Chapter 12 - The Ghost from the Basement“Daniel?” Maria whispered, the name feeling foreign and toxic on her tongue. “That’s impossible. He emptied our savings and disappeared four years ago. He has no legal right to anything!”
“He didn't need a right,” Richard said, scanning the fine print of the document. “According to this injunction, Daniel never legally filed for divorce. He’s reappeared, partnering with a third-party investor who is funding this lawsuit. They are claiming that every asset you’ve earned, every grant you’ve secured, and your residency in the estate are legally tied to marital property laws in South Carolina.”
“Who is funding him?” Maria demanded, her fear instantly hardening back into the fierce maternal rage that had saved her daughter on the night of the gala. “Who could possibly care enough to dig up a dead marriage from four years ago?”
Richard didn't need to guess. He handed Maria a single photograph attached to the back of the legal brief.
It showed Daniel Delgado standing outside a high-end law office in downtown Charleston, shaking hands with Vanessa Cole’s personal legal representative.
“Vanessa,” Maria breathed, her hands balling into tight fists at her sides. “She’s trying to destroy everything from the outside.”
“She’s trying to humiliate you publicly and strip you of everything you’ve built,” Richard corrected, his jaw set in a hard, rigid line. He reached out, placing his warm hand over her trembling fists. “She doesn't know who she’s messing with. Neither does your so-called husband.”
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“What do we do?” Maria asked, looking up into Richard’s resolute eyes.
“We don't run,” Richard said coldly. “We meet them in court tomorrow morning. And we crush them completely.”
