Chapter 7 - The Legal Battle
The bliss of the holidays was soon met with the cold reality of the legal system. A week into the new year, Arthur’s legal team informed him that a distant maternal relative, a man named Richard, had caught wind of the situation. Learning that the girls were now in the care of a billionaire, Richard filed for custody, aiming for a massive financial payout under the guise of family unity.
The court hearing was set for late January. Arthur refused to let the girls know the stress he was under. He hired the best child psychologists to help them transition into their new school, and he spent every evening reading them bedtime stories and helping them with their homework.
Zelda, however, was highly perceptive. One evening, she found Arthur staring out the window of his study, looking burdened.
"Are they going to make us leave?" she asked from the doorway, her voice small.
Arthur turned around immediately, walking over to kneel in front of her. "No, Zelda. I am fighting for you with everything I have. No one is taking you away from me."
May you like
"Richard isn't nice," Zelda whispered, looking down. "He visited us once when Mom was sick. He shouted at her for money. We hid under the bed."
Arthur’s resolve hardened into steel. "He will never get near you again. I promise you."
