Chapter 69
Chapter 69: The Threat of the Past
The peace of 2045 was briefly interrupted by a legal ghost. A distant cousin on Janet’s side of the family—a opportunistic man named Richard who had gone bankrupt in the recent economic downturn—filed a civil petition in Virginia, claiming that the liquidation of Robert’s estate in 2026 had improperly excluded certain familial trust allocations that he was entitled to.
He was trying to extract a quick settlement from Anna and me, targeting our current wealth by tying us up in a lengthy probate dispute.
Marcus Thorne’s old firm handled the response, but this time, it was managed by a brilliant young associate whom Marcus had mentored personally.
We met in a small conference room in Richmond. Richard sat across from us, accompanied by a cheap, aggressive attorney who kept tapping his fingers on a leather briefcase.
"My client is prepared to drag this through the appellate courts for years, Ms. Davis," the lawyer threatened, leaning forward with a smug smile. "The public records from the 2026 IRS audit are incredibly messy. It would be highly inconvenient for your daughter’s global design firm to be associated with an ongoing fraud investigation, even an old one."
I didn't even look at the lawyer. I looked directly at Richard, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, unable to meet my eyes.
"Richard," I said, my voice cutting through the room like a razor. "In 2026, I put my own parents in prison and forced my sister into a felony conviction to protect my daughter. I spent ten years watching every single cent they possessed be stripped away by the federal government. Do you honestly think a bankrupt cousin with a third-rate lawyer scares me?"
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The associate attorney next to me slid a single document across the table. "This is a motion for immediate summary dismissal, coupled with a petition for maximum sanctions for filing a frivolous, bad-faith lawsuit. If you don't withdraw this petition by 5:00 PM today, we will initiate a counter-suit that will liquidate whatever remaining assets you have left."
Richard’s face drained of color. He stood up so fast he nearly knocked his chair over, grabbed his briefcase, and walked out of the room without saying a word to his own lawyer. The old defense still held: you don't mess with a mother who has already conquered the wolves.
