Chapter 5
The mahogany conference room of Sterling & Associates smelled of old paper, polished leather, and expensive espresso. Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting sharp geometric patterns across the Persian rug. Julian sat at the head of the long oak table, looking exhausted. Dark circles bruised the skin beneath his eyes, the physical toll of a sleepless night spent reviewing financial portfolios, custody laws, and security logs. Across from him sat Victoria Vance, senior partner and the most formidable family law attorney in the state. She was a woman in her late fifties with iron-gray hair cropped into a sharp bob and eyes that missed nothing.
Victoria closed the thick manila file in front of her, sliding her reading glasses down the bridge of her nose. "You have a legally sound case for emergency temporary custody, Julian. The bruising on the nanny, the audio logs from the hallway, and the pediatrician’s notes regarding the infant’s unexplained weight loss give us enough leverage to secure an ex parte order by noon."
Julian leaned forward, resting his forearms on the polished wood. "Do it. I want her out of the house before the sun sets. I want her assets frozen, her credit cards blocked, and her access to the estate completely terminated."
Victoria raised a thin, perfectly arched eyebrow. "It’s rarely that clean with the Belmont family. Clara’s father still sits on the state banking board. If we hit her too hard without securing her financial records first, she’ll liquidate her offshore accounts and bury us in procedural injunctions for the next three years. We need to be precise."
"I don't care about her money, Victoria. I care about my son," Julian said, his voice rising slightly before he reined it back in. "She threatened him. She treats him like a nuisance to be disposed of."
"I understand the emotional stakes, Julian, but emotion makes sloppy law," Victoria said gently, softening her tone. "We need to trap her legally before she realizes the trap exists. If we serve her with the restraining order while she’s still inside the mansion, she might destroy physical evidence or try to leverage her social standing to intimidate the staff. My recommendation is that we have process servers intercept her at her charity luncheon at the grand hotel downtown. Public humiliation forces her into a defensive posture, limiting her ability to spin a counter-narrative to the press."
Julian tapped his fingers against the table. The thought of dragging his private domestic nightmare into the public eye made his stomach churn, but Clara thrived in the shadows of polite society. Exposing her in broad daylight was the only way to strip away her invincibility. "Do it at the luncheon. Make sure the documentation is airtight."
"It is," Victoria assured him, closing her briefcase with a sharp snap. "And what about your wife’s personal belongings? Her lawyer will demand access to the estate to retrieve them."
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"She can have her clothes and her jewelry," Julian said coldly. "Nothing else. The locks on the east wing have already been rekeyed, and the security detail at the guesthouse has been doubled. She won't get within a mile of Leo."
Victoria stood up, buttoning her tailored charcoal blazer. "I’ll handle the court filings. Meet me at the courthouse at eleven. Try to look like a grieving husband rather than a vengeful executioner, Julian. The judge appreciates theatrical restraint."
