Chapter 5 - The Morning Summons
By 8:00 AM, neither of us had slept. The sun rose over the neighborhood, casting long, mocking beams of light across the kitchen counter. My phone buzzed violently against the marble surface.
It was Robert Hastings, our lead corporate attorney.
"Daniel, are you near a secure line?" Robert’s voice was clipped, devoid of his usual jovial morning banter.
"I'm at home with Natalie. Put yourself on speaker."
Robert cleared his throat. "Aaron Vance’s legal team filed an emergency motion at the county courthouse thirty minutes ago. They’ve initiated a pre-judgment attachment freeze on your commercial operating accounts. He’s claiming breach of contract, asserting that an oral agreement existed regarding an emergency bridge loan of $214,000, and he’s alleging your firm is insolvent due to internal embezzlement."
My heart plummeted into my stomach. "He froze our operating accounts? Robert, payroll runs tomorrow! We have sixty drivers across three states who need their paychecks!"
"I know, Daniel," Robert sighed heavily. "Aaron played this brilliantly. By claiming insolvency and potential fraudulent transfer by your internal bookkeeper—Natalie—he persuaded a duty judge to lock the liquidity reserves until an expedited preliminary hearing on Friday. He’s trying to choke you out. If you miss payroll, your drivers walk, your shipping contracts default, and your company value tanks before we even see a courtroom."
"What does he want?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"His lawyer sent an informal settlement memo alongside the filing," Robert replied grimly. "Aaron will drop the freeze and provide $300,000 in immediate private liquidity if you execute the partnership agreement from last night. He wants forty-nine percent voting equity, and he wants full managerial authority over procurement."
He wasn't trying to steal money anymore. He was executing a hostile takeover by manufactured bankruptcy.
I looked across the table at Natalie. The dark circles under her eyes were stark, but something in her posture had changed overnight. The paralyzed terror was gone. In its place was a hard, cold resolve.
"Tell his lawyers we will see them in court on Friday, Robert," Natalie spoke directly into the speakerphone.
Robert paused. "Natalie, you need to understand. If this goes to a public hearing, the forensic audit will scrutinize every keystroke you made on that ledger. The criminal liability risk for you personally—"
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"I know the risks, Mr. Hastings," Natalie interrupted, her voice steady and clear. "Tell them no settlement. We fight."
I looked at my wife, feeling a sudden surge of pride cutting through the lingering hurt. "You heard her, Robert. Prepare the counter-filings. We're going to war."
