Chapter 12 - The Turning Tide
Marcus sneered, attempting to hold his ground against Julian’s imposing presence, but the cold, absolute certainty in the lawyer’s eyes made him hesitate. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his arrogant smirk faltering just slightly as he realized he was no longer dealing with a desperate bride, but with a ruthless litigator pushed to his absolute limit.
“You think a couple of empty threats and courtroom bluffs scare me, Julian?” Marcus scoffed, though he instinctively took half a step backward into the hallway.
“She legally owes me every single cent, and until she signs over the deed to that penthouse and the business shares, I will make sure neither she nor her precious mother ever know a single day of peace.”
“Your leverage just expired, Marcus,” a sharp, professional voice echoed from behind him in the corridor.
Arthur Vance stepped out from around the corner, holding a sleek tablet computer displaying a newly timestamped digital document. The older attorney adjusted his glasses, stepping past Marcus to enter Room 402 with the unhurried grace of a general inspecting captured territory.
Marcus turned his head, narrowing his eyes at the older lawyer.
“What are you talking about, old man? My injunctions were airtight.”
“They were airtight,” Arthur corrected smoothly, pausing right beside Julian and Maya.
“Until our firm conducted a forensic audit of the initial seed funding you claimed to have invested in Ms. Lin’s company three years ago. Turns out, Mr. Vance, the capital you used to launch her firm didn't originate from your personal accounts at all. It was funneled directly from an un-dissolved corporate partnership account tied to your previous employer—an employer who filed federal charges for corporate embezzlement nearly four years ago.”
The color drained entirely from Marcus’s face. The arrogant smirk vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden, frantic panic that made his dark eyes dart nervously down the hallway toward the elevators.
“That’s—that’s a complete fabrication,” Marcus stammered, his voice losing its confident edge as he took another step back.
“You’re bluffing. You don’t have proof of that.”
“I have a federal subpoena signed by Judge Callahan less than ten minutes ago,” Arthur replied calmly, turning the tablet screen so Marcus could clearly read the digital seal flashing in red.
“The moment you filed this civil injunction against Maya Lin, you drew public attention to an audit trail that the federal district attorney’s office has been trying to trace for years. Federal marshals are currently securing your primary residence and freezing all your holding accounts as we speak.”
Marcus stared at the screen, his chest heaving as the terrifying reality of his own trap crashing down around him finally set in. Without uttering another single word, he spun around on his heel and sprinted down the hospital corridor toward the exit stairwell, disappearing into the shadows.
May you like
Maya stood motionless, watching him flee, the heavy weight that had crushed her chest all afternoon finally beginning to lift. She turned slowly toward Julian, her eyes filled with an overwhelming mixture of exhaustion, gratitude, and deep, enduring love.
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