Chapter 7 - The Conference Room
At eight o'clock sharp the following morning, the large corner conference room on the twentieth floor of Sarah Lin’s law firm was dead silent.
Alex sat at the far end of the glass table, wearing a rumpled suit, dark circles heavy beneath his eyes. Beside him sat Grace and Fern, both looking completely defeated, stripped of their usual arrogance and designer polish. Beside Alex sat his corporate attorney, a stern man named Richard Vance, who looked thoroughly miserable to be involved in this disaster.
I sat on the opposite side of the table with Sarah, while Ray sat near the door holding a manila folder containing the security camera footage and financial audits.
Sarah opened a thick black binder and slid three identical legal packets across the table.
"Let's make this simple," Sarah began, her tone crisp and businesslike. "We are here to present the terms of an out-of-court global settlement. If these terms are accepted and signed today, my client will agree not to press criminal charges for yesterday's residential burglary, nor will she submit the Luxe Care tax evasion files to the federal authorities."
Richard Vance quickly flipped through the packet, his eyes widening with every page he turned. He leaned over and whispered frantically into Alex’s ear. Alex’s face grew paler by the second.
"What are the terms?" Alex asked, his voice raspy and barely audible.
Sarah laid them out line by line:
"First: Alexander Bennett will execute a immediate, non-contested divorce agreement. Catherine will retain sole ownership of the Oak Brook residence, all furniture inside, her personal investments, and full financial independence. Alex will forfeit all claims to marital asset division."
Grace gasped out loud. "The house?! Alex paid for that house!"
"Silence, Grace!" Richard Vance snapped, glaring at his client's mother. "You're lucky you're not in handcuffs right now!"
Sarah continued without missing a beat:
"Second: Luxe Care Estate Services LLC will be immediately dissolved. Alexander Bennett will pay a lump-sum, tax-free personal injury and back-pay settlement of $450,000 directly to Theresa Walker to cover her medical treatment, rehabilitation, lost wages, and Marcus Walker's remaining nursing school tuition."
Alex swallowed hard, staring at the number on the paper. "Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars?"
"Theresa's MRI results came back late yesterday evening, Alex," I spoke up, my voice steady and cold. "She has two herniated discs in her lumbar spine and severe bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome caused by months of continuous heavy physical labor. Four hundred fifty thousand dollars is a bargain compared to what a civil jury would award her when they see the video of your mother forcing her to iron hundreds of pounds of linen."
Alex looked at his attorney. Richard Vance gave a slow, somber shake of his head, signaling that there was no way out.
"Third," Sarah added, sliding the final page forward. "Grace Bennett and Fern Bennett will sign a legally binding restraining order and non-disclosure agreement. They will never step foot on Catherine's property, contact her, or speak about her publicly again. If they violate this order, the grand larceny video from yesterday will be immediately delivered to the Oak Brook Police Department."
Fern started weeping quietly into her tissue, while Grace sat frozen, clutching her pearl necklace like a shield that had lost all its magic.
"Do we have an agreement, Mr. Bennett?" Sarah asked, holding out an expensive Montblanc pen.
Alex sat in silence for a full minute. He looked at his mother, who couldn't even meet his gaze. He looked at his sister, who had brought this final catastrophe upon them through her greed. And finally, he looked across the table at me—the woman he had underestimated, lied to, and taken for granted for five years.
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"Give me the pen," Alex whispered.
He reached out, his hand shaking slightly, and signed his name on every single line of the settlement agreement.
