Chapter 6: The Lawsuit Trap
Unwilling to accept defeat, Adrian hired a sleazy, high-profile divorce attorney known for bleeding wealthy spouses dry. He filed a massive lawsuit against me, claiming common-law marriage and demanding half of my fifty-one percent stake in Halcyon. It was a desperate, laughable Hail Mary, but the press eagerly ate up the ensuing courtroom drama.
We met for the preliminary hearing in a sterile conference room in downtown Manhattan. Adrian sat tall, flanked by his greasy lawyer, trying to project an aura of unshakeable confidence. I sat alone across from them, quietly sipping a sparkling water and waiting for the show to begin.
His lawyer launched into a fiery speech, threatening a long, agonizing public trial if I didn't settle for two hundred million dollars. He claimed Adrian had been emotionally traumatized by my "deception" and deserved compensation for the time he invested in our relationship. I let him talk for a solid ten minutes before I raised a single finger to silence him.
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"Are you quite finished?" I asked, sliding a sleek black folder across the table. "Because inside that folder is proof that Adrian's hedge fund has been laundering money for a sanctioned international cartel."
Adrian’s lawyer opened the file, and all the blood instantly drained from his face as he scanned the heavily documented financial transfers. Without a word, the lawyer closed the folder, stood up, and packed his briefcase. "I quit," the lawyer said to Adrian, walking out of the room and leaving my ex-fiancé completely defenseless.
