Chapter 5 - The Process Server
The offices of Vance & Associates Wealth Management occupied the top two floors of a gleaming glass tower in downtown Columbus.
It was 10:15 on a Tuesday morning. Derek Vance was standing at the head of the mahogany conference table, presenting a Q3 growth deck to six senior partners and three key institutional investors. He was in his element—sharp, commanding, and impeccably dressed.
"As you can see on slide fourteen," Derek said, holding a sleek laser pointer, "our real estate portfolio in the Midwest has outperformed regional benchmarks by four percent..."
The heavy double glass doors of the boardroom opened.
Derek stopped mid-sentence, his brow furrowing. His executive assistant, a young woman named Clara, looked pale as she stepped into the room, followed closely by a stocky man in a plain grey suit holding a manila envelope.
"Clara," Derek said, his voice dropping into his cold, professional register. "I am in the middle of a private investor presentation."
"Mr. Vance, I'm sorry," Clara stammered, stepping back. "He... he said it was urgent legal service."
The stocky man stepped forward, completely ignoring the stunned looks of the six millionaires around the table. He stopped two feet from Derek, pulled a thick sheaf of legal papers from the envelope, and set them directly on top of Derek's leather-bound presentation folder.
"Derek Vance?" the man asked in a loud, clear voice.
"Who the hell are you?" Derek spat, his face flushing crimson. "Get out of my office before I have security throw you out!"
"You've been served with an Emergency Petition for Sole Legal Custody, Child Support, and Judicial Separation filed in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," the server stated loudly, so every partner in the room heard every word. "You have twenty days to respond. Have a nice day."
The server turned on his heel and walked out, the glass doors swinging shut behind him.
The conference room went dead silent.
Derek stared down at the top page of the packet. The bold black letters at the header hit him like a physical blow:
IN RE THE MATTER OF EMILY HAYES-VANCE, A MINOR CHILD. NINA HAYES, PETITIONER, v. DEREK VANCE, RESPONDENT.
Emily.
The name echoed in his mind, sharp and foreign. She had named the baby without him. She had registered the child under her maiden name.
Derek’s hand trembled as he flipped to the attached affidavit. His eyes scanned the sworn statement signed by Nina:
...Respondent provided fifteen dollars ($15.00) in cash for transportation while Petitioner was experiencing active contractions five minutes apart, refused to escort Petitioner to the medical facility, and departed the marital residence for a social/business engagement...
"Derek?" the managing partner, an older man named Richard Vance—Derek's uncle—asked, his voice heavy with shock. "What is the meaning of this? Is Nina in Pennsylvania?"
Derek didn't answer. He picked up the heavy brass water pitcher on the table and slammed it down onto the mahogany surface with a deafening CRASH, shattering the glass cups nearby.
"Meeting adjourned!" Derek roared, his face contorted in a mask of rage that none of his colleagues had ever seen.
The partners scrambled out of the room, leaving Derek alone in the vast space overlooking the city. He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial for his personal attorney, Marcus Cole.
"Marcus," Derek hissed into the receiver, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the table. "She's in Pittsburgh. She filed for custody. I want her crushed. I want the child brought back to Ohio by the end of the week, and I want Nina served with a psychiatric evaluation order today!"
On the other end of the line, Marcus sighed—a long, weary sound. "Derek, slow down. Did she file in Pennsylvania?"
"Yes! She sneaked across state lines like a thief!"
"Derek... if the baby was born in Pennsylvania, that's the child's home state under federal law," Marcus said, his tone grim. "We can't just send the sheriff to pick up a newborn across state lines without a court order. And if her affidavit about the fifteen dollars and the client dinner is true..."
"It was a ten-million-dollar deal!" Derek screamed into the phone, tears of pure humiliation brimming in his eyes. "She ruined everything!"
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"We have a massive problem, Derek," Marcus cut him off coldly. "Because if those papers are already served, the judge in Allegheny County has likely already issued an interim freeze on any changes to health insurance or marital accounts. You're not in control of this anymore."
Derek dropped the phone onto the shattered glass on the table. He stood alone in the soaring glass tower, looking out over the city he thought he ruled, realizing for the very first time that the quiet, soft-spoken woman he had left in the kitchen had just launched a war he wasn't sure he could win.
