Chapter 15 - The War Room
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The boardroom of Cole Meridian Logistics was transformed into a war room within the hour.
Nathan stood at the head of the massive glass table. David paced furiously near the windows, while three of the city’s most ruthless corporate attorneys and two private investigators sat with their laptops open, aggressively typing.
"I want Ray Miller destroyed," Nathan ordered, his voice echoing off the glass walls. "I don't want a settlement. I don't want a negotiation. I want him legally, financially, and completely annihilated before noon tomorrow."
"Nathan, if he's the biological father, an injunction could legally force June into a neutral foster home while the courts sort it out," Mark, the lead attorney, warned nervously. "Paying him the five million might be the safest route for the girl."
"I am not giving five million dollars to the man who left my sister to die and my niece to starve," Nathan roared, slamming his hand onto the table. "Find me leverage. Now."
The private investigators went to work, diving into the dark web, public records, and criminal databases. They tore Ray Miller’s life apart pixel by pixel.
Four hours later, one of the investigators looked up from his screen, a grim smile spreading across his face.
"Got him," the investigator announced.
Nathan and David rushed to look at the screen.
"Ray Miller isn't just a deadbeat," the investigator explained, pulling up a series of redacted documents. "He's a professional con artist. Three years ago, he was involved in a massive Medicare fraud ring in Ohio. He managed to evade federal indictment because he turned state’s evidence and flipped on his bosses."
"How does that help us?" David asked impatiently. "The feds gave him a deal."
"They gave him a deal conditional on his full cooperation and adherence to a strict probationary period," Mark the lawyer interjected, his eyes lighting up as he read the screen. "Part of his probation states he cannot engage in any extortion, fraud, or coercive financial demands. Demanding five million dollars to relinquish parental rights is illegal. It's extortion."
"But it’s a he-said, he-said," David argued. "He can just deny he asked for money."
Nathan pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and placed it on the glass table. He pressed a button on a voice memo app.
“I figure signing away my biological rights... is worth... let's say, five million dollars.” Ray’s smug voice echoed clearly through the boardroom speakers. Nathan had recorded the entire conversation.
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Nathan looked at his legal team, the ruthless CEO fully merged with the protective father.
"Draft the relinquishment papers," Nathan commanded. "And call my contacts at the FBI field office. We are setting a trap."
