Chapter 5 - The Legal War
The following Monday, the courthouse was a battleground. Andrew arrived looking disheveled, his expensive suit wrinkled, his eyes bloodshot. Cynthia was nowhere to be seen; the moment his accounts were frozen, she had packed her bags and vanished, taking whatever cash he had left in the penthouse safe.
Andrew walked into the closed-door courtroom, expecting to face a weak, court-appointed lawyer. Instead, he was met by a wall of black suits. Marcus Vance, the nation's most feared corporate and criminal defense attorney, stood at the front, flanked by five senior legal partners.
Sitting in the front row, looking sharp and immaculate, was Arthur Vance. Next to him sat Caleb, wearing a small, tailored suit, his gaze fixed on his father with unyielding defiance.
"Where is Ellen?" Andrew sneered, trying to bluster his way through his terror. "She’s too weak to even show up! This court has no right to hold my assets based on the complaints of an estranged father!"
The judge, a stern woman with a reputation for zero tolerance, banged her gavel. "Sit down, Mr. Andrew. Keep your mouth shut until you are asked to speak."
Marcus Vance stepped forward, opening a thick leather portfolio. "Your Honor, we are presenting undeniable forensic evidence of systematic financial abuse, identity theft, and criminal neglect. Over the past three years, the defendant has diverted over four million dollars from his wife's medical trust into offshore accounts under the name of his mistress, Cynthia Blake."
"That's a lie! She signed those transfers!" Andrew shouted.
"She signed them under extreme duress and medical manipulation," Marcus countered smoothly. He pulled out a tablet and pressed play.
An audio recording filled the courtroom. It was Caleb’s voice, clear and steady, recorded from the smart-home device he had secretly activated months ago.
"Keep an eye on your mother so she doesn’t die ahead of schedule. I still have to transfer the remaining accounts..." Andrew’s recorded voice echoed through the courtroom, cold, heartless, and damning.
The judge’s face turned to stone. The courtroom was dead silent. Andrew fell back into his chair, his face losing all color.
"Furthermore," Marcus continued, "medical records from Vance Memorial show that the defendant purposefully withheld life-saving oncology medication from Mrs. Ellen, substituting them with ineffective placebos to accelerate her condition while he finalized the asset transfers."
Andrew looked at Caleb, his eyes wild with fury. "You little brat! You did this! You ruined everything!" He lunged forward, trying to grab his son.
Before he could even step close, two burly court bailiffs tackled Andrew to the ground, slamming his face against the polished floor.
"Andrew," the judge announced, her voice dripping with disgust. "You are hereby stripped of all parental rights effective immediately. Your assets will remain frozen permanently and transferred entirely into a trust for Caleb Vance under the guardianship of Arthur Vance. Furthermore, you are being remanded into custody without bail, pending trial for attempted murder, grand larceny, and child endangerment."
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As the bailiffs dragged a screaming, weeping Andrew out of the courtroom in handcuffs, Arthur stood up. He didn't look at his disgraced former son-in-law. He simply looked down at Caleb and smiled.
"Come, Caleb," Arthur said gently. "Let's go tell your mother the good news."
