Chapter 47 Sweet Revenge
Harper's Pov,
"How could you forget about the literal reason we started this whole thing?" Crew asked.
"Because so much other shit happened that crashing my ex's wedding feels almost quaint now." I laughed bitterly. "Three months ago, the worst thing in my life was Joel dumping me and marrying someone else. Now I'm facing a potential lawsuit, Crew's changing teams, we're moving cities, and Joel's wedding is just another thing on the list."
"Do you still want to go?"
"I don't know. Part of me wants to show up and prove we made it despite everything. But the other part just wants to skip it and start our new life in Vancouver without looking back."
"We have three weeks to decide." Crew kissed the top of my head. "But whatever we do, we do it together."
Maya came home an hour later with takeout and found us on the couch, both staring at our phones like they might explode with more life-changing news.
"You two look shell-shocked," she said, setting food on the coffee table. "What happened?"
"Crew quit the Titans and signed with Vancouver. We're moving in like two weeks. The DA wants to meet me tomorrow about my case. And we might or might not be going to Joel's wedding in three weeks depending on whether we feel like it." I grabbed a container of pad thai. "So just a normal Tuesday."
"Jesus Christ." Maya sat down. "Okay. First things first. Crew, congratulations on Vancouver. That took guts. Second, Harper, I'm coming with you to the DA meeting tomorrow because you're not facing Patricia Hammond alone. Third, about Joel's wedding—"
"We're going," Crew said suddenly.
Both Maya and I looked at him.
"We're going," he repeated, more certain this time. "Harper, you spent three months planning revenge on Joel. You fought a criminal case and hired a PI and exposed a conspiracy all while I was in rehab. You earned the right to show up at that wedding and make him see that he didn't destroy you. We're going."
"But—"
"No buts. We're going to Vancouver to start fresh. But before we do, we're going to that wedding and we're showing everyone that we won. That despite everything Richard and Morrison and Robert Cross tried to do, we're still here and we're still together and we're stronger than any of them thought possible."
Maya raised her takeout container. "I'll drink to that. Metaphorically, since this is pad thai."
"To going to Joel's wedding," I said, raising my own container.
"To not letting assholes win," Crew added.
We tapped our containers together like we were making a toast and for the first time in weeks, I actually felt like maybe we were going to be okay.
We had no jobs. We were moving to a new city. I was still technically being sued. Crew was 33 days clean and terrified of relapsing.
But we had each other.
And apparently, we had enough spite left to crash my ex's wedding before leaving Seattle forever.
That felt like winning.
….
The next morning, Monica picked me up at 8 AM for the meeting with the DA.
Crew wanted to come but I told him to focus on talking to Vancouver's management about relocation logistics. He didn't need to sit through another legal meeting about my case.
Patricia Hammond's office was downtown in a building that screamed government bureaucracy. Monica and I were shown into a conference room where Patricia and Jennifer Walsh were already waiting.
"Ms. Sinclair, Ms. Chen, thank you for coming on short notice." Patricia gestured for us to sit. "I'll get right to the point. Our investigation into Robert Cross's involvement in your case has uncovered significant irregularities."
"What kind of irregularities?" Monica asked.
"The kind that suggest Mr. Cross used his financial relationship with this office to influence the prosecution of Ms. Sinclair." Patricia pulled out a folder.
"We found emails between Mr. Cross's attorney and members of my staff discussing your case before charges were even filed. We found evidence that my office fast-tracked the investigation at Mr. Cross's request. And we found documentation suggesting Jennifer here was specifically assigned to your case because of her connection to Richard Moss."
Jennifer looked like she wanted to sink through the floor.
"As a result," Patricia continued, "we're dropping all involvement in the civil case between Ms. Sinclair and Brianna Cross. Furthermore, we're recommending that the civil court dismiss the lawsuit entirely due to prosecutorial misconduct and improper influence."
I stared at her. "You're dropping everything?"
"We're doing more than that. We're investigating Robert Cross for corruption and abuse of process. Richard Moss is already facing conspiracy charges. And Ms. Sinclair, you're free to pursue a countersuit for malicious prosecution if you choose to."
"She'll definitely be pursuing that," Monica said immediately.
"I figured." Patricia looked at me directly.
"Ms. Sinclair, I owe you an apology. My office was corrupted by outside influence and you nearly went to prison because of it. That's unacceptable. I'm committed to making this right."
"Does Brianna know you're dropping the case?" I asked.
"Her attorneys were notified this morning. I expect they'll be contacting you soon to discuss settlement terms for your countersuit."
Settlement terms. Meaning Brianna was going to have to pay me.
"How much are we talking?" Monica asked.
"That's between you and her attorneys. But given the evidence of corruption and malicious prosecution, I'd say you have a very strong case for significant damages." Patricia stood up. "Ms. Chen will send you the formal documentation. But Ms. Sinclair, as of right now, you're no longer facing any legal action. You're free."
Free.
I'd been fighting for so long I'd forgotten what that word meant.
Monica and I walked out of the building in stunned silence.
"Did that actually just happen?" I asked when we reached her car.
"You won, Harper. Completely." Monica smiled. "Brianna's attorneys are going to settle fast because they know if this goes to trial, you'll destroy them. We're talking six figures minimum, probably more."
"Six figures?"
"Of course. You were maliciously prosecuted by a billionaire who corrupted the DA's office. Yes, six figures. Maybe seven if we push hard enough." She unlocked her car. "Harper, you just went from bankrupt and facing prison to potentially collecting a massive settlement. Your life just completely changed."
I got in the car and just sat there trying to process.
Two hours ago, I was broke and being sued and didn't know if I'd ever clear my name.
Now the DA was dropping everything, investigating Robert Cross for corruption, and I was going to be the one collecting damages instead of paying them.
"I need to call Crew," I said.
I dialed and he answered immediately. "How did it go?"
"They dropped everything. The civil suit, the investigation, all of it. They're going after Robert Cross for corruption instead. And Monica thinks Brianna's going to settle my countersuit for six figures."
"Are you serious?"
"I'm serious. It's over, Crew. I won."
"HOLY SHIT. Harper, that's… that's incredible." His voice got thick. "You actually did it. You exposed the conspiracy and won."
"We did it. You supported me through all of this. We won together."
"I love you so much right now."
"I love you too. And Crew? We're going to that wedding. We're going to show up looking amazing and we're going to dance and we're going to make Joel regret every decision he ever made."
"Damn right we are."
I hung up and looked at Monica. "So what happens now?"
"Now we wait for Brianna's attorneys to contact us with settlement terms. And then you and Crew move to Vancouver and start your new life without any legal baggage following you." She started the car. "Harper, you earned this. After everything you've been through, you earned a clean slate."