Chapter 7 - THE EMERGENCY INJUNCTION
At 9:00 AM on Wednesday morning, two days before my twenty-ninth birthday, Marcus Vance stood before Judge Alan Thorne in the New York State Supreme Court.
On the defense table sat Nathan and his lead trial attorney, an aggressive corporate defender named Richard Hayes. Nathan’s eyes were bloodshot, his jaw swollen where his own fist had bruised his knuckles during our confrontation at the store. Celeste sat two rows behind him in the gallery, wearing a dark sunglasses and a structured grey suit, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched a leather designer bag.
"Your Honor," Marcus Vance began, projecting the 4K security footage onto the courtroom’s central monitor. "We present conclusive video evidence that on Tuesday afternoon, the respondent, Nathan Sterling, committed violent felony assault against the petitioner inside Vance & Co. Fine Jewelers."
The gallery gasped as the video played—showing Nathan striking me twice and sending me crashing onto the marble floor.
"Furthermore," Marcus continued, handing a blue-bound folder to the bailiff, "we present a forensic handwriting audit demonstrating that three months ago, a Transfer of Equity Agreement bearing my client’s signature was fraudulently notarized by Celeste Laurent while my client was hospitalized in Boston."
Judge Thorne’s brows furrowed deeply as he reviewed the ICU medical records alongside the notarized document. He looked over his glasses at Nathan’s attorney.
"Mr. Hayes," Judge Thorne’s voice echoed sternly. "Does your client have an explanation for why his wife’s signature was notarized in Manhattan while she was sedated in an intensive care unit three hundred miles away?"
"Your Honor," Hayes stammered, standing up quickly. "My client was led to believe the document was executed via electronic power of attorney—"
"Save it for the grand jury, Counsel," Judge Thorne interrupted coldly. "I am issuing an immediate Temporary Restraining Order against Nathan Sterling. Effective immediately, all personal and corporate bank accounts associated with Mr. Sterling are frozen. His operational access to Vance & Co. is revoked pending a forensic audit, and he is to remain at least five hundred yards away from the petitioner."
Nathan slammed his hand onto the defense table. "You can't freeze the trading accounts! We have a forty-million-dollar inventory settlement due on Friday!"
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"Sit down, Mr. Sterling," Judge Thorne snapped, bringing his gavel down with an authoritative thud. "One more outburst and I will hold you in contempt of court."
Nathan turned his head, locking eyes with me across the aisle. His pale, desperate face held a mixture of shock, rage, and sudden terror. The man who had stood over me on the marble floor was now completely stripped of his authority.
