Chapter 19: The Phantom Lawsuit
Chapter 19: The Phantom Lawsuit
Nathan stepped directly in front of the primary video feed, taking a firm stance. "Julian. If you think jamming an emergency rescue network makes you look powerful, you're mistaken. Real lives are on the line in Sector Nine."
Julian chuckled softly, swirling a glass of sparkling water in his hand. "Oh, Nathan. Always the martyr, always hiding your corporate ambitions behind tears and humanitarian theater. I couldn't care less about your little rescue toy."
"Then why breach our security system?" Agent Ruiz demanded, stepping beside Nathan into the camera's view.
Julian’s smile faded into a cold, predatory glare. "I breached your system to deliver a message. Three hours ago, Vance Global Holdings filed an emergency injunction in federal court. We hold the original 2011 patents on the multi-band swarm telemetry you are currently using in your foundation. Effective immediately, Hale Aerospace is under a temporary restraining order. Every drone, every server, and every bank account connected to Hale Aerospace is frozen."
Nathan’s jaw tightened. "Those patents were assigned to Hale Aerospace when we incorporated! You signed the release agreements yourself."
"Did I?" Julian mused, leaning forward. "Check your digital archives, Nathan. The original paper contracts from fifteen years ago were destroyed in the warehouse fire at your old office—a fire that occurred while your dear mother, Margaret, was managing the corporate archive records."
Nathan felt a sharp knot form in his chest. He remembered the fire from a decade ago. It had been ruled an electrical accident, but the loss of those early paper archives had caused years of administrative headaches.
"You set that fire back then," Nathan realized, his voice dropping an octave. "You've been waiting for us to build this empire just so you could claim ownership of the foundation."
"I built the foundation of your algorithms," Julian sneered. "And now, I am taking back what is mine. You have forty-eight hours to hand over total ownership of Hale Aerospace and the Hale Humanitarian Foundation to Vance Global Holdings. If you refuse, the federal marshals will impound your facilities, shut down your storm relief efforts, and arrest you for patent piracy."
The screen abruptly cut to black.
Within twenty minutes, four black sedans pulled up outside Hale Aerospace headquarters. Federal marshals stepped out, serving Nathan with court papers that officially froze the company’s operational accounts and ordered the immediate shutdown of the disaster relief operations.
That evening, the Hale home was filled with a thick, suffocating tension.
Margaret sat at the dining table, her hands trembling violently as she held a cup of warm tea. "Nathan... Julian came to see me two days ago," she confessed, her voice barely a whisper.
Claire, who was sitting beside Margaret, looked up in shock. "Julian came to your house?"
Margaret nodded tearfully. "He brought old photographs... photos of your father, Nathan. He told me that if I didn't help him locate the original corporate ledgers from the 2011 file storage, he would release forged documents claiming your father embezzled money from him before he died. I was so afraid... I was so terrified of ruining your father’s memory that I told him where the backup microfilm was kept in the attic."
May you like
Nathan closed his eyes, taking a slow, deep breath. He walked over to his mother, kneeling down beside her chair, and gently took her trembling hands in his.
"Mom," Nathan said softly, looking straight into her eyes with pure love. "Listen to me. My father’s honor isn't built on old paper records, and neither is this family. You don't ever have to hide anything from us again. We are going to fight Julian together."
