Chapter 5 - The Legal Strike
At 8:00 AM the following morning, Elizabeth sat in a corner office on the twelfth floor of a glass skyscraper downtown.
Victoria Vance was a woman in her late forties with razor-sharp blonde hair, tailored navy suits, and an demeanor that suggested she enjoyed court battles the way other people enjoyed Sunday afternoon golf. She reviewed Elizabeth’s timeline, the screenshots, the hotel damage reports, and finally, the video file from the doorbell camera.
When Arthur’s voice came through the laptop speakers—“If you do not remove those posts... I will ensure that every major corporate account in this city drops your firm”—Victoria leaned back in her leather chair and let out a long, slow whistle.
“Unbelievable,” Victoria said, a predatory smile touching her lips. “Arthur Martinez actually walked up to a recorded doorbell camera and delivered a textbook case of civil extortion and tortious interference with business relations.”
“Is it enough?” Elizabeth asked.
“Enough?” Victoria scoffed smoothly. “Elizabeth, my dear, this isn't just enough—this is a goldmine. He gave us the rope, tied the knot, and put his own neck in it.”
Victoria pulled out a legal pad and began scribbling rapidly.
“Here’s what we’re doing today,” Victoria said. “First, we are filing an emergency petition for a Civil Protection Order against Larry Martinez and Arthur Martinez based on harassment and intimidation tactics. Second, we are issuing a formal Cease and Desist letter to Kathleen Martinez for libel per se—defamation that directly impacts your professional trade.”
“What about my job?” Elizabeth asked quietly. “My boss placed me on administrative leave because Arthur’s friends were calling.”
Victoria picked up her desk phone. “What’s your boss’s direct line?”
Ten minutes later, Victoria had Richard on speakerphone.
“Mr. Miller,” Victoria said, her voice dripping with lethal professional authority. “I am Victoria Vance, legal counsel representing Elizabeth Vance. I am calling to inform you that we possess time-stamped video and audio evidence of Mr. Arthur Martinez explicitly stating his intention to illegally interfere with your agency’s commercial contracts as a leverage tactic against my client.”
Silence stretched across the phone line from Richard’s end. “...Audio evidence?”
“Crystal clear 1080p video with directional audio, Mr. Miller,” Victoria said smoothly. “If any client drops your agency citing Elizabeth Vance, those clients—and Mr. Martinez personally—will be named as co-defendants in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit for tortious interference. Furthermore, if your agency penalizes or terminates Miss Vance under pressure from these individuals, we will immediately file a wrongful termination claim against your firm for participating in unlawful retaliation.”
Richard cleared his throat nervously. “Miss Vance... please understand, we value Elizabeth highly. We were only trying to manage public relations—”
“Then manage them correctly,” Victoria cut in coldly. “Reinstate Elizabeth immediately, convert her leave to fully paid remote status, and issue a statement that your agency stands behind its employees against external harassment. You have until noon to send the confirmation email.”
When Victoria hung up, Elizabeth stared at her in shock. “He agreed?”
“Of course he agreed,” Victoria said, winking. “Corporate men like Richard only respect force. Arthur Martinez thought he could bully you because you were young and polite. He forgot that polite girls hire ruthless lawyers.”
By 2:00 PM, official process servers were dispatched across the city.
The first server arrived at Arthur Martinez’s corporate real estate office during an executive board meeting, handing him a formal legal notice for intentional interference with business relations and extortion.
The second server arrived at the Martinez family estate in the gated suburbs, serving Kathleen with a Cease and Desist notice demanding an immediate public retraction of her defamatory statements, accompanied by an itemized claim for damages regarding the hotel suite fees and ruined personal property.
The third server located Larry at a local gym, handing him a temporary restraining order restricting him from approaching Elizabeth’s apartment, place of employment, or contacting her by phone or social media.
At 4:30 PM, Elizabeth’s phone vibrated. It was a text from an unknown number.
“Liz, please. My dad is going insane. My mom is crying in her room. You’re destroying my family over a mistake. Can’t we just talk like we used to?”
May you like
Elizabeth looked at the message. The old Elizabeth—the girl who had cooked Sunday dinners while Kathleen judged her accent, the girl who had paid Larry’s back rent when he was unemployed—might have felt a pang of guilt.
This new Elizabeth simply took a screenshot, forwarded it directly to Victoria Vance for a restraining order violation entry, and blocked the number.
