Chapter 10
The stone steps of the county courthouse gleamed wetly under a grey morning sky as a light drizzle began to fall. Downtown traffic hummed in the background, a chaotic contrast to the intense stillness between Ryan and Clara as they walked side by side up the grand staircase. Margaret and Heather remained behind at the house, advised by legal counsel that their presence in the courtroom would serve no constructive purpose. Ryan wore a heavy wool overcoat over his suit, his hands deep in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the heavy oak doors ahead. Clara walked with an effortless grace, her charcoal suit tailored to perfection, holding her briefcase like a shield and a weapon combined.
Inside, the courthouse lobby echoed with the hurried footsteps of lawyers, litigants, and bailiffs. They cleared security quickly, their IDs scanned and verified without incident. By the time they reached Department 402, Marcus Vance—Clara’s attorney—was already waiting outside the double doors, reviewing a thick stack of indexed exhibits with a junior associate.
Marcus looked up as they approached, offering Clara a brief, reassuring nod before casting a sharp glance at Ryan. “Mr. Vance,” Marcus said, his voice deep and professional. “Your counsel filed a motion to vacate the asset freeze an hour ago. I trust you brought the complete documentation for the offshore transfers executed last November?”
Ryan stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at Marcus. “What offshore transfers? That’s corporate restructuring.”
“That’s capital flight from a marital estate, Ryan, and our forensic accountant has tracked every single wire to an unregistered holding company in Delaware,” Marcus replied smoothly, handing a bound copy of the audit report directly to Ryan’s chest. “Your lawyer is going to have a very difficult time explaining that to the judge in ten minutes.”
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Clara did not gloat. She stood beside her attorney, her expression calm, observing the sudden panic flicker across her husband’s face. The man who had stood in their kitchen days ago radiating absolute authority now looked cornered by his own paper trail.
“Shall we go inside?” Clara asked quietly, stepping past Ryan toward the courtroom doors as the bailiff pulled them open to announce the morning docket.
