PART 4: Isolating the Target
Two days later, I brought Anna home. The house felt different—emptier, yet lighter. I had hired a professional locksmith to change every lock, installed additional security cameras around the perimeter, and formally notified the neighborhood security patrol that Eleanor was no longer permitted near the property.
For forty-eight hours, there was peace. Anna began to color returned to her cheeks. She smiled, a real smile, as we assembled the crib in the nursery.
"Do you think he’ll like the blue walls?" Anna asked softly, rubbing her prominent belly.
"He’ll love them," I said, walking over to wrap my arms around her from behind. "And he will grow up knowing only love, Anna. No fear. Never fear."
But the peace was shattered at noon when a courier knocked on the door. He handed me a large, legal-sized manila envelope. My name was printed on it in elegant, unmistakable cursive. Eleanor's handwriting.
I opened it in the kitchen, away from Anna. Inside was a legal document. A lawsuit.
Eleanor was suing me for "Grandparental Visitation Rights" in advance of the birth, claiming that Anna was mentally unstable and isolating the child from its paternal family. Attached to the lawsuit were signed affidavits from my brother Marcus, my aunt, and even a couple of family friends, all testifying that Anna had shown "erratic and hostile behavior" toward Eleanor during her stay.
But that wasn't the worst of it. The second document was a letter from the board of directors of Vanguard Holdings—the family estate company where I worked as the Chief Operating Officer. It stated that due to "allegations of personal misconduct and breach of family trust," I was being placed on indefinite, unpaid administrative leave, effective immediately.
They were trying to suffocate us financially and legally right before the baby arrived. They wanted to break my spirit so I would crawl back, begging for forgiveness, bringing Anna with me as a defeated trophy.
Anna walked into the kitchen, noticing my pale face. "Leo? What is that?"
I tried to hide the papers behind my back, but she saw through it. "Leo, please. No more secrets. We are in this together."
With a heavy heart, I handed her the papers. As she read through the false testimonies, her hands began to shake again. "They’re lying... all of them. I never yelled at her. I never threatened her. Marcus wasn't even there!"
"I know, honey. I know," I said, pulling her into a tight embrace. "They are trying to scare us. But they forgot one thing."
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"What?" Anna whispered into my chest.
"They forgot that I didn't get my job because of my name," I said, a dangerous spark lighting up in my chest. "I built Vanguard’s current portfolio myself. I know where every skeleton is buried in that company. If Eleanor wants a war, I’ll give her a war she can’t afford."
