Chapter 10 - Courtroom Summons
Tyler flinched as if struck. "I deleted the comments! I posted a public retraction! I told everyone the truth!"
"You posted a retraction after the truth backed you into a corner," I countered. "Jenna told you not to contact me directly. All communication regarding the child goes through our parenting portal. If you step foot on this property again without a court order, Owen won't need to ask you to leave; the sheriff will remove you."
Tyler stood there for a long moment, the crushing reality of what he had forfeited finally sinking in. He had traded a loyal partner and a peaceful family for the hollow approval of an abusive narcissist, and now he had neither.
He slowly pulled a manila folder from his jacket and placed it gently on the bottom step. "These are the deed transfers for the trust property outside town. It was supposed to be mine and Dad’s dream house. I signed it over to an irrevocable trust for our daughter’s name alone. No strings attached. You can sell it, keep it, or burn it down. Just... please know I want her to be safe."
Without waiting for an answer, Tyler turned around, got back into his car, and drove away.
Owen picked up the folder, opened it, and whistled softly. "It's the lakeside property. It's worth at least eight hundred thousand dollars."
"Take it to Jenna's office tomorrow," I said quietly, leaning back against the cushions of the porch swing. "Every penny goes into a college fund for my girl."
Later that evening, the real entertainment began.
Denise Mercer was served with our civil complaint at 6:30 PM—right in the middle of the St. Jude Charity Gala at the grand ballroom of the municipal country club.
A private process server, tipped off by an anonymous attendee, walked straight up to Denise's VIP table, confirmed her identity in front of two hundred of the town's most prominent citizens, and dropped a two-hundred-page legal summons onto her silver salad plate.
May you like
Videos of Denise shrieking at the server, accidentally knocking over a tower of champagne glasses, and being escorted out by private security were circulating on Instagram and Facebook by midnight. The woman who had tried to execute my public lynching was now the laughingstock of the entire county.
***
