My daughter showed up on my porch at midnight, one hand shielding her pregnant belly, her designer dress torn and slipping from her shoulders.

Late that evening, my private secure landline rang.

I picked up the receiver. “Judge Vance speaking.”

“Your Honor, this is Arthur Sterling,” a smooth, polished voice came through the line. Sterling was arguably the most expensive, ruthless defense attorney in the tristate area—a man who usually only took cases involving mob bosses and corrupt politicians. “I’ve been retained to represent Victor Hale.”

“I’m surprised you took a sinking ship, Mr. Sterling,” I replied evenly.

A nervous chuckle sounded on the other end. “Well, Your Honor, my client is currently facing a federal RICO indictment with a guaranteed minimum of twenty-five years, and he’s frantically looking for any leverage he can find. He instructed me to reach out to you directly.”

“Is that so?” I asked, leaning back in my leather chair. “And what kind of leverage does a man in a federal holding cell think he has against a federal judge?”

“He claims... and I must stress that this is strictly according to him,” Sterling hedged carefully, “that he has documentation regarding family investments and joint property titles that could potentially complicate the dissolution of his marriage and asset division with your daughter.”

I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

“Mr. Sterling, let me educate you on something since you clearly haven't read the file yet,” I said, my voice dropping into an icy register. “Every single asset Victor Hale owns was purchased with funds proven to be laundered through an illegal weapons and bribery syndicate. Those assets aren't subject to marital division; they are subject to immediate federal forfeiture. Furthermore, my daughter signed a rock-solid prenuptial agreement before she ever married him, protecting every penny of her personal trust. Tell your client that if he wants to play legal games, I will personally ensure the prosecution tacks ten more years onto his sentence for witness intimidation and extortion.”

There was a long, heavy pause on the other end of the line.