Chapter 4 - Richard’s First Mistake
Richard’s emergency custody petition was thirty-seven pages long.
Maya read every word.
By page seven, her hands had stopped trembling.
By page nineteen, she stopped crying.
By page thirty-seven, she felt something new.
Not fear.
Anger.
Richard described her as emotionally unstable.
Financially irresponsible.
Possibly suicidal.
He claimed she drank excessively.
He claimed she regularly screamed at Lily.
He claimed the birthday incident occurred only after Maya “became aggressive toward guests.”
He even claimed she had thrown herself into the cake.
Samuel watched her close the document.
“You don’t have to keep reading.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
“Because every time Richard lied during our marriage, I tried to convince myself he didn’t mean it.”
She pushed the pages forward.
“I’m done helping him lie to me.”
The emergency hearing was scheduled that afternoon.
Richard arrived with two lawyers.
Maya arrived with four.
That alone changed his expression.
He expected her to walk into family court wearing her waitress uniform with a public defender and panic in her eyes.
Instead, Samuel Levin walked beside her.
Richard recognized him.
Most New York businessmen did.
“What the hell?” he whispered.
Olivia grabbed his sleeve.
“Do not react.”
Maya carried Lily until they reached the waiting area.
Lily touched her cheek.
“Mommy?”
“Yes?”
“Is Daddy mad?”
Maya swallowed.
“Daddy has some big feelings right now.”
“Is he mad at me?”
“No.”
“Because my cake broke?”
Maya closed her eyes briefly.
“No, sweetheart. None of this is because of you.”
The judge reviewed Richard’s petition first.
His attorney spoke carefully.
“Our concern is that Mrs. Vance removed the minor child from the marital residence following an emotionally charged incident—”
Samuel stood.
“We have video.”
Richard’s attorney hesitated.
The judge looked over her glasses.
“Video of the incident?”
“Multiple recordings, Your Honor.”
Within minutes, a monitor was brought into the courtroom.
Maya had not watched the full video before.
Now she had to.
Richard’s voice filled the room.
“That’ll teach you not to make me look like an idiot in front of my family!”
Then his hand disappeared into Maya’s hair.
Her body bent.
Her face struck the cake.
Lily screamed.
Maya stared at the table.
She heard the judge stop the playback.
“That’s enough.”
Richard’s attorney stood.
“Your Honor, there is context—”
“What context would make that appropriate?”
Silence.
The judge continued.
“And the child was approximately how far away?”
Samuel answered.
“Less than three feet.”
The judge turned toward Richard.
Richard looked furious.
Not ashamed.
Furious.
That mattered.
The emergency custody request was denied.
Then the judge went further.
Temporary primary physical custody was granted to Maya pending a full evaluation.
Richard would receive supervised visitation only.
His face turned red.
“This is insane.”
His attorney touched his arm.
“Richard.”
“She’s manipulating this!”
“Mr. Vance,” the judge warned.
“She’s a waitress! She doesn’t even have anywhere to live!”
Samuel calmly stood again.
“Mrs. Vance has secure housing arranged.”
Richard laughed bitterly.
“With what money?”
Samuel looked directly at him.
“That is not relevant to today’s hearing.”
But Olivia heard something in his voice.
And she understood.
After court, Richard caught Maya near the elevators.
Samuel immediately stepped between them.
Richard ignored him.
“You think you won?”
Maya said nothing.
“You’re going to come crawling back.”
Still nothing.
“You can’t afford Lily’s school.”
Maya looked at him.
“I already called them.”
Richard smiled.
“To beg?”
“No.”
His smile faded.
“To remove you as the primary contact.”
The elevator opened.
Maya stepped inside.
Before the doors closed, Richard said,
“I’ll destroy you.”
Maya held his gaze.
“You already tried.”
The doors shut.
That evening, Julian Sterling watched the courthouse footage from his office.
Media outlets had begun covering the case because of the viral video.
Thomas entered carrying another folder.
“You’re not going to like this.”
Julian muted the television.
“What?”
“Richard Vance’s company has been trying to close a seventy-five-million-dollar financing package.”
“With whom?”
“One of our subsidiaries.”
Julian became very still.
“How far along?”
“Final credit review.”
“Stop it.”
Thomas hesitated.
“For what reason?”
Julian looked at him.
“You’re asking whether we’re obligated to lend seventy-five million dollars to a man whose company is already overleveraged?”
Thomas smiled slightly.
“No.”
“Then stop it.”
By five o’clock, Vance Development received notice that the financing review had been suspended.
Richard called his chief financial officer.
Then his banker.
Then three board members.
Nobody could explain it.
At six fifteen, a second lender requested updated collateral valuations.
At six forty, one of Richard’s investors postponed a closing.
At seven ten, his father’s old business partner called Olivia directly.
“What did you do?”
Olivia stood alone in the pantry.
“What are you talking about?”
“Sterling’s people just froze the Manhattan project.”
Olivia’s face drained.
“Sterling?”
“Julian Sterling.”
She gripped the phone.
“Why would Julian Sterling care about Richard?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
Olivia slowly looked through the kitchen doorway.
Richard was pacing.
Vanessa was drinking wine.
Neither noticed her.
“Charles warned me this day might come,” Olivia whispered.
“What day?”
Olivia ended the call.
Then she went upstairs.
Inside her bedroom closet, behind winter coats Richard never knew existed, was a locked metal box.
Olivia opened it.
Inside were newspaper clippings nearly thirty years old.
One showed a young Evelyn Ashford.
Another showed Orchid Capital headquarters.
And beneath them was a photograph of a six-year-old girl in a red coat.
Maya.
Olivia touched the photograph.
“We should have finished this when we had the chance.”
Downstairs, Richard shouted,
“Mom!”
Olivia closed the box.
“Mom, get down here!”
She descended.
Richard stood at the kitchen island holding an envelope.
“What is it?” Olivia asked.
His face was white.
“The house.”
“What about it?”
May you like
Richard threw the papers down.
“We don’t own it.”
