Chapter 6 - The Midnight Summons
Headlights sliced through the dense darkness of the forest, blinding the cabin's front windows in a harsh, intrusive glare. Richard gently lifted a sleeping Lily from the sofa, carrying her upstairs to the safety of the back bedroom before grabbing his heavy winter coat and walking toward the front door. He pulled it open just as a sharp, commanding knock echoed across the porch. Standing on the wooden steps was not Catherine, but a tall, imposing man in a charcoal trench coat holding a silver-trimmed leather folio—Arthur Pendelton, the senior partner of the city's most ruthless family law firm. Arthur didn't smile; he merely adjusted his glasses and stepped past Richard uninvited, tracking melted snow onto the rustic floorboards. “You made a bold move at the board meeting today, Richard, but you severely underestimated the depth of Catherine’s reach,” Arthur said smoothly, warming his hands by the dying embers of the fireplace. Richard locked the front door slowly, turning around with his fists clenched deep inside his coat pockets. “If you’re here to deliver another set of empty threats from my wife, save your breath and get off my property before I throw you out myself,” Richard warned, his voice dangerously low. Arthur let out a dry, condescending laugh, opening his folio and sliding a single piece of paper across the rough wooden table. “They aren't threats, Mr. Vance. They are emergency court orders. A judge has just granted Catherine full temporary physical custody based on an amended affidavit claiming you fled the jurisdiction with a minor.” Richard stared at the paper in disbelief, the legal wording swimming before his eyes. Arthur looked up, his expression turning stone-cold. “If you don't return the child to the Manhattan penthouse by tomorrow morning at nine sharp, local law enforcement will be authorized to treat this as an abduction.”
