Chapter 4 - The Retaliation
Within a week, the Sterling family's high-priced defense attorneys managed to get Diego released on bail. The conditions of his release were strict: a temporary restraining order meant he couldn't come within 500 feet of me, my workplace, or my condo.
But the Sterlings didn't play by the rules.
On Tuesday morning, I arrived at my architecture firm to find my boss, Marcus, looking incredibly stressed. He called me into his office immediately.
"Valerie, I don't know what's going on with your personal life, but we have a major problem," Marcus said, rubbing his temples. "Arthur Sterling called me this morning. He's a major stakeholder in the downtown library expansion project we're bidding on. He told me that if you remain the lead architect on this project, he will personally ensure our firm is blacklisted from every municipal contract in the state."
I felt a surge of anger, but I forced myself to remain perfectly calm. "Marcus, did he write that in an email?"
"No, of course not. He's too smart for that. He called from a burner number," Marcus sighed. "Look, Valerie, you're one of my best designers. But I have a business to run. I can't let one person's messy divorce ruin the firm."
"It's not a messy divorce, Marcus. It's a felony assault case," I said, pointing to the faint scar still visible near my temple. "And if Arthur Sterling wants to play dirty, let him. But do not take me off this project. Give me forty-eight hours. I will handle the Sterlings, and I will secure the library contract. If I fail, I will resign voluntarily."
Marcus hesitated, looking at the determination in my eyes. "Forty-eight hours, Valerie. Not a minute more."
I walked out of his office and immediately called Clara. "Clara, it's time to trigger Phase One. I want a full forensic audit on Sterling Development's public filings. And I want you to file the divorce petition today. Cite extreme cruelty, physical abuse, and financial fraud."
"Already on it," Clara replied. "But there's more. I found something in the public registry. Diego’s name is listed as a co-signer on several of Sterling Development's recent construction loans. He used a forged signature of a co-owner to secure the funding."
My heart leaped. "Whose signature did he forge?"
"Yours, Valerie. He forged your signature as a guarantor using your Capitol Hill condo as collateral for a three-million-dollar business loan."
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I stood frozen in the hallway of my office building. The sheer audacity of it left me breathless. He hadn't just tried to take my apartment at dinner that night. He had already stolen it behind my back, and the dinner was merely a desperate attempt to get me to sign the paperwork retrospectively to cover up his forgery before the bank's quarterly audit.
"They thought I was a victim," I whispered to myself, a dangerous smile spreading across my face. "They have no idea they just handed me the keys to their kingdom."
