Chapter 16 - THE LAST CLAIM
Silas filed for emergency custody from jail.
His attorneys argued that the criminal charges had not yet resulted in a conviction.
They claimed Elena had exposed the children to media attention and manipulated them against their father.
The filing stunned the public.
It did not surprise Samantha.
“He does not expect to win custody,” she explained. “He wants legal standing over the trust.”
Elena felt sick.
“He is still trying to reach their shares.”
“Yes.”
The family-court judge scheduled an immediate hearing.
Silas appeared through a secure video connection.
For the first time, Elena saw him without the protection of expensive offices, family employees, or rehearsed interviews.
He wore a county-issued uniform.
His hair had grown unevenly.
But when he saw Elena, the old confidence returned.
“We need to stop attacking each other,” he said.
Elena stared at the screen.
“You tried to kill me.”
“You are repeating allegations.”
“Our daughters heard you.”
“They were confused.”
“Lily recorded you.”
His expression tightened.
Silas’s attorney interrupted.
The judge allowed Samantha to present the evidence.
The traffic footage.
The Blackwood property records.
The fake passports.
The medical papers prepared before Elena’s crash.
The message in which Silas instructed Margot to move “Package Two.”
Then Lily’s voice played through the courtroom.
“Mom is still in there!”
Silas’s recorded answer followed.
“Do not look back.”
Elena closed her eyes.
The judge ordered Silas to have no direct or indirect contact with Elena, Lily, or Sophie.
His parental decision-making rights were suspended.
A court-appointed guardian would review whether termination was appropriate after the criminal proceedings.
The judge also removed Silas as successor trustee.
Samantha presented evidence that his conflict of interest began long before the kidnapping.
The court appointed an independent fiduciary to serve beside Elena until both girls reached adulthood.
Silas’s final path to the trust disappeared.
After the hearing, he asked to speak.
The judge allowed one brief statement.
Silas looked directly at Elena.
“Everything I did was to save what belonged to my family.”
Elena stood.
“Lily and Sophie were your family.”
He looked away.
That movement answered more than words could.
To Silas, family had always meant ownership.
A company.
A surname.
A fortune.
He had nearly murdered the mother of his children and stolen their childhood to preserve an empire.
Now the empire would continue without him.
The Mercer Global board removed Silas as chief executive.
Margot was terminated.
An independent audit began.
Within days, investigators found millions of dollars diverted into accounts controlled by both of them.
The company entered restructuring, but Elena refused to let innocent employees carry the loss.
Vale Therapeutics purchased only the healthy medical division under strict public oversight.
The remaining luxury assets were sold to repay creditors and employees.
Silas’s private jet was the first thing auctioned.
May you like
👉 Silas lost access to his daughters and their trust—but the criminal trial would decide whether he ever walked free again.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
