Chapter 4 - The Fortress of Law
The mahogany-paneled office of Attorney Marcus Sterling was bathed in the harsh morning light of downtown Chicago. Marcus, a veteran family law advocate with thirty years of trial experience, spread the police reports, Dr. Vance's medical assessment, and Maria's recorded logs across his desk. Beside him, two plainclothes detectives sat listening attentively as the audio from the basement camera played through the laptop speakers.
Evelyn’s recorded voice echoed in the room, cold and calculating: "If you tell your father about this room, Sophie, you won’t have a father anymore. He doesn't love little girls who complain."
One of the detectives, a burly man named Rodriguez, abruptly shut the laptop lid, his jaw clenched. "That is more than enough for a Class 2 felony charge of aggravated child endangerment and unlawful restraint. The magistrate has already signed the emergency protective order. Mrs. Vance has officially been barred within one thousand yards of both of you."
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"What about her family's lawyers?" Daniel asked, his voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Her father is a senior partner at a corporate firm. They will throw every dime at this to suppress the footage."
Marcus Sterling leaned forward, his gaze cutting. "Let them try, Daniel. Money can buy delays, but it cannot buy back the soul of a woman who starved a six-year-old child on camera. We are filing for an immediate, fault-based divorce, permanent custody termination on her part, and criminal indictment. We take no settlements. We accept no apologies."
