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“I visited him and definitely assessed his injuries. May have added one or two of my own as a calling card of what’s to come, but no. I didn’t do anything that bad, yet.” I reveal.
“Then who?”
“I’m going out on a limb here and suggesting that Cordelia paid the doctors to put him in the coma so that he couldn’t talk.”
“Fuck…” Jax hisses. “That sounds like something she would do.”
“Tell me about it,” I agree.
“Okay, so we’re going to have to prove to the courts that Raven is stable, a great mum, in a healthy relationship - possibly with Phoenix’s father - and that she’s not suicidal and never has been.” Thorn joins in to sum up the extent of our problems like a simple fucking shopping list.
“Not that simple,” I correct. “Normally if allegations this serious were made, social services would be sent out to check up on the child, do a home visit, interviews and so on...but that hasn’t happened here. Cordelia has enough power and money to bypass the system, which means it isn’t going to be a fair fight.”
“So you’re saying that normally we could just prove that it’s all lies?” Rebel asks.
“Normally, yes. But we’re up against Cordelia fucking Deighton. It’s not that simple.” I take a deep breath.
“Let’s not forget, this woman disowned her own daughter, played her granddaughters off against their own parents, pressurised one granddaughter into going away to boarding school, then the other into committing arson and murder,” Jax reminds us.
“Then,” I continue, “she became increasingly controlling throughout Raven’s pregnancy, taking away her freedom and trying to hold her hostage in the house. When Raven fled, she threatened to bring her down and go to the authorities about Raven’s past until Raven had no choice but to fold and give Cordelia access to Phoenix. She’s played nice for nearly four years, but now she’s enrolled Phoenix at West Prep, and because Raven has refused to send her daughter there, she’s started a lawsuit against her.”
“It sounds like it’s been in the pipe work for a long time,” Jax points out and I nod, relieved that someone is on the same page as me.
“Exactly. This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to not getting her own way. This case is water-tight. She’s been planning this for years.”
“Fuck,” comes the low hiss from everyone in the room.
“What do we do?” Thorn asks.
“We lawyer up.” I say. “Separately. Cordelia can afford the best lawyers in the country but she had the court papers drawn up by a freelance company, they’re not on retainer that I can gather from my research. I suspect she’s planning on using my Grandfather’s company once the trial gets underway. I’m going to prevent that by hiring them. I want you guys to all do the same with the four top companies in the country. I’ll pay for the sixth on behalf of Raven. I may even get Phoenix representation, but I’ll need to look into how I can make that happen.”
“You want to narrow down Cordelia’s options.”
“Absolutely. Six teams of the UK’s best lawyers should send a strong message not to fuck with us. But I doubt she’ll back down.” I say. I pour a glass of water and down half of it before continuing.
“Next, we’ll need to get a name on the birth certificate, but that’s going to be taken care of quickly. Once we have the results, I have someone who works at the Deed Poll Office who can help us rush the changes through.”
“Sounds good.”
“But that’s where I get stuck. I’m a fighter, sure, but I don’t usually fight in courts and with words. I need your help, guys.”
“We need to go after Cordelia,” Thorn declares, and I pull a face.
“We do. But not in the way you’re thinking, Bax,” Rebel tells me.
“Evidence,” Ace says.
“Yeah, we need evidence that we can use against her that Cordelia was responsible for all the things she’s done.” Rebel clarifies. “She’s too smart to leave a paper trail or anything obvious, but I think if we hire someone.”
“Jax, you still have your team of people?” Thorn asks him.
“Yeah, but fat lot of good they were, they didn’t find Raven.”
“Well, they were up against the best,” I smirk. “I paid a lot of people a lot of money to keep her hidden.”
“You did well,” Jax admits - a compliment for sure from him. “We should combine teams.”
“Consider it done,” I say. “Anything else?”
