Chapter 9 - The Legal Shield
Aunt Evelyn arrived the next morning driving a sleek black town car, carrying an aura of absolute authority.
At fifty-five, Evelyn was everything Richard hated: brilliant, fiercely independent, and completely immune to his bullying. Twelve years ago, Richard had used a loop-hole in their grandfather's will to strip Evelyn of her fifty-percent share in Vance Commercial Properties. She had walked away, rebuilt her fortune from scratch, and hadn't spoken to her brother since.
When Evelyn walked through our front door, her eyes immediately found Emma, who was coloring quietly at the kitchen counter.
Evelyn walked over, placed a gentle hand on Emma’s shoulder, and knelt down. "Hello, sweetheart. I'm your Great-Aunt Evelyn. I brought you something."
From her designer briefcase, Evelyn produced an oversized sketchpad and a professional set of colored markers. Emma's face lit up. "Thank you, Auntie."
Evelyn turned back to Daniel and me, her expression instantly darkening into pure iron. "I saw the news. I saw the video Clara posted. Richard and Diane have crossed into madness."
"Richard sent us this yesterday," Daniel said, handing her the cease-and-desist letter.
Evelyn glanced at the paper for ten seconds, scoffed, and tore it in half.
"Garbage," Evelyn stated coldly. "Richard is terrified, Sarah. For the last five years, he’s been using county commercial zoning loans to keep his firm afloat. He claims he’s a multimillionaire, but half of his retail plazas have thirty-percent vacancy rates. He relies on local banks renewing his revolving credit lines every July."
"July is next month," Daniel noted.
May you like
"Exactly," Evelyn said, leaning in. "And the chairman of the regional bank that holds Richard’s primary debt? An old friend of mine who despises domestic abusers. If Richard wants to wage a war of destruction, we won't just fight his little lawsuit. We will dismantle his entire empire."
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