Chapter 5 - The Trap Closes
The car swerved slightly before Julian corrected his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening against the leather. Cold sweat prickled his forehead.
""A removal order?"" Julian choked out. ""On what grounds? Lily has never spent a single day neglected or mistreated in her life!""
""Child endangerment and gross financial instability,"" Marcus read from a document he was clearly holding. ""Rebecca’s team filed a sealed petition early this morning, supported by forged psychological evaluations and fabricated reports of domestic instability following Elena's death. Vance attached bank statements showing your company accounts overdrawn by millions as proof of impending homelessness.""
""It's a setup,"" Julian whispered, horrified. ""The debt restructuring delay was intentional. She ran down the clock so she could claim I was destitute.""
""And worse,"" Marcus continued, lowering his voice. ""The judge who signed the ex parte order is Judge Harold Montgomery. Rebecca’s uncle.""
Julian slammed his palm against the steering wheel. The corruption ran deeper than he could have imagined. Rebecca hadn't just planned to marry into his wealth; she had orchestrated an airtight legal ambush to strip him of his parental rights, likely using Lily as leverage to seize complete control of the family trust Elena had left behind.
In the back seat, Lily noticed the tension. ""Daddy? Is the bad lady coming?""
Julian caught her reflection in the rearview mirror and forced his breathing to steady. ""No, Lily bug. Daddy is taking care of it.""
""Julian, listen to me,"" Marcus urged. ""Vance has police units assisting the CPS transport team. Since you fled the chapel, they are treating this as parental kidnapping. If you get pulled over, they will arrest you and put Lily in state custody immediately.""
""Where do I go?"" Julian asked, his mind racing through safe houses, friends, and family. Everyone he knew was connected to the high-society circle Rebecca controlled.
May you like
""Head north toward the old river road,"" Marcus said. ""Elena had an uncle who owned a cabin past Pine Ridge. Do you remember the location?""
Before Julian could answer, a set of red and blue flashing lights appeared three cars behind him in the rearview mirror, accompanied by the low wail of a siren.
