Chapter 10 - The Legal Battle Lines
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Mauricio didn't wait for his father to make the first legal move. By 10:00 a.m., he was sitting in the sleek, high-rise office of Marcus Vance—no relation to Camilla, but coincidentally the most ruthless, aggressive family law attorney in Chicago.
Marcus sat behind his glass desk, reviewing the adoption paperwork and the thick investigator’s file Mauricio had slammed down in front of him.
The attorney’s brow furrowed deeper with every page he turned. He finally looked up, taking his reading glasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"This is explosive, Mauricio," Marcus said quietly. "If your father is truly trying to revoke the adoption to gain control of a four-hundred-million-dollar trust fund... this isn't just family court drama. This is federal corporate fraud and criminal conspiracy."
"Can he actually take her away from me?" Mauricio asked, leaning forward, his hands clenched tightly on his knees. "He threatened to have me declared mentally unfit."
Marcus sighed, leaning back in his expensive leather chair. "Arthur Jacobs is an incredibly powerful man. He has two family court judges sitting on his foundation's board of directors. He can definitely file emergency motions to have Renata temporarily placed in state custody while an investigation is conducted."
Mauricio’s blood ran cold. "State custody? They would put her in a group home?"
"Worse," Marcus said grimly. "If Arthur argues that the foster system is too dangerous for a high-net-worth heir, he could easily petition to be named her temporary emergency guardian. She would be placed directly back into his house."
The image of Renata standing on that wobbly stool, her small hands raw and red from the scalding water, flashed violently through Mauricio's mind.
"I will burn the city to the ground before I let him take her back there," Mauricio promised, his voice shaking with absolute conviction.
"We need leverage," Marcus stated, tapping the file. "We have the investigator's report, but it's largely circumstantial. We need hard, undeniable proof that Arthur orchestrated the adoption to hide the heir. We need proof that he was involved in Camilla Vance's death."
"How do I get that?"
"You need to speak to the investigator again," Marcus advised, standing up. "Tell him to stop looking into the mother's past and start looking into the father's bank accounts. If Arthur paid someone to alter those autopsy reports, there will be a money trail. Find the trail, and we can hand Arthur over to the FBI. That’s the only way to permanently stop him."
Mauricio stood up, shaking the lawyer's hand firmly. "I'll get you the proof."
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As Mauricio walked out of the high-rise building and into the cold Chicago air, his cell phone buzzed. It was a text message from the private investigator.
We need to meet. Now. I found something at the hospital.
