Chapter 5 - The Legal Trap
My parents were nothing if not predictable. They didn't just want to win; they wanted to humiliate Emily.
That evening, while I was back at the hotel with my wife and daughter, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find a nervous-looking man holding a manila envelope. "Jacob Carter?" "Yes." "You've been served."
I opened the envelope. It was an emergency ex-parte motion for grandparents' custody. They had hired an expensive family lawyer to claim that Emily was a negligent mother who had endangered her child by taking her out into a blizzard. The absolute audacity of it made me laugh out loud.
Emily looked terrified. "Jacob? What is it?" I handed her the papers and kissed her forehead. "It's their suicide note."
The emergency hearing was scheduled for 9:00 AM the next morning at the county courthouse. My father wanted to blindside us, hoping I wouldn't have time to secure a lawyer. He didn't know I already had a shark on retainer.
At 8:45 AM, Emily and I walked into the courtroom. My parents were already there, sitting behind their high-priced attorney. My mother wore a designer suit, looking at Emily with pure disgust. My father didn't even look at me.
Marcus walked in right behind us, dropping a massive briefcase onto our table with a loud thud. My father's lawyer frowned.
The judge entered and banged the gavel. "We are here for an emergency custody petition," the judge said, reading the file. "Mr. and Mrs. Hayes claim the mother, Emily Carter, is a flight risk and a danger to the infant. Counsel, proceed."
My parents' lawyer stood up. "Your Honor, my clients merely want to protect their granddaughter. Two nights ago, Mrs. Carter was found wandering in a freezing blizzard with the infant, showing severe lack of judgment—"
"Objection," Marcus interrupted smoothly. "Counsel is leaving out the part where my clients were forcibly locked out of their own home by the petitioners." "That house belongs to Hayes Global, Your Honor!" their lawyer snapped.
Marcus smiled. The terrifying, predatory smile of a man holding all the cards. "Speaking of Hayes Global, Your Honor, I would like to submit a motion to dismiss this custody hearing entirely on the grounds that the petitioners are currently the subject of a federal criminal investigation, rendering their home a hostile environment for a child."
The courtroom went dead silent. My father's face lost all its color. He gripped the edge of his table. "What is this nonsense?" my mother hissed.
May you like
Marcus pulled a piece of paper from his briefcase and handed it to the bailiff. "As of 8:00 AM this morning, the FBI and the IRS have executed a search and seizure warrant at the headquarters of Hayes Global, as well as the private residence of Richard and Rebecca Hayes. They are actively being investigated for massive corporate fraud."
My father shot up from his chair. "You little bastard!" he screamed, pointing at me. The facade was gone. The monster was finally showing his face in public.
