Chapter 24 - The Trap Is Set
Within a week, the legal machinery of Holloway & Associates began to turn with terrifying speed. Because the probate court in Columbus had been fed fraudulent updates by Sterling’s legal team, our sudden appearance with verified identity documents and original trust seals caused an immediate earthquake in the local legal community.
Marcus Sterling, however, had not yet realized who was holding the axe.
On a cold Friday afternoon, a formal legal subpoena was hand-delivered to the gleaming glass headquarters of Sterling & Vance on Capitol Square. It demanded an immediate, unredacted handover of all communications, asset valuations, and trustee logs regarding the Arthur Vance Estate, citing potential criminal fraud and breach of fiduciary duty.
Kevin and I sat in a quiet coffee shop across the street, watching through the frost-tinted window as a commotion unfolded in the grand lobby of the law firm. We saw junior associates running back and forth, phone lines flashing red, and finally, the familiar, imposing figure of Marcus Sterling himself bursting out of the private elevator, his face flushed with incandescent rage as he yelled into his mobile phone.
"He just got the notice," Kevin whispered, taking a sip of his black coffee, a small, vindictive smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "He thinks it's a routine challenge by some rogue creditor. He has no idea it’s us."
"He’ll know soon enough," I replied, watching Sterling climb into his black town car, his posture rigid with fury. "And when he finds out it was the 'helpless old mother' he and Jessica mocked at Thanksgiving who brought him down, the shock might just kill him."
My phone buzzed in my coat pocket. It was an incoming text from an unknown number. I pulled it out and stared at the screen. The message was brief, but it sent an electric shock straight down my spine.
*“Mom. I know you’re back in town. Jessica left me. The house is gone. Please... let's talk.”*
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It was David. My eldest son.
***
