Chapter 6 - The Subpoena and the Trap
The next morning, the legal counter-offensive struck like lightning.
By 9:00 AM, two federal marshals accompanied by Mr. Henderson stood at the front security gates of Sterling Enterprises, serving Arthur Sterling with an emergency petition for an ex-parte restraining order, full custody restoration, and a mandatory forensic DNA audit.
Inside his executive office, Arthur stared at the legal documents spread across his desk, his hands shaking with a mixture of disbelief and murderous rage.
“She’s moving faster than I anticipated,” Arthur muttered, slamming his fist onto the glass desktop. He looked up at Marcus Vance. “Did you dig up anything on the boy's foster background yet?”
“We found something better, sir,” Marcus said with a grim, tight-lipped smile, tossing a thick manila folder onto the desk. “Or rather... something very convenient.”
Arthur opened the folder. Inside were adoption agency intake forms, behavioral incident reports, and a signed statement from an aging, disgruntled former foster supervisor in Queens who claimed Tyler had a history of compulsive lying, petty theft, and erratic behavior.
“Is this real?” Arthur asked, hope flaring in his chest.
“It’s real enough for a family court judge to question the boy’s stability,” Marcus said smoothly. “If we leak these files to the family court magistrate assigned to the emergency custody hearing tomorrow morning, we can frame Victoria’s sudden discovery of the 'long-lost twin' as an elaborate, unstable delusion engineered by a disgruntled mother experiencing a psychological break.”
Arthur stared at the fabricated documents, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face. “Genius, Marcus. Paint her as mentally unstable, cast doubt on the boy’s identity, and drag the proceedings out for years until the public loses interest.”
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“There’s just one complication,” Marcus added cautiously. “The DNA test ordered by the court is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at St. Catherine’s Medical Center. If the genetic markers match—which they will—all our paperwork won't save us from perjury charges.”
“Then we make sure the DNA test never happens,” Arthur said coldly.
