Chapter 7
Chapter 7 - The AllianceJulian’s open appearance in Oakhaven changed the game. He wasn't trying to kidnap her in the dark anymore; he was staging a legal siege. The next morning, a local sheriff’s deputy arrived at Clara’s cottage, handing her a court summons. Julian had filed for emergency custody and mental health evaluation in Boston, claiming she was a danger to herself and had stolen marital assets."He’s trying to freeze me out," Clara said, pacing the floor of Liam’s kitchen. "If I don't show up in Boston, the judge will issue a warrant for my arrest. If I do show up, he wins."
Liam sat at the table, a cup of untouched coffee in front of him. With them was Deputy Thomas, a longtime friend of Liam’s who had no love for big-city lawyers using his town as a playground.
"We can't fight him on his turf, Clara," Thomas said, reviewing the paperwork. "He has the judges in his pocket. We need to find something that strips him of his power before you ever step into a courtroom."
Clara stopped pacing. Her designer mind, trained to see patterns and hidden structures, began to piece together a memory. "Julian’s firm... they don't just defend criminals. They launder money for offshore real estate developers. He keeps a digital ledger—encrypted, but he keeps it on a private server in his home study. He always boasted that it was his insurance policy against his own partners."
"Can you get it?" Liam asked, his eyes locking onto hers.
"Not from here," Clara said. "But the server syncs to a cloud backup every Friday at midnight. If I can get close enough to his firm’s secure network hub in Portland—where they have a satellite office—I might be able to use my old administrative credentials to download the encrypted logs before he revokes my access."
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"It’s a trap," Liam said immediately. "He knows you’ll try something. He’s baiting you."
"Let him bait me," Clara said, a fierce, cold resolve hardening her features. The fear that had defined her for years was transforming into something sharp and dangerous. "I spent four years letting him dictate the rules of my life. It’s time to change the game."
