He pressed a kiss to my forehead."Let's focus on what we can control.We’re setting up the committee meeting and an appointment with Heather.And in the meantime, we document every single way Preston has failed Mia for the past three years."
"Yes."I drew a deep breath, trying to shake off the anxiety that just wouldn’t leave.That deep pit in my gut that knew more than my brain did.“I love a good plan.”
But as we sat there, surrounded by legal papers and half-empty glasses, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was unraveling faster than we could hold it together.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
NASH
I'd navigated billion-dollar deals.Outmaneuvered competitors who'd been in this game longer than I'd been alive.Turned my last name from a lower-class laughingstock to something that actually meant something in this city.
Preston Clarke should have been easy.
Yet he felt like the most complicated obstacle of them all.
"I want anything that I can use to ruin his life," I told the private investigator a couple days after Clara’s papers had been served.Vinnie Rourke was the best in the business—the kind of guy who could find dirt on a centuries-dead Catholic saint."Financial records.Employment history.Dating life.DUIs.Parking tickets.Everything."
"Understood.How fast do you need it?"
"Yesterday."I looked at the custodial hearing papers.Clara was due in court next week, so we needed this information ASAP.
"I'll have preliminary findings by mid-week."
After I hung up, I called Lennox, my reputation ambassador."I need you to start seeding some stories on Clara and Mia’s behalf.Deadbeat dad tries to take custody from devoted mother.That angle.Make it sympathetic but not too obvious."
"Any specific outlets?"
"The ones that matter.Get some quotes from 'anonymous sources close to the situation.'"
"On it."
Then I called Clara’s new lawyer, Heather.We’d met the day before via video chat when a last-minute cancellation allowed her to squeeze us in early."We’re ready to draft the letter to Preston Clarke's attorney.I’ll be sending over a document that outlines every failure he’s accumulated since Mia was born.Every broken promise.Every time he failed to show up or couldn’t help with basic responsibilities.We’ve got a strong case for lost wages here on Clara’s part too.Getting fired from numerous jobs in order to maintain parental responsibilities that Preston refused to share.Make it clear that if he wants a custody fight, we're going to come out on the other end with sole custody."
"Aggressive," Heather said, and I could hear her smile through the phone.“Just my style.”
"He should know what he’s up against.”
This was how you handled problems.Systematically.Ruthlessly.You identified the threat, gathered intelligence, and neutralized it before it could do any damage.
Preston had made a critical error thinking he could come after Clara and Mia.Now I was going to show him exactly what happened when he fucked with my family.
Things were moving at a good clip, considering how much stress was present in my life.The only thing that needed to move faster was the inheritance committee.We’d been kicked back by at least a week due to conflicting obligations for the committee members.That translated to more time to wait in agony.
The only thing keeping me afloat was that we were at least making progress with Heather on our side.Vinnie’s results started to trickle in, and my growing file on Preston also felt like a reminder that everything was going to be okay.
Vinnie’s profile of Preston painted a far more underwhelming picture than Preston presented to the world.A corporate job hopper, with five jobs in three years.A pattern of late rent payments.A DUI from two years ago that he'd managed to get expunged.And, worst of all, a series of online comments in various groups where he complained about "baby mama drama" and called his daughter "a mistake."
I was still trying to digest everything Vinnie had sent over when Clara appeared in the doorway.
"Hey, babe," she said."Mia's asking for her Naff.She wants you to read her a bedtime story."
I blinked hard, trying to shake myself out of the stupor that Preston had thrust me into.I didn’t know how to share this information with Clara.I almost didn’t want to.“Uh…I just need a minute.I'm almost done here."
She came closer, glancing at my computer screen."What are you working on?"
I hesitated.I hadn’t exactly told her about this plan.I’d just gone with it.But I wasn’t going to lie to her either."Just going through some information that came in on Preston."
Her brows furrowed."What kind of information?"
