Chapter 34
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The cyberattack lasted for three grueling hours before it finally ceased, leaving Clearview's IT team scrambling to repair the burned-out firewalls. But Damian Croft was not finished. The next morning, a sleek black town car pulled up to the front gates of the foundation, and a man in a sharp, expensive suit stepped out, carrying a thick leather briefcase.
He didn't try to force his way in. He simply handed a large, sealed envelope to the security guard and left.
Emily, Nathan, and Robert gathered in the main conference room to review the contents. Nathan sliced the envelope open, pulling out a stack of legal documents that looked thick enough to be a novel.
"It’s a massive defamation and civil liability lawsuit," Nathan announced, his eyes scanning the dense legalese. "Croft’s legal team is claiming that Clearview is unlawfully harboring his wife and intentionally spreading malicious, defamatory lies about his company. He is suing the foundation for fifty million dollars in damages."
Robert let out a long, heavy sigh, taking off his glasses. "It’s a SLAPP suit. Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. He knows the claims are entirely baseless, but that doesn't matter. He wants to bury us in legal fees. He knows we rely on donor funding, and a fifty-million-dollar lawsuit will scare away half our corporate sponsors."
"He also filed an emergency injunction to freeze the foundation's operating accounts pending the investigation," Nathan added, his jaw clenching with anger. "If a judge approves this, we won't be able to pay the staff, run the safe houses, or buy food for the residents by the end of next week."
Emily looked at the paperwork, feeling the familiar, suffocating weight of institutional control. It was the same tactic Thorne had used, but weaponized with endless tech money. Croft was trying to starve them out.
"We are not going to let him freeze our accounts," Emily said, her voice ringing with absolute clarity. "Nathan, draft an immediate counter-motion. Invoke the federal protections for domestic violence sanctuaries. Remind the judge that freezing our accounts puts hundreds of lives in immediate physical danger."
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"I will," Nathan promised. "But we are playing defense, Emily. Croft is dictating the pace of this war. We need to take the fight to him."
"We will," Emily said, standing up from the table. "He thinks he can hide behind expensive lawyers and computer screens. But I have spent my entire life fighting men who think they are untouchable. Set up a press conference for this afternoon. I am not going to hide in the shadows."
