Chapter 74 Court preparation
Vivienne's Pov
"Thank you for having my back in there. I know refusing Damien's help makes your job harder. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't make another deal with that family."
Her response came a few minutes later.
"Your instincts are good. Trust them. And don't worry about making my job harder. The hard cases are the ones worth fighting. See you at the hearing next week."
The hearing. Right. Next week we will be in court for the first time. Motions for asset disclosure and temporary spousal support and access to corporate records.
The real beginning of the legal battle.
I went upstairs and found Sarah in her kitchen, true to her word, making comfort food. Pasta with garlic bread and a salad. Simple but exactly what I needed.
"Tell me everything," she demanded as I sat down at her small kitchen table.
So I did. I told her about Damien's offer.
About the offshore accounts he claimed Raphael had hidden. About the stock he wanted in exchange. About how his whole plan was really just another scheme to hurt Marcus and get back into the company.
"And you said no," Sarah said when I finished, setting a plate of pasta in front of me.
"I said no."
"Good." She sat down across from me with her own plate. "Because that man is a snake. Maybe Raphael is a snake too, but at least you know what you're dealing with there. Richard? He would have used you and then thrown you away just like Rapheal did. Probably worse."
"Monica thinks we can find the offshore accounts without his help. If they exist."
"And if they don't exist?"
"Then I walked away from nothing."
Sarah raised her glass of water in a toast. "To walking away from nothing. And to not making deals with attempted murderers."
I clinked my glass against hers. "To not making deals with attempted murderers."
We ate in comfortable silence for a while. The pasta was perfect, with just the right amount of garlic and olive oil. The kind of simple meal that felt like home.
My phone buzzed. Unknown number again.
I looked at the screen and felt my stomach tighten.
"You'll regret this. I was trying to help you. But if you want to do this the hard way, fine. Just remember I offered you a chance."
Damien.
I showed the message to Sarah.
"Block him," she said immediately. "Block the number and don't engage. He's trying to get in your head."
She was right. I blocked the number and deleted the message.
But his words stayed with me.
You'll regret this.
Maybe I would. Maybe refusing his help was a mistake. Maybe I had just walked away from the key piece of evidence that would have won my case.
Or maybe I had dodged a bullet.
Time would tell.
For now, I have made my choice. I was going to fight Rapheal the right way. With the truth, with evidence I could trust, with people who actually had my best interests at heart instead of their own revenge fantasies.
It was scarier this way. Harder. More uncertain.
But it was mine.
My fight. My terms. My choice.
And that had to count for something.
"You okay?" Sarah asked, watching me push pasta around my plate.
"Yeah," I said. And surprisingly, I meant it.
"Yeah, I think I am."
"Good. Because next week is the hearing and you need to be ready. Monica said you might have to testify?"
"Maybe. If the judge wants to hear directly from me about the termination or the prenup documents."
"Are you nervous?"
"Terrified," I admitted. "I've never testified in court before. Never been cross-examined by hostile lawyers. Marcus's attorney is going to try to make me look bad."
"But you have the truth on your side," Sarah said. "That has to count for something."
"Does it though?" I asked quietly.
"Because Rapheal has been lying for three years and nobody noticed. He created fake documentation that I refused to sign a prenup. He coordinated with HR to fire me the same day he asked for a divorce.
He's been hiding assets and manipulating situations and everyone just believed him because he's Raphael, successful CEO, upstanding businessman."
"But now people know," Sarah said firmly. "Rebecca knows. Emily and the others know. Monica knows. The judge will know. You're not alone anymore, Viv. You have people who see the truth and are willing to testify to it."
She was right. I wasn't alone anymore. Not anymore.
I had Sarah, who had taken me in without hesitation despite our years of distance.
I had Monica, who was fighting for me even though I couldn't pay her much.
I had Rebecca and Emily and the others at Moreau Industries who had saved evidence and were willing to risk their jobs to help me.
I had the truth on my side.
Maybe that would be enough.
Maybe it wouldn't.
But either way, I was going to keep fighting.
Not because I wanted revenge on Rapheal, though I wouldn't lie and say that wasn't part of it.
But because I deserved better than what he had given me.
I deserved honesty. I deserved respect. I deserved my fair share of what we had built together, even if he had been planning to throw me away the whole time.
I deserved to stand up for myself instead of accepting whatever scraps he decided to offer.
And I was going to do exactly that.
Starting with the hearing next week.
My phone buzzed again. A Different number this time.
I looked at the screen cautiously.
Monica.
"Just got word from Anderson. They're preparing a response to our motions. He mentioned they have 'character witnesses' who will testify about your behavior during the marriage. I think they're planning to attack your credibility.
Be prepared for them to bring up anything from your past they can twist. Do you have anything in your history they might use against you?"