Chapter 13 - The Second ChanceThe conference room at Vance & Associates smelled of old leather and polished wood.
It was Monday morning, and Donald Vance was staring at a file folder as if it contained a venomous snake.
"Let me get this straight," Donald said, looking up over his reading glasses at me. "You want to file an emergency petition for temporary guardianship of Courtney’s child—the daughter of the woman who laughed while your father dragged you across your kitchen floor—and you want to cover the legal fees out of your personal foundation?"
"She’s an innocent infant, Donald," I said, leaning back in my leather chair with my arms crossed. "She had nothing to do with her mother's mistakes or my father's crimes."
"Legally speaking, it’s a logistical nightmare," Donald sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "There are state custody filings, background checks on the grandmother, and potential interstate jurisdiction hurdles between Syracuse and Buffalo."
"Then cut through them," I said calmly. "That’s why you're the best corporate and civil attorney in the state."
Samantha walked into the room, holding a freshly printed background dossier. She placed it on the table in front of me.
"I ran a preliminary check on the foster placement," Samantha said, her expression serious. "The baby is currently in a temporary facility in Erie County. Linda Miller has already signed a notarized affidavit supporting your petition for emergency guardianship, stating she wants the child raised in a safe, stable environment rather than the state foster system."
I opened the dossier. A small photograph clipped to the top showed a baby girl with wide, dark eyes and a tuft of light brown hair, wrapped tightly in a hospital blanket.
A sharp, familiar ache pierced my chest.
"When can we get her?" I asked.
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"With a judge's emergency signature, we can have custody transferred to your estate by Wednesday afternoon," Donald said, shaking his head with a mixture of disbelief and deep respect. "Victoria, the press would have a field day with this. The billionaire logistics tycoon adopts the granddaughter of the woman who tried to ruin her."
"I don't care about the press," I said softly, closing the folder. "I care about that little girl."
