Chapter 10 - The War for the UnbornI sat straight up in bed, my heart hammering violently against my ribs. "Custody?! He pushed me under freezing water! He almost killed her!"
"On paper, Clara," Arthur explained calmly, pulling out a copy of the emergency filing, "Diego’s legal team is presenting a radically different narrative. They have submitted a sworn affidavit signed by Brenna and two private doctors hired by the Vance family."
He handed the paper to my father.
"They are claiming that you suffer from severe pregnancy-induced psychosis and acute paranoia," Arthur continued. "They claim that last night, you had a hysterical breakdown during dinner, ran outside into the storm yourself, and that Diego was simply trying to restrain you and bring you inside to safety."
"They have the video!" I shouted, my voice shaking with rage. "My father recorded everything!"
"Diego’s attorneys are filing an injunction to suppress the security video," Arthur warned. "They are arguing that the thermal cameras were installed illegally without Diego's consent, violating his privacy rights under state law, making the footage inadmissible in court."
My father didn't flinch. He scanned the legal document, a cold, lethal smile spreading across his lips.
"They want a legal war?" my father said softly, tossing the paper onto the coffee table. "Arthur, call the Governor. Call the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court. And tell our media team to release the first ten seconds of the patio video to every major news network in the country."
Arthur paused. "If we release it to the press, it will create a national media circus, Alvin."
"Let it," I interrupted, my voice suddenly ringing out with a cold, terrifying clarity that surprised even my father.
Both men turned to look at me.
I pulled the warm blanket off my legs, stepped out of bed, and stood tall on the polished hardwood floor, holding my belly with one hand. The helpless, trembling victim who had begged for her life on the frozen patio was gone. In her place stood Alvin Sterling's true daughter.
"Don't just release ten seconds, Arthur," I commanded, my eyes burning with a fierce, unbreakable light. "Release the entire unedited file. Let the world see Diego Castillo watching his pregnant wife freeze. Let the world see Brenna trying to burn the contracts."
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I looked at my father, meeting his gaze with absolute determination.
"They wanted to use my baby to take your empire, Dad," I said, my tone as sharp as forged steel. "Now, I’m going to use their own greed to destroy them."
