Chapter 5 - The Ambush at SunsetOwen didn't hesitate. "Clara, take Maya and Lily out through the back door! Drive my truck to your sister’s house in Kentucky! Don't tell anyone where you are!"
"Owen, no! I’m not leaving you!" Clara cried out, grabbing his arm.
"They are going to use the legal system to take Lily away from us if we don't move now!" Owen yelled, grabbing the manila adoption file and shoving it into a backpack. "They have judges and police chiefs in their pockets! If child services gets involved under a fake kidnapping report, Eleanor will take temporary custody of Lily, and we will never see her again! GO!"
Clara saw the fierce, unyielding determination in Owen’s eyes. She nodded quickly, turning to run down the hallway to grab a sleeping Lily from her bed. Maya grabbed her coat, following Clara toward the kitchen door leading to the garage.
Owen stood alone in the hallway as the heavy brass knocker on his front door clanged three times.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Owen opened the door, keeping the chain latch engaged. Standing on the porch was a tall man with slicked-back gray hair and a cold, calculating face. Owen recognized him immediately: Marcus Vance (no relation to Maya), the primary chief legal counsel for Whitlock Enterprises.
"Good morning, Owen," Marcus said, his voice entirely devoid of warmth. "Your mother is very concerned about your mental state after last night’s incident. She feels you're acting recklessly."
"Get off my porch, Marcus," Owen said coldly.
"We know Maya Vance is inside," Marcus said, stepping closer to the door crack. "She is mentally unstable, Owen. She has been pursuing fraudulent claims against your family estate for years. If you are harboring her, you are aiding in extortion. Furthermore, your mother has filed a formal petition with the probate court to review the legal custody of Lily."
"On what grounds?" Owen demanded, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the door frame.
"On the grounds that the St. Jude adoption agency was dissolved under federal investigation for illegal placement protocols," Marcus replied with a cruel, thin smile. "Technically, Lily’s adoption from seven years ago was never fully ratified by the state. She is currently considered a ward of the state under administrative review. As her prospective grandmother and legal guardian of the estate, Eleanor has applied for emergency temporary custody pending a full background check of your household."
The audacity of the scheme was breathtaking. Eleanor was using the very corruption she had created to rip Lily away from the only father she had ever known.
"She will never touch my daughter," Owen hissed.
"She’s not your daughter, Owen," Marcus said softly, his eyes narrowing. "She never was. She’s an asset of the estate. Hand over the girl, and your mother will make sure you receive your share of the trust on New Year’s Eve. Fight this, and you will lose your license, your savings, and your freedom."
Owen smiled—a dark, dangerous smile that surprised even himself.
"You tell my mother," Owen said quietly, "that I’m coming to the New Year’s Eve trust meeting. And I won't be coming alone."
May you like
Owen slammed the door shut, slid the deadbolt into place, and ran straight out the back entrance into the snowy yard. The sound of his truck engine roaring to life in the distance signaled that Clara, Lily, and Maya had safely escaped.
Now, it was time for Owen to go on the offensive.
