Chapter 34 - The Legal Battle Begins
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With the digital copy of the original charter in our possession, we immediately scheduled an emergency meeting with our own attorney. Sarah Jenkins was a sharp, fiercely intelligent litigator who specialized in complex corporate trusts. We sat in her high-rise office overlooking the city, laying out the timeline of Arthur Pendelton’s extortion attempt.
"This is incredibly reckless, even for a bottom-feeder like Arthur," Sarah said, adjusting her glasses as she reviewed the documents Marcus had provided. "He is risking disbarment by filing an injunction based on fraudulent ownership claims."
"He is desperate," Marcus noted. "Richard Sterling’s accounts are frozen, and Arthur hasn't been paid in months. He thought we would panic and force the foundation to settle out of court just to save Maya's exhibition."
"He severely underestimated who he was dealing with," I added, crossing my arms. "We want to file a counter-injunction, Sarah. We want to stop his motion before it even reaches a courtroom, and we want him sanctioned for filing a frivolous lawsuit."
Sarah smiled, a predatory gleam in her eye that made me incredibly glad she was on our side.
"I can do better than a sanction," Sarah promised, typing rapidly on her laptop. "I am going to file an immediate motion for dismissal based on intentional misrepresentation of facts. We will attach the copy of the original charter showing Eleanor Vance's morality clause. But to completely nail the coffin shut, we absolutely need that sworn affidavit from Eleanor."
"I am leaving for upstate New York right after this meeting," Marcus confirmed. "I will have her signature by tonight."
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"Perfect," Sarah said, printing out a stack of legal forms. "While Marcus is securing the affidavit, I want you two to focus entirely on Maya. The press is going to catch wind of this legal dispute soon. Pendelton will likely try to leak a distorted version of the story to control the narrative. You need to prepare her for the public spotlight."
I nodded, feeling a heavy weight settle on my shoulders. The fight was shifting from closed doors to the public arena, and Maya was about to be caught right in the center.
