Chapter 6 - The Tiger Awakens
David saw the expression on my face and quickly raised his hands, shaking his head. "Clara, for the record, I told him it was a monumentally stupid idea. I told him that threatening a custody battle would permanently destroy any remaining bridge between you."
"And what did he say?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"He said desperate times call for desperate measures," David admitted, looking genuinely ashamed. "He believes you’ll fold the moment anyone threatens your child. It’s the way he’s operated his entire life—find the leverage point, apply maximum pressure, and break the opponent's will."
I stood up slowly from the kitchen table. My chair scraped against the floor with a sharp, definitive sound.
"David," I said, looking down at the attorney with eyes that felt like broken glass. "Tell my father something for me."
"What's that?"
"Tell him he just made the biggest mistake of his life."
I walked over to the counter, picked up my phone, and dialed a number I had saved under a private contact: Marcus Vance - Senior Partner, Family & Corporate Litigation, Vance & Sterling. Marcus was widely considered the most ruthless, expensive, and devastatingly effective trial lawyer in the state of South Carolina. I had hired him once to help restructure my consulting firm's intellectual property assets.
The phone rang twice before a deep, calm voice answered. "Clara? Good to hear from you. What can I do for you?"
"Marcus," I said, staring out the kitchen window at the falling snow. "I need to retain you for a dual-action case. Corporate asset receivership and an immediate preemptive protective filing regarding parental rights and familial harassment."
There was a brief pause on the other end, and then Marcus let out a low whistle. "Corporate receivership and family defense? Sounds like someone declared war. Who’s the opposing party?"
"Robert Sterling," I replied evenly. "My father."
Marcus chuckled darkly. "Well, Clara. Consider it done. Send over the files. Let's show him what happens when a lion wakes up."
I hung up the phone and turned back to David Mercer, who was staring at me with undisguised shock.
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"You're actually going to burn them to the ground," David said, breathing out slowly.
"They brought a match to a powder keg, David," I replied, walking back to the table and sliding the manila envelope back into his briefcase. "Now tell them to get ready for the explosion."
