The heavy glass front doors of the mansion slammed shut behind us, cutting off the noise from the hallway. I placed Hannah gently into her car seat in the back of my sedan, buckling her belt while my hands shook uncontrollably. Rain was starting to fall against the windshield, casting long shadows across the driveway.
Hannah: Mommy... is Daddy going to take me back there?
Vanessa: No, sweetie. He is never taking you back to that house again.
Hannah: Aunt Evelyn said if I didn't hold the pen, she would lock me in the dark closet downstairs.
Vanessa: What pen, Hannah? What were they trying to make you sign?
Hannah: A big white paper with gold letters. Daddy said it was for my grandfather's money.
My chest tightened with sudden anger. Three years ago, when Julian's father passed away, he left a thirty-million-dollar estate trust fund exclusively to Hannah. The trust was designed so that Julian could not touch a single cent unless Hannah formally waived her rights or turned twenty-one.
My phone vibrated violently in my purse. I pulled it out and saw Julian's name flashing on the screen. I answered it immediately, pressing the phone against my ear.
Vanessa: Do not call this number again, Julian.
Julian: You have five minutes to bring Hannah back to the mansion, Vanessa!
Vanessa: Are you out of your mind? You and your sister just assaulted a seven-year-old child!
Julian: I have three high-profile witnesses who will testify that you broke into my home and attacked me!
Vanessa: I have the red marks on my daughter's scalp, Julian! I am driving straight to the hospital for a forensic medical report!
Julian: If you step foot into a hospital or a police precinct, I will file for an emergency custody injunction by five o'clock today!
Vanessa: On what grounds?
Julian: On the grounds that you are an unstable mother who physically attacks people in front of her child!
Vanessa: You tried to force a minor to sign a trust fund waiver!
Julian: Try proving that in court without a lawyer, Vanessa. My family owns half the judges in this city.
I hung up the phone without another word and threw it onto the passenger seat. I started the engine and pulled out of the long, winding driveway, heading straight toward downtown. I wasn't going home, and I wasn't going to let Julian use his wealth to bully us anymore.
I tapped my steering wheel speaker and dialed a private number I hadn't used in two years. It was Marcus Vance, my late father-in-law's personal estate attorney and the only honest lawyer who knew the truth about the family business.
Marcus: Vanessa? Is everything alright? You sound breathless.
Vanessa: Marcus, I need your help right now. Julian and Evelyn just tried to force Hannah to sign a trust waiver at the mansion.
Marcus: They did what? Hannah is a minor! That waiver would be completely illegal!
Vanessa: They used physical force, Marcus! Evelyn pulled her hair until she cried, and Julian sat there smirking in his pajamas!
Marcus: Listen to me carefully, Vanessa. Meet me at my office on Fifth Street in twenty minutes. I have something in my safe that is going to change this entire fight.