze. "What did you say?"
"She’s claiming your brain injury from six years ago has relapsed," Brielle said, a cruel smile touching her lips. "She’s filing for emergency conservatorship over your estate today. By 5:00 p.m., you won't have the legal authority to sign a sandwich order, let alone protect these kids."
