Chapter Twelve:Legal set-up
1367 Words
Sarah sat in her office, calm and gentle. Her eyes fixed on the white screen in front of her. She had read and reread the papers, reusing each word with the same concentration. Her criminal charges against the overthrown executives were explicit and emphatic involving fraudulent transfers, embezzlement of money, and a chain of other activities that went hand in glove. She glanced at the lawful foundation of the case she had started, however, and in her heart something told her the war ahead would not be as cake-walk as she had thought. The hunches, which had proved so accurate in connection with Kenny, were not at rest.
The mood elsewhere, out of her office, was grim. Laborers whispered even to one another, and looked askance. The word of the court case went further than the boundaries of the company and was now passed around in press circles. Some of the reporters were already loitering around the gates of the company and hoping to get the glimpse of Sarah whose culmination to power was cinematic. She was aware of what the eyes on her weigh, she was even more aware that she could not afford to back down. Never after everything.
At home, Jonathan was sitting together with his sisters and Aunt Regina. It was peaceful in the parlor, that kind of silence only to be followed by some great event. Robert Michael who sat opposite them seemed to be unusually nervous. He clutched a folder on his hand and muted it on his knee. His brow was wet with perspiration although the air-conditioner in the room was set to maximum.
“Barrister,” said Regina, breaking the silence, “you have said nothing since you came here.”
Robert raised his eyes, clearly disturbed by something. He hesitated, then slowly handed the folder over to Jonathan.
“This just arrived on my desk from the state high court,” he said, “it’s a summons. They have accepted the countersuit filed by the accused former executives.”
Jonathan swiftly unfolds the folder. His eyes glanced through the paper quickly, his hands shook terribly the instant he got to the second page.
“What is this?” Jonathan asked, handing the paper over to Regina.
Regina read it carefully. As her eyes widened, she glanced at Robert.
“They are accusing Sarah of falsifying corporate records?” she asked in disbelief.
Robert nodded. “Yes. And that’s not all. They’re claiming that Sarah, acting on behalf of the company, orchestrated their arrests based on unverified documents, forged signatures, and without sufficient internal audit approval.”
Jonathan quickly stood up from where he was seated, pacing around the room anxiously. “This is…is ridiculous. Everyone in this room knows what those men did. This is just a desperate attempt to twist the story.”
“But that’s not how the law works,” Robert added, “this isn’t about what we believe. It’s about what can be proven. And if we fail to provide original audit documentation, proof of financial loss, and witness testimony, the court could dismiss all charges against them.”
“And what happens if that happens?” Regina asked, already dreading the answer.
Robert was quiet, then with hesitation again knew that the truth could no longer be hidden away.
“The company can easily be sued for defamation if Sarah's claims were to be dismissed. There will be false imprisonment, misuse of authority and worst, obstruction of justice. The financial damages alone could be catastrophic. The empire would fall into a deeper hole, and Kenny… Kenny would rise higher than ever.”
Silence reigned in the room heavily. At first no one spoke. Jonathan at last sat down, putting both hands on his head. He looked really weary.
“But she told me she knows what she is doing; she said she has everything,” he said it in a whisper.
Just then the front door opened, and Sarah appeared. She had come in with the ease of one who was well conversant with the house; but as soon as she caught the look on their faces it was seen that she checked her step. She looked at Robert, then at Regina and finally at Jonathan.
“What is the matter?” said she, her voice was determined.
Regina got up, came to her and gave her the folder. Sarah picked it up uncomment and started reading. When she read her face altered. It wasn't fear at all. It was a burning fire.
“So, they want to fight dirty,” she finally said, closing the folder. “Let them. I will clean them out one by one.”
“This is not a joke, Sarah,” Robert said, standing. “They’re accusing you of creating forged board approval. That means the signature of the board chairman must appear on the resolution you submitted. But there’s a problem. That chairman is dead. Your document is signed by Andrew White.”
In that moment, right after he said it, a heavy silence fell in the entire room.
Without blinking, Sarah was stunned.
Jonathan stood. “That’s impossible.”
Robert pulled out another sheet of paper and handed it to him. “This is a photocopy of the document Sarah submitted with her charges. Look at the bottom signature.”
Jonathan looked, and he froze. His late father’s signature was clearly visible, dated just two weeks ago.
“What the hell is this?” he shouted, looking at Sarah. “Why is my dead father’s signature on this?”
Sarah looked him dead in the eyes.
“I didn’t forge it.”
Jonathan’s voice rose. “Then explain it! Because if you didn’t, someone is trying to bury us with it!”
Robert stepped in, his voice calm but cutting. “Whether she did it or not, that signature is on the official case file. And now, the court believes the company tried to deceive them. The judges are furious. They have ordered a full forensic investigation into the document trail.”
Regina stood, walking away slowly, processing everything.
“But you told us you had it all under control,” Cynthia, Jonathan’s younger sister, whispered to Sarah, “how can we believe you now?”
“I said I didn’t forge it,” Sarah replied, still not flinching. “But I will find who did it.”
“And if you can’t?” Regina asked.
Sarah turned toward the window, gaping out into the dark, as though calculating every move on an unnoticeable chessboard.
“I'll handle it,” she said.
Just also, Robert’s phone chimed. He looked at it, and his eyes widened. He picked the call, and all eyes turned toward him.
“Yes, this is Barrister Robert Michael… Yes… What?”
He stood up straight.
“What do you mean a warrant?”
Everyone in the room stood still.
Robert looked at Sarah, then at Jonathan.
“There is a warrant for your arrest, Sarah. The court has moved faster than we expected. They believe the documents in the case are falsified, and until proven otherwise, you are to be held in protective custody.”
Sarah didn’t move.
“You are to report to the city law enforcement division by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow,” he added.
Jonathan walked forward, but Sarah raised her hand, stopping him.
“Don’t. Don’t pity me, ” she said vocally.
Regina took a deep breath, crossing her arms. “ What are you going to do? ” Sarah turned around sluggishly, her voice as cold as ice and sharp as sword.
“I am going to war.”
The room fell into silence once again.
Then the house phone rang. Jonathan walked over and picked it up.
“Yes?”
A shaky voice spoke on the other end.
“Sir… we just received a breach alert from the empire’s northern wing. Someone has broken into the records room… and… and sir… the digital security files from the past six months… have just been deleted.”
Jonathan dropped the phone.
Sarah's eyes expanded widely and for the first time. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door.
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