Chapter 5 - The Corporate War Begins
By 5:00 PM that afternoon, Penelope’s world began to crumble in real-time.
When she drove back to her luxury high-rise apartment building downtown, she found two private security guards standing outside her door, alongside a property manager holding an eviction notice.
The apartment—a three-thousand-square-foot luxury condo overlooking the river—was not leased under Penelope's name. It was leased directly under my corporate firm, Hayes Medical Logistics Inc. I had been paying the fifteen-thousand-dollar monthly commercial rent as a tax write-off for seven years.
Her electronic key fob had been deactivated. Her belongings were being packed into cardboard boxes by professional movers under the supervision of my legal team.
And when she reached for her silver Lexus in the parking garage, a tow truck was already hooking up the rear wheels. The vehicle was part of my company’s corporate fleet, registered under my firm's name.
Penelope was left standing on the city sidewalk surrounded by three designer suitcases, her purse, and a box of winter coats, while passersby stared at her.
At 6:30 PM, my lead corporate attorney, Arthur Pendelton, arrived at my house.
We sat in my restored living room, sipping warm tea while Bella played quietly upstairs with her new nanny.
"She filed the land lien at the county clerk's office at three o'clock," Pendelton explained, laying out a stack of legal documents on the glass coffee table. "Because your father signed the original deposit receipt ten years ago, Penelope is claiming an equitable co-ownership interest of thirty percent of this property's current value."
"Is the claim valid?" I asked calmly.
"Legally? It's paper-thin," Pendelton replied, shaking his head. "You paid off the mortgage entirely using your own corporate dividends five years ago. However, because she filed the lien, the title to your home is currently encumbered. You cannot sell, refinance, or take out an equity loan on this property until the lien is resolved in court."
"How long will that take?"
"Six to eight months," Pendelton said. "And she knows it. She’s trying to drag you into a long, expensive legal war to force you to negotiate a financial settlement."
I leaned back against the sofa cushion, staring at the warm fire crackling in the fireplace.
"She wants a war?" I murmured softly.
"Maya, there's more," Pendelton hesitated, pulling another file from his briefcase. "Vanessa called a local investigative journalist an hour ago. She’s threatening to go to the media with a story alleging that you abandoned your elderly mother, left her homeless on the street, and used your corporate wealth to abuse your family."
A dark, bitter smile touched my lips.
They really thought public shame was their ultimate weapon against me. They thought I would cower in fear of a trashy tabloid headline.
"Let her call the journalists," I said, looking up at Pendelton.
"Maya?" Pendelton looked concerned.
"Gather the full bank statements for the last seven years," I instructed him, my voice ringing with cold command. "Every wire transfer, every credit card bill I paid for Penelope's vacations, every tuition check for Chloe, every car lease payment. Itemize every single cent."
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"What are you planning to do?"
"If my mother wants to present our family history to the public," I said softly, "I’m going to make sure they get the complete, audited edition."
