By the time the next round of filings landed on Mariella’s desk, it was clear that Matthew Elizalde had stopped pretending to play fair.
Ardent Lex’s response came thick as a novel, thirty pages of threats, technicalities, and precision cuts. Every paragraph dripped with arrogance. Every footnote reminded them that this wasn’t a fight between equals.
Matthew was no longer letting his lawyers shield him entirely. His fingerprints were everywhere, in the phrasing, the tone, the smug edge that bled from every line. He wanted Sari to feel it.
Mariella had read enough to know what it meant. “They’re tightening the screws,” she said, voice low as she dropped the papers on Sari’s desk. “They’re demanding full financial disclosures and patient records under sealed review. It’s legal bullying, b
