Chapter 5: The Custody Mirage
Chapter 5: The Custody Mirage
Three weeks passed, and the media circus had only intensified.
Julian sat at the head of the massive obsidian conference table in the penthouse suite of Starlight Studios. The walls were lined with framed movie posters of his greatest cinematic triumphs, but today, he felt no pride in them. Across from him sat Clara Hayes, reviewing a thick stack of legal documents.
"She’s pleading not guilty by reason of temporary insanity," Clara said, pushing a file toward Julian. "But that’s not the worst part. Her defense attorney is Robert Vance. He’s a shark, Julian. No pun intended."
Julian rubbed his temples, feeling a severe headache coming on. "How can she plead anything? She confessed on the patio. There were fifty witnesses!"
"Witnesses who are all deeply tied to Viktor’s payroll, Julian," Clara reminded him gently. "Half of them have already signed NDAs or suddenly have 'blurry memories' of the event. But here is the real play: Robert Vance just filed a petition in family court. Elena is claiming that you have been highly abusive, that she was suffering from severe emotional duress, and she is demanding joint custody of Lily as her primary maternal figure."
Julian slammed his fist so hard onto the table that a crystal water glass shattered. "She wants custody? After she tried to murder my child?!"
"She doesn't actually want custody," Clara said calmly, not flinching at his outburst. "It’s an extortion tactic. She wants you to drop the attempted murder charges in exchange for her giving up her custody petition. If you refuse, they will drag Lily onto the witness stand. They will force a six-year-old girl to testify in a highly public, traumatizing trial."
Julian froze. The thought of putting Lily in a courtroom, forcing her to recount the terror of the dark water, the shadow of the beast, the betrayal of her stepmother... it would break her completely. She was already waking up screaming every night.
"I will give up the entire studio before I let them put Lily on a witness stand," Julian said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, deadly register.
Clara smiled faintly. It was a cold, calculated smile. "I was hoping you would say that. Because we aren't going to settle, Julian. We are going to produce the greatest counter-narrative this city has ever seen. We are going to put Elena and Viktor on trial in the court of public opinion before they ever step foot in a courtroom."
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"How?" Julian asked.
"You run a movie studio, Julian," Clara said, leaning forward. "We have cameras. We have private investigators. We have the best digital forensics team in the world. It’s time to stop acting like a victim and start acting like a director. Let’s make a movie."
