Chapter 8 - The Emergency Injunction
At 1:00 PM, the family court room of Judge Evelyn Sterling was opened for an emergency ex-parte hearing. Harrison Vance stood at the plaintiff’s table, surrounded by three corporate paralegals, his face tight with professional arrogance.
"Your Honor," Vance argued, leaning over the podium. "My client, Mrs. Eleanor Miller, is simply requesting an emergency temporary protection order to secure the safety of the family estate assets, which are currently being threatened by her son's highly volatile and emotionally unstable actions. He has removed confidential corporate files without authorization."
Judge Sterling, a sharp-featured woman with three decades of experience, didn't look at the corporate documents. She looked down at Elena Ruiz, the attorney my sister and I had hired two hours ago.
"Mrs. Ruiz," the judge said. "Do you have a response to these allegations?"
"We do, Your Honor," Elena said, stepping forward with a laptop connected to the courtroom projection screen. "We request permission to introduce the local storage files recovered from the Miller estate residence less than twelve hours ago."
The monitor flared into life.
The video showed the mahogany office. My mother was standing over Ava, forcing her face upward while Ava cried in pain. The camera captured the exact moment my mother slapped Lena, causing the wheelchair to tip violently over onto the hardwood floor.
“You won't remember refusing,” my mother’s voice came through the high-definition audio track with absolute clarity.
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A collective, sharp gasp rippled through the small gallery. One of Harrison Vance’s paralegals slowly closed her binder, took off her glasses, and sat down, completely abandoning the defense table.
"Mr. Vance," Judge Sterling said, her voice dropping into a register that made the veteran lawyer flinch. "If your client is still attempting to access any corporate or personal accounts linked to Ava Miller, I am issuing a direct directive to the county sheriff for immediate arrest on charges of felony assault, corporate fraud, and child/dependent endangerment. This hearing is adjourned."
