Chapter 10 - The First Mediation
The law offices of Reed & Associates were located in a glass-and-steel tower that looked like a jagged tooth cutting into the Boulder skyline.
The conference room was cold,
the air conditioned to a crisp sixty-eight degrees.
Jessi sat at the head of the table,
flanked by Phoebe and a team of junior associates.
She wore a sharp,
charcoal-gray suit.
Her hair was pulled back in a tight,
unyielding bun.
She looked every bit the CEO,
not a trace of the woman who had stood shivering in the rain remained.
The door opened,
and Luca walked in.
He was followed by a lawyer who looked like he had been hired from a late-night television ad.
Luca tried to look confident,
but the dark circles under his eyes and the slight tremor in his hands gave him away.
He hadn't been able to afford a hotel.
He had been sleeping in a cheap motel on the outskirts of town,
his last few dollars spent on a suit that didn't quite fit him anymore.
“Jessi,”
he said,
his voice attempting a warmth that wasn't there.
“Can we talk?
Just us?”
“Sit down,
Mr. Vance,”
Phoebe said,
not looking up from her tablet.
“This is a formal mediation.
There is no 'just us' anymore.”
Luca sat,
his lawyer shuffling a disorganized stack of papers.
“We’re here to discuss the terms of the separation,”
Luca’s lawyer began,
his voice nasally.
“My client is seeking a stay of the sale of the Redwood property,
reinstatement of his corporate position,
and fifty percent of the marital assets,
including the holding company.”
Phoebe let out a short,
sharp laugh.
“On what grounds?”
“On the grounds of...
uh...
equitable distribution,”
the lawyer stammered.
“They were married for four years.
Mr. Vance contributed significantly to the 'brand' of the family.”
“The 'brand' of the family?”
Phoebe repeated.
She slid a folder across the table.
“Let’s talk about his contributions.
Here is a list of unauthorized withdrawals from the joint account over the last six months.
Totaling four hundred thousand dollars.
Here are the hotel receipts for several 'business trips' where Mr. Vance was accompanied by various 'consultants' who were not on our payroll.”
Luca went pale.
“That’s...
that’s irrelevant,”
he muttered.
“It’s very relevant to the 'infidelity and malfeasance' clause of the pre-nup,”
Phoebe countered.
“Which,
by the way,
your client signed voluntarily and with his own legal counsel present.”
“The pre-nup is unconscionable!”
Luca’s lawyer shouted,
banging his hand on the table.
“He was under duress!”
“He was under a beach umbrella in the Maldives when he signed the final draft,”
Phoebe said dryly.
“We have the photos.”
Jessi remained silent.
She watched Luca.
She watched the way he wouldn't meet her eyes.
He wasn't a king.
He was a cornered animal.
“Let’s get to the real point,”
Luca said,
ignoring his lawyer.
“The baby.
You can’t keep me from Lily.
I’m her father.
I have rights.
And I’ll make sure every court in this state knows you’re trying to alienate her from me.”
Jessi finally spoke.
Her voice was low,
resonant,
and utterly terrifying.
“You didn't care about Lily when you changed the codes,
Luca.”
“I was thinking about our future!”
he lied.
“No,”
Jessi said.
“You were thinking about your ego.
You wanted to see if you could break me.
You wanted to see if,
in my most vulnerable moment,
you could finally be the one in charge.”
She leaned forward.
“You’re not her father.
A father doesn't leave his child in the rain.
A father doesn't steal from his child’s trust fund to buy his mother a Cartier watch in Miami.”
She slid another paper across the table.
“This is a petition for sole legal and physical custody.
It includes a requirement for supervised visitation only,
pending a full psychological evaluation and a five-year look-back at your financial history.”
Luca’s lawyer looked at the document.
“This is extreme.”
“What’s extreme,”
Phoebe said,
“is the fact that we’ve already filed a criminal complaint for identity theft and corporate fraud.
The FBI is interested in those 'unauthorized withdrawals' from the business account,
Luca.
Since they crossed state lines,
it’s a federal matter.”
The room went dead silent.
Luca felt the air leave his lungs.
He had come here thinking he could negotiate.
He had come here thinking he still had a seat at the table.
He didn't realize that Jessi had already dismantled the table and sold it for parts.
“I’ll give you a choice,”
Jessi said,
standing up.
“Sign the custody agreement.
Waive all claims to the estate and the firm.
In return,
I’ll have my legal team 're-evaluate' the evidence for the fraud charges.
You’ll leave with your freedom,
but nothing else.”
Luca looked at his lawyer.
The man was already packing his bags,
realizing he wasn't going to get paid.
Luca looked at Jessi.
He saw the woman he had underestimated every single day of their marriage.
He saw the architect.
He saw the queen.
“I hate you,”
he whispered.
“I know,”
Jessi replied,
walking toward the door.
“But you’ll find that hatred is a very expensive emotion.
And you’re completely bankrupt.”
She walked out of the room,
the click of her heels on the marble floor sounding like a gavel.
The first mediation was over.
May you like
The war was almost won.
And as she stepped out into the sunlight,
