Chapter 7 - THE TRIAL PREPARATION
By three weeks later, the tide had turned completely.
The story of the "Strawberry Festival Betrayal" had gone viral across the state. Instead of a boycott, Rose & Rye experienced a massive surge of support. Lines stretched around the block on Linden Street every morning. People came from three counties away to buy our hand pies and leave extra tips for the staff.
Inside the bakery, the atmosphere was lighter than it had been in years. Without Wade’s constant criticisms and Marjorie’s passive-aggressive visits, the kitchen ran smoothly and joyfully.
However, the legal battle was far from over.
Wade had posted bail—funded by Marjorie mortgaging her home—and his defense team was preparing a aggressive strategy for the civil divorce and criminal pre-trial hearings.
They were claiming that Wade was suffering from severe psychological distress, that the physical strike at the festival was a "reflexive reaction to a dropping object," and that the financial transfers were standard management decisions meant to protect the business from my supposed mismanagement.
“They’re trying to force a settlement,” Clara told me in her office. “They know if this goes to a full criminal trial, Wade is looking at three to five years in state prison. They want you to drop the fraud charges in exchange for him signing over all claims to the business.”
“No,” I said immediately.
Clara smiled gently. “I knew you’d say that. But there’s one problem.”
She pulled out a financial statement. “Wade’s lawyer has requested a formal court-ordered valuation of Rose & Rye. Because the business’s revenue has spiked thirty percent in the last month due to the publicity, his team is arguing that the bakery is now worth 2.2 million dollars—and they want half of that increase in the divorce property division.”
I sank back into my chair, feeling a sudden chill. “So because my business is succeeding, I owe him more money?”
“On paper, if his team can prove he contributed to the brand’s value over the last nine years, a judge might grant him an equitable distribution award,” Clara explained. “We need to show that his management actually damaged the brand’s core value, and that the recent success is entirely independent of his contributions.”
“I can help with that,” a voice said from the doorway.
Avery Sloan walked into the office, holding a thick binder of market analysis reports.
“Sloan Hospitality spent three weeks auditing Rose & Rye’s operational structure before the festival,” Avery said, sitting beside me. “Our corporate valuation team proved that Wade’s inventory decisions were actually costing the bakery twenty-two thousand dollars a year in wasted stock and high-interest vendor loans.”
Avery handed the report to Clara. “In fact, our report proves that Wade’s operations were dragging the company’s true value down by nearly forty percent. The only reason the business survived was Megan’s labor and original recipes.”
Clara flipped through the pages, her eyes lighting up with professional delight. “This is brilliant, Avery. With this institutional audit, we can crush his valuation claim in court.”
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I looked at Avery, deeply moved by her continued support. “Avery... you’ve spent so much time on this. How can I ever pay you back?”
Avery smiled, reaching out to pat my hand. “You already are, Megan. Every morning I come into your shop, buy two cinnamon rolls, and watch you take your life back. That’s worth more than any consulting fee.”
