Chapter 14 - Bloodline Doubts
By Thursday morning, the war moved directly into our personal lives.
A courier delivered a summons from the Superior Court of New York.
Harrison Sterling had filed an emergency petition demanding a court-mandated paternity and custody review regarding Theodore.
The documents alleged that Raymond had illegally altered his living trust to bestow five hundred million dollars upon an unrelated minor whose legal guardianship was questionable.
Worse, the tabloid press had obtained copies of the filing.
Reporters were now parked in vans along the private perimeter gates of Bellevue Crest, thrusting telephoto lenses through the iron railings whenever Theodore was taken into the garden.
"They are trying to claim Theodore is my late husband’s son through an illegitimate line," I sobbed in the library, clutching Theodore tightly against my chest.
Theodore could feel my distress, burying his face into my shoulder, whimpering softly.
"My ex-husband, Greg, was a violent drunk who abandoned us before Theodore was even born!"
"He signed away all parental rights in a closed family court session three years ago!"
Raymond stood before the stone fireplace, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.
His jaw was set like carved granite.
"They are attempting to wear you down, Nora," Raymond said, his voice trembling with controlled fury.
"They know that you are my emotional anchor."
"If they break your spirit, they believe I will collapse back into apathy."
Arthur arrived an hour later, carrying a thick portfolio compiled by a private intelligence firm.
"We tracked the source of the leak to the press," Arthur stated, placing photographs of a familiar man onto the table.
The photographs showed my ex-husband, Greg.
He looked sober, heavily groomed, wearing an expensive tailored suit, walking out of Harrison Sterling's Manhattan law office.
My breath seized in my throat.
"Greg?" I whispered, my world spinning out of control.
"How did they find him?"
"He was in prison in Ohio for aggravated assault!"
"Sterling’s associates paid his outstanding bail and settled his restitution fees," Arthur revealed grimly.
"They have bought him completely."
"Greg has signed an affidavit claiming that you fled Ohio with Theodore without his consent, and that he was coerced into relinquishing his parental rights."
"He is demanding full custody of Theodore and an emergency restraining order against Raymond."
"No!" I screamed, breaking down completely into uncontrollable tears.
"He beat me until I lost my first pregnancy!"
"He nearly killed me on the kitchen floor before the police dragged him away!"
"He will kill my baby, Raymond!"
"He will kill Theodore!"
Raymond walked across the room with swift, decisive strides.
He knelt down in front of me, taking my trembling hands in his own.
His eyes burned with an intensity that completely erased any lingering traces of the paralyzed invalid he had once been.
"Hear me, Nora," Raymond spoke, his voice deep, resonant, and absolute.
"As long as breath remains in my body, no one will lay a finger on Theodore."
"Not Greg."
"Not Sterling."
"Not Julian Vance."
"I have given Theodore my name, and I will tear down the entire state legal apparatus before I let that monster touch this boy."
He turned to Arthur, his eyes cold as winter ice.
"Call our contacts in the Department of Justice," Raymond commanded.
"Unseal Greg’s federal records from Ohio."
"Find the judge who granted his early release."
"And Arthur..."
"Yes, Raymond?"
May you like
"Double the armed perimeter security at the gates."
"Tonight, Bellevue Crest goes into complete lockdown."
