Part 2
Grant continued to stare at the elderly man, expecting some big laugh but none came.
No one laughed.
Baxter Thorne’s lips contorted into a tight line. Judge Caldwell’s eyes narrowed as they peered through his glasses. The bailiff who had moments before threatened to take the elderly man out of the room now hesitated, hovering one hand just above his belt.”That ruling has already been entered.”
Arthur looked at Grant for the first time.
Grant had assumed that Arthur would have the weak old man’s eyes, the same harmless expression of a country father who could easily be intimidated by the expensive language of attorneys and the power of their podiums. Instead, Grant saw eyes that were as hard as the stones of the river. There was no fear in those eyes. No confusion. No sense of desperation.
There was only patience.
The type of patience that a man has who sits and waits patiently for a rotten fence post to finally fall over.
Arthur said quietly, “This ruling is based upon incomplete and fraudulent evidence.”
Baxter jumped to his feet. “Your Honor, this is very improper.”
“And so is deceit,” Arthur replied.
Judge Caldwell leaned forward, “Mr. Sterling, please tell the Court what you mean.”
Arthur opened a document that he had prepared and handed it to the Clerk of the Court to be provided to the Judge.
Arthur stated, “Five years ago, when my daughter married Grant Reynolds, I became the guarantor for the mortgage loan on the Highland Avenue property and also established a land trust for the Highland Avenue property through Sterling Land & Trust. The terms of that guarantee contained a clause stating that if the marriage ended because of proven infidelity, fraudulent acts committed regarding the concealment of property, or the infliction of any malicious actions against either party by one spouse, then the remaining balance of the mortgage would be immediately due. In such case, the temporary control of the property would revert back to the guarantor until the total amount of the mortgage then due was settled.”
Grant let out a quick laugh that sounded more like anger. “That doesn’t make sense. I bought that house.”
“You made a down payment,” Arthur replied. “With money you borrowed partially against a private note that you never paid back.”
Grant quickly turned to Baxter.“Let him know that he is wrong.”
Grant’s lawyer, Baxter, was frantically scrolling through his tablet; by the second, the blood drained from his face.
“Baxter,” Grant said again.
“Give me a moment,” Baxter said as he swallowed hard. “I need some time to process this.”
“You don’t have time,” Arthur coolly stated, “to process the fact that you presently owe Sterling Land and Trust $1,200,000.00.
Those words struck Grant like freezing water.
Slowly transitioning to an upright position, Natalie raised her head.
After spending the entire morning crying, this was the first time that Natalie’s head was lifted above the level of her body.
Arthur still had his arm around Natalie’s shoulder to keep her close and, to protect her, his hand never moved from her shoulder.
“You knew?” Grant pointed a finger toward Natalie and shouted. “You were hiding this?”
Natalie gently replied, “I didn’t hide anything that was yours.”
Arthur nodded. “Natalie specifically requested that I not discuss any aspect of her family’s wealth before or during their marriage because she wanted to determine if you loved her or simply her family name.”
The irritation that had begun to plume within Grant gradually morphed into something more sinister. “What family name? Sterling is a relatively common name.”
The courtroom hummed with audible beginner activity, which could be interpreted as rumbles of discussion among spectators.
“Grant, stop talking and listen to me,” Baxter hissed lowly.
Grant had already gone too far to stop.
Arthur took a further search in his blazer pocket and produced a slender file folder.
“In the most discreet way possible, Grant, my daughter is the only heir of the Sterlling Copper Estate,” he said quietly.
With the mention of the Sterlling Copper estate, Grant’s face went completely white.
Sterlling Copper was certainly not a common name. It was neither common in the finance world, nor was it a common name in any sort of business. It was also rare in any part of America.
Sterlling Copper owned mining operations in Wyoming and Montana, as well as Arizona and Alaska, and had control of all the energy investments, the land rights, and many charitable foundations that offered hospitals and universities, all of which were named after Sterling Copper.Grant was taken aback by the unexpected appearance of Arthur Sterling, who was greater than just some retired farmer. He represented a legacy of old American wealth, but had been concealed by the clothing he wore (tweed).
Grant was gripping his chair when he caught sight of Arthur, who he knew as his father-in-law.
To Grant, Natalia was an equal partner and had been for the last five years. She cooked for Grant (pot roast every Sunday) and clipped coupons to save money (she hated waste). But in comparison to Arthur, he was shocked to learn that Natalia was actually worth more than any money Grant had ever dreamed of his entire life – more than what Vanguard Logistics had.
More than Baxter’s law practice.
More than the penthouse that Jessica hoped Grant would rent after their divorce.
Arthur looked at his daughter and said, “You should have told him earlier.”
Natalia shook her head, “I wouldn’t have known otherwise.”
That simple honesty laid heavily in the room.
Grant regained some composure and sneered, “So you’re going to get revenge on him? Rich people can walk into court and just make up their own rules?”
Arthur did not bat an eye.
He answered, “No, but I can correct the lies.”
He opened a folder.
“For three months, investigators working for my family have been documenting your relationship with Jessica Vane…the apartment in River North, the jewelry, the trips to Miami and Aspen, and the credit card charges disguised as Natalia’s personal expenses.”
The loud pulsing of Grant’s heartbeat deafened him.
Baxter took another step back.
Arthur went on to say, “We were also able to trace the withdrawals from all of the joint marital accounts and it was not made by Natalia.”Prior to reaching your financial accounts, the funds traveled between multiple shell companies.”
“You can’t share that information. It is confidential,” Grant attempted to argue.
“Actually, it’s evidence,” Arthur disputed.
The courtroom door quickly opened and a large man with a grey suit and stern face entered the courtroom accompanied by two police officers. Grant recognized the man as:
Thomas Henderson—Vanguard Logistics CEO and his boss.
Henderson walked directly to the front of the Courtroom and approached the aisle; “Grant,” he began while his voice trembled with rage, “You should have resigned when you had the chance!”
Grant leaned back while he placed his hands up before saying; “Tom, just hear me out.”
“It appears that you have stolen from my company. According to the report sent to my board from forensic accountants, Mr. Sterling,” Henderson continued.
Natalie glanced over at Grant, but he did not look up to meet her gaze.
The officers approached him.
One was adamant; “Grant Reynolds, please put your hands behind your back.”
Grant looked at them in disbelief and protested; “No, this is a civil matter. You can’t do this to me”—
“You have been detained due to an ongoing investigation of wire fraud, grand theft, embezzlement, and money laundering,” the officer replied.
Baxter raised his hand slightly, as if to indicate he was giving up on any further argument. “For the record, I didn’t have any idea that any illegal activity was taking place.”
Grant spun on him with rage and shouted; “You spineless coward!”
Baxter chose to keep silent.
The cuffs clicked most disappointingly around Grant’s wrists considering the magnitude of what they represented to him.
Just before this moment, he had felt victorious.
Now, two officers were leading him through the same path as the woman he once ridiculed, the father he never respected, and the judge who could no longer sustain eye contact.
As he passed, he turned around to plead with Natalie, “Natalie, please! Let them know that there’s been some mistake!”
Natalie slowly stood from the bench. The gray dress that had caused her to seem fragile, this time encapsulated strength.
“You wanted the divorce. You were smiling while you obtained it,” she said calmly.
“I was upset. I didn’t mean what I said,” Grant shook his head and argued.
“Yes, you did,” she answered.
Arthur positioned himself between them. “That’s enough; let’s go,” he said.
Officers escorted Grant out of the courtroom.
The courtroom remained silent in disbelief; no one chuckled.