Chapter 7 - Cast Out
By dawn, the cold reality of their situation sank in. Sitting beside Leo’s crib in the dim room, watching the steady green glow of the heart monitor, Julian calculated their assets. Eleanor controlled the corporate empire, the family bank accounts, and the lease on their apartment, which was registered under the Vance Foundation.
""We have twelve hundred dollars in our personal checking account,"" Julian said quietly to Amy, showing her his phone screen. ""Everything else—my salary, my shares, my townhouse—has been locked down under an injunction. She wants to starve us out.""
Amy brushed Leo’s soft hair away from his forehead. The boy’s skin was cool again, his breathing deep and rhythmic. A transformation had occurred in Amy's eyes overnight; the timid girl desperate to appease her aristocratic mother-in-law had died in that dining room.
""Let her take the money,"" Amy said, her voice steady and resolute. ""I grew up with nothing, Julian. I survived on shift work and thrift stores. She thinks she can break me by taking your wealth? She has no idea who she is dealing with.""
Julian looked at his wife with renewed admiration. ""We need legal representation for the nine o’clock hearing. Without an attorney, the judge will rubber-stamp her temporary custody motion based on her social standing.""
""Call Sarah Lin,"" Amy stated firmly.
May you like
Julian blinked. ""Sarah Lin? The public interest attorney who sued my mother’s real estate syndicate three years ago?""
""The very same,"" Amy replied, pulling out an old business card from her purse. ""She hates your mother’s arrogance more than anyone in this state. And she fights dirty.""
