Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Serving Notice
By Wednesday, Marcus Thorne had finalized the civil lawsuit. He called me into his office at 2:00 PM, presenting a neatly bound stack of legal documents.
"We are filing for a full asset freeze extension, a petition for total restitution, and punitive damages for emotional distress regarding Anna," Marcus explained, tapping his pen against the desk. "Furthermore, the forensic accountant I hired found exactly what we suspected. Robert has been hiding personal income under his business LLC for years to avoid taxes. The IRS didn't just accept our tip—they already assigned an investigator."
"How long until they are served?" I asked.
"Today," Marcus smiled thinly. "In about thirty minutes, a process server will arrive at Robert’s office, Janet’s house, and Sabrina’s apartment. They are being hit simultaneously so they can't coordinate their stories or hide any remaining physical assets."
I felt a profound sense of relief, but also a lingering chill. This was total war.
My phone vibrated on Marcus’s desk. It was an email notification from my manager at work. The subject line read: Urgent: Complaint received regarding professional conduct.
I opened it, my heart dropping. Janet had carried out her threat. Attached to the email was a lengthy, unhinged letter written by my mother to my company’s HR department, claiming I was unstable, extorting my elderly parents, and using company resources to run an illegal harassment campaign against them.
May you like
"What is it?" Marcus asked, noticing my sudden paleness.
I handed him the phone. He read it, his eyes narrowing. Instead of looking worried, a slow, predatory grin spread across his face. "Your mother just handed us the perfect ammunition. This is tortious interference. She just tried to destroy your livelihood to force you to drop a legal matter. I'm adding a defamation and interference suit to the pile before the court closes today."
