Chapter 12 - The Meeting at the Neutral Table
The morning sun cast long, sharp shadows across the polished oak table inside the conference room of a downtown Raleigh law firm. I sat alone on one side, my jacket unbuttoned, a sleek black leather portfolio resting quietly beneath my hand. Across from me sat Elena, her posture rigid, her eyes dark-circled and hollowed out from a sleepless night of panic. Beside her sat the high-priced attorney who had delivered the manila envelope just days before, looking entirely too confident for someone walking into an ambush.
"Mr. Miller," the lawyer began, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses with practiced theatricality. "My client is prepared to offer a reasonable settlement. We are willing to drop the motion contesting the separation if you agree to divide the liquid assets fifty-fifty and grant her immediate access to the residence to retrieve her personal belongings."
I didn’t move. I simply looked at Elena. She wouldn't meet my gaze, staring instead at the water glass sitting in front of her.
"Fifty-fifty," I repeated, the word rolling slowly off my tongue. "How generous of her. Especially considering she spent the last nine weeks treating my house like a private resort while quietly funneling joint funds into Marcus’s failing business ventures."
The lawyer scoffed, leaning forward. "Without formal discovery, those are entirely unsubstantiated claims. We will file motions for defamation if—"
Before he could finish, I slid a single manila folder across the mahogany table. It stopped right in front of his coffee cup.
"Go ahead," I said softly. "Open it."
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The lawyer frowned, glancing at Elena before slowly flipping the cover open. Inside was a neatly printed summary of bank routing numbers, IP addresses, time-stamped security stills, and the exact corporate registration documents linking Marcus’s shell company to our joint accounts.
The color drained entirely from the lawyer's face. He looked down at the paper, then up at me, his mouth opening slightly before closing again. He didn't say a word. He just closed the folder and pushed it back toward Elena.
