Chapter 5 - Gathering the Evidence
The next forty-eight hours were a blur of absolute precision.
I didn’t go into the office. I didn’t answer calls from investors. I handed my company over to my COO and dedicated every second to dismantling Eleanor’s life.
She had left that night in a taxi, screaming curses at me as the rain soaked her silk robe.
But kicking her out was only the first step. I needed absolute proof to ensure she could never, ever come near Maya again.
I hired an elite private investigation firm. The first thing they did was access the home security system.
When we had renovated the house, I had insisted on internal security cameras for safety. I had completely forgotten about them, and clearly, Eleanor had too.
Sitting in my home office with the lead investigator, we pulled up the archived footage.
It was agonizing to watch.
Hours of footage showing Eleanor screaming at Maya. Footage of Eleanor snatching a book out of Maya’s hands and throwing it into the fireplace. Footage of Maya being locked in the laundry room overnight while Eleanor hosted cocktail parties.
I had to leave the room twice to vomit. The guilt was eating me alive.
While I was closing multi-million dollar deals in luxury hotels, my daughter was living in a horror movie.
Next, my lawyers contacted the household staff. Eleanor had fired the old housekeeper, Mrs. Higgins, three months ago.
When my investigator found Mrs. Higgins, she broke down in tears.
“She threatened me, Mr. Sterling,” the elderly woman wept over the phone. “She said if I told you how she treated Maya, she would have me blacklisted from every agency in the state. She said you wouldn't believe me anyway.”
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Higgins,” I told her. “I should have known.”
We also uncovered the financial trail.
Eleanor hadn't just been abusing my daughter; she had been stealing. She had funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars from our joint accounts into offshore trusts under her maiden name.
She had been charging fake 'renovation' expenses to my company. It was a goldmine of fraud.
My legal team was ruthless. We filed for divorce on the grounds of extreme cruelty and fraud.
We filed a restraining order to keep her away from Maya. And we handed the financial evidence over to the district attorney for criminal prosecution.
I was going to make sure Eleanor didn't just lose her status. I was going to make sure she lost her freedom.
Meanwhile, I spent every waking moment with Maya.
I took her to a top pediatrician. The doctor confirmed the malnutrition and severe stress. He prescribed a careful diet and immediate psychological therapy.
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I sat holding Maya's hand in the doctor's office, promising myself that I would spend the rest of my life making up for my absence.
The empire I had built meant nothing if the princess living inside it was suffering in the dark.
