Chapter 5 - The Snake's Counterattack
The next morning, news of the Carter family fallout hit the media like a hurricane.
Clara didn't wait to be served with papers. Knowing her access to Ethan’s accounts was severed, she launched a pre-emptive strike. By 8:00 AM, she was sitting in the studio of a major national tabloid show, flanked by her attorney, Victor Vance.
Ethan watched the broadcast from his office, holding a mug of black coffee as Clara wept dramatically on live television.
"I tried so hard to be a good mother to those poor children," Clara sobbed into a silk handkerchief, her eyes perfectly made up to look exhausted and heartbroken. "But Ethan... Ethan has changed since his first wife died. He’s volatile. He drinks heavily, he’s never home, and when he is home, he takes his frustration out on us. Yesterday, he threw me out of our house because I confronted him about his neglect!"
Victor Vance leaned into the microphone, his expression stern and predatory. "My client is filing an emergency motion for sole custody of Lily and Noah, along with a full freeze on Ethan Carter’s personal and corporate assets. We believe the children are in immediate danger under Mr. Carter’s roof."
The media went wild. Shares of Carter Real Estate Group dropped four percent in early morning trading as investors panicked over the sudden, ugly public scandal surrounding its founder.
Ethan’s phone rang continuously. His board of directors was demanding an emergency meeting. Public relations teams were begging him to release a statement.
Ethan didn't panic. He sat behind his desk, completely unbothered by the media storm raging outside his skyscraper windows.
His lead attorney, Eleanor Sterling—a formidable woman who had never lost a high-profile case in thirty years—stepped into his office, tossing a blue folder onto his desk.
"They're playing dirty, Ethan," Eleanor said, taking a seat across from him. "Vance filed an emergency petition with Judge Montgomery. They’re trying to get a temporary restraining order against you by three o'clock today, which would grant Clara temporary custody of the kids until a full hearing."
"Judge Montgomery is known to be sympathetic to mothers in high-conflict cases," Ethan noted calmly.
"Exactly," Eleanor agreed. "If Vance gets those kids into Clara’s hands, even for twenty-four hours, she will use them as leverage to force you into a fifty-million-dollar settlement."
Ethan stood up, putting on his suit jacket and adjusting his tie in the mirror.
"She’s not getting near my children," Ethan said. "We aren't releasing a press statement, Eleanor. We’re taking our evidence directly to Judge Montgomery’s chambers at two o'clock."
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"The video footage?" Eleanor asked.
"The video footage, the medical reports from Jim, and the bank statements showing her two-million-dollar embezzlement," Ethan said, his eyes flashing with lethal intent. "Let Clara enjoy her fifteen minutes of fame on TV. When she walks into that courtroom today, I’m going to make sure she leaves in handcuffs."
