Chapter 7 - The Master Strategy
Grace stared at the billionaire attorney in total shock. "Celebrating? Mr. Sterling, did you see the news? Apex Capital released a press release calling me a fraud! They pressured all my clients to fire me! There are private detectives sitting outside our house!"
"I know," Sterling said, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the kitchen table. He grabbed a blueberry muffin and tossed it playfully to Emma. "I know because I set the trap that made them do it."
Emma caught the muffin, her eyes widening. "You set a trap?"
"Of course I did," Sterling chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Julian Vance is a classic corporate narcissist. When a man like Vance gets publicly humiliated by a twelve-year-old girl in a court of law, his pride won't allow him to sit back and defend himself legally. He reacts emotionally. He uses his power, his money, and his media connections to crush the victim."
Sterling picked up his briefcase, opened it, and pulled out a stack of fresh, court-stamped legal documents.
"When Vance pressured your wealthy Lincoln Park employers to fire you this morning," Sterling explained, his eyes glinting with tactical brilliance, "he committed tortious interference with contractual relations and witness intimidation under federal law. We had two of our private investigators wiretapping the phone calls between Apex Capital’s representatives and the Lincoln Park Homeowners Association."
Grace gasped, clutching her chest. "You... you recorded the calls?"
"Every single one," Sterling smiled deeply. "Julian Vance thought he was cutting off your income to starve you out. In reality, he just handed us a rock-solid, multi-million-dollar federal witness-tampering lawsuit directly tied to his personal name."
He turned to Emma, pointing a finger at her.
"And as for the private detectives outside your house?" Sterling continued. "Their aggressive confrontation with Emma thirty minutes ago was broadcast live on three local news stations. The public reaction was instant and brutal. Apex Capital’s social media pages are currently being flooded by hundreds of thousands of angry citizens, health care workers, and consumer rights advocates."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a sleek silver iPad, turning it toward Grace and Emma.
On the screen was a live stream from a news conference taking place outside the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield.
Standing at the podium was the Attorney General of Illinois, flanked by five state senators.
"This morning," the Attorney General announced into a bank of microphones, "the State of Illinois has officially opened an emergency criminal fraud investigation into Apex Capital Holdings, Harbor Ridge Collections, and their CEO, Julian Vance. Furthermore, we are issuing a statewide moratorium on all medical debt foreclosures pending a full audit of their digital debt ledgers."
Grace covered her mouth, fresh tears filling her eyes—not tears of fear or grief, but of pure, unadulterated awe.
"They tried to make you invisible, Mrs. Walker," Sterling said softly, looking at Grace with deep, sincere respect. "They thought a housekeeper in a thinned uniform had no voice in this city. But because your daughter had the courage to step forward, the entire state of Illinois is listening to you today."
Emma took a bite of her blueberry muffin, looking out the kitchen window at the black SUVs sitting on the curb outside.
"So," Emma said, chewing thoughtfully. "What's our next move, Mr. Sterling?"
May you like
David Sterling stood up, unbuttoning his overcoat, a sharp, fierce smile spreading across his face.
"Our next move, Emma," Sterling said, "is that we take the train down to the Federal District Court in Chicago. It’s time we put Julian Vance under oath."
