Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
One year later
“All rise!” came the deep voice of the bailiff that rang through the courtroom. Everyone rose and then were told to sit back down. Laurie gripped her hands in her lap so tightly that her knuckles were white. She saw out of the corner of her eye that her daughter and mother held one another’s hands and their knuckles were also white. They were in the courtroom for what would be the last time. The divorce had dragged out, and today was supposed to be the judge’s ruling. If it was in her favor, she would walk out of there a free woman.
She sat up straighter as she got the look on the judge’s face. She looked at Jason with one of worry, and he only subtly shook his head and shrugged.
“Mr. Stanton,” the judge barked out, and his voice was so cold, Laurie shivered. The judge didn’t say anything until Peter slowly stood to his feet, taking his sweet ass time, like he, and everyone else there had all the time in the world.
“This is the part of this trial that I get to speak. You will stand there and listen to what I have to say. Your lawyer will not be interrupting, and you will follow everything I tell you, or you will be held in contempt of court. I’m a judge, I can do that.” At Peter’s scowl, the judge continued, “That means I can throw your behind in jail and make you pay a fine.” Peter only shrugged, and the arrogance he wore made Laurie sick to her stomach.
“Mr. Stanton, I want to start my ruling by telling you that you are the most vile and disgusting human being I have ever encountered. You are a disgrace to be called a male, let alone a human. I know there are better men serving life sentences than you.” Laurie looked at Jason with raised brows, and she noted the lawyer had his hand over his mouth to cover his smirk. She tuned back into what the judge was saying.
“I have come to the conclusion of this divorce. I will be granting Ms. Gibson her wish. Here also are my findings. The home remains in Ms. Gibson’s possession. It was never yours to begin with, she had it before the marriage. Ms. Gibson’s business is also hers. Again, it was hers before you showed up. Next, we’ll discuss the clause of the pre-nuptial agreement where if she stayed married to you for twenty-five years, she would receive three million dollars.” The judge glared at Peter. “Make sure you make out the check before you leave this building. The next issue is the pre-nuptial clause on cheating. Since you and your counsel failed to produce any proof of any infidelity on Ms. Gibson’s part, and there was more than enough documentation on your cheating, I’m going to rule that you owe her an additional two million dollars. I’m sure there are more than what was documented, but I like even numbers. Again, make sure you write the check before you leave the court house.” The judge picked up a stack of papers and tapped them into order. He looked directly at Peter and wrinkled his nose.
“On a good note, there will be no alimony on either part. You don’t owe Ms. Gibson, and she doesn’t owe you one dime. Second good note, because your daughter is an adult, there won’t be any child support to be paid. You dodged a bullet there.”
Laurie looked back at her daughter and saw her grin. They knew because of Lorissa’s age that they wouldn’t be getting child support, and because Jason had put it in the testimony that they weren’t asking for alimony or child support it made them look good.
“Now, onto my next matter. In the matter of Lorissa Stanton. Yes, she is your biological child. The paternity test you and your mother demanded proved that you are one hundred percent her father. However, I am issuing an order that if she so chooses, she will have the right to cut off all ties legally to you and your mother. In this order, she will also be able to change her last name to Gibson, after her mother.” The judge picked up the gavel and just before he gave it a bang, he glared at Peter.
“Again, see that the check for five million dollars is written and handed into the court before you leave. If it bounces, then we will be having major problems, Mr. Stanton. Once the check clears, the court will pay Ms. Gibson. In case you’re too arrogant to understand what I just said, the divorce is granted in Ms. Gibson’s favor. Case closed.” He banged the gavel, stood, and walked out.
Laurie waited until the bailiff escorted a pissed-off Peter and his seething mother out of the back of the courtroom, with his lawyer quickly following.
“Why are they taking Peter through that door?” Lorissa asked. “I thought that’s where the prisoners went.”
“Normally, it is, but they took Stanton that way so he can write the check.”
“What if he doesn’t have the money?” Lois asked.
“Then if the check bounces, the court will go after Stanton Enterprises. By ruling the check be paid to the courts and not directly to Laurie, the court is taking it seriously and can get the funds faster than we can.” He turned to Laurie with a grin. “Don’t worry, I’ve had cases like this before, and the law clerk for the judge will call me when the check clears. She’ll tell me to contact you, and where to go to pick up your check. It will also be a certified check, so you know it is good. We just have to wait to see if Stanton’s check will clear.”
“I understand. Now, I have a question for you.”
“What’s that?” he asked as he cleaned up his papers, stuffed them into his briefcase and they started down the aisle of the courtroom.
“When should I serve Stanton Enterprises the paperwork that Gibson and Associates will be terminating their contract with them.”
“Since I saw the contract, and it clearly states that Gibson has that right once there isn’t a union between you and Peter, then I would wait until you get the divorce papers in your hand. If he hasn’t already, the judge will sign them, file what he has to with the court to make it legal, then mail you your copy.” He paused and turned to Lorissa. “You should get something in the mail also.”
“What do I do with it?”
“Take it to whomever you have to and have your name changed. I don’t know if you can change your birth certificate, but you can change your social security number, oh, you’ll still have the same number, but just in a different name.”
“Lor,” Lois said gently. “Think of it like if you had gotten married and needed to change your name. You know social security number, driver’s license, any utility bills. The paper the judge mails you is your proof you have the right to do so. If you had actually gotten married, the marriage certificate would be your proof.”
“I understand. I’m only saying this now because I’m still pissed at Peter and Beatrice. If I ever get married in the future, I don’t know whether I’ll take his name or not.”
“Do not,” Laurie stressed urgently. “Do not base a future relationship you may have on what mine with your father was.” She held up her hand to ward off the anger on her daughter’s face. “That’s the last time I will refer to him as that. From this day forward, he will be Peter to both of us. Not father, not husband, or ex.”
“Okay.”
“Like I said, if you meet someone, fall in love, and get married, then you do you. If you don’t want to change your name, you don’t have to. The only reason I didn’t was because I was a partner in Gibson Associates, then I became the sole owner. It was easier to keep the Gibson name for me. However, your name change would have to be discussed with the future husband.”
“May I ask something?” Jason said as he turned to them when they were outside on the sidewalk.
“What’s that?”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a farrier.”
“What the hell is that?”
“See that horse over there?” Lorissa turned and pointed to the horse on the edge of the park that a police officer was riding.
“Yes, what about it?”
“A farrier is like a blacksmith, but I work on their feet. If they pick up a stone, or throw a shoe, I fix it. I work for a private boarder. That means they board horses for the people that live in cities that don’t have the room for them.”
“Oh, wow,” Jason said as he turned and looked at the horse. “I never thought there was anything other than a cop mounting up and riding. I never thought of the behind-the-scenes things that go on.”
“There’s a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but my bucket list job is to go out west and work on a thriving horse ranch. That’s my ideal job.”
“Really?” Laurie asked her daughter in shock.
“Yeah, I know when I started school, I wanted to be a vet, and I am one, but I added the farrier schooling because I remember seeing a horse that was so bad she couldn’t walk, because of her feet. That was why I added that to my resume, but I seem to like that better. It’s like one-on-one with me and the horse.” She grinned then. “Besides, I don’t have the paperwork, or the staff and office would give me, and it’s less hassle to be a farrier than a veterinarian.” They broke apart after that and went their separate ways. Laurie wasn’t on cloud nine, but she felt like a ten-pound weight had been lifted from her chest as she realized that she was free of her husband.
One good thing about the entire mess was that when Peter had been served with the divorce papers, he had moved out of the home, and Laurie had all the locks changed on the doors and windows. She’d even gone so far as to hire an associate from Powers to stay around to monitor the home when she’d had the windows replaced. She knew of three of them that while they were locked, they could be shimmied open, so instead of taking the risk of Peter breaking in, she’d had all the windows and door replaced. She liked the steel doors, and upon the suggestion of the associate hired, she’d gone with bullet proof glass. Not that Peter owned a gun, at least not that she knew of, but it was better to err on the side of caution than to be looking down the barrel of a gun.
Six weeks later
“Thank you,” Laurie said to the bank teller as she’d stepped up to the window and requested to speak with the manager. She stepped back and waited for five minutes before a woman just a few years older than herself approached.
“Ms. Gibson? I’m Mrs. Stone, how may I help you?”
Laurie looked over both shoulders, then leaned in to ask if they could go someplace more private. She was led to Mrs. Stone’s office, and after seating, she got right to the point.
“I’m sorry for the cloak and dagger stuff, Mrs. Stone, but in a nutshell, my divorce became final a few weeks ago. My ex had to pay me a substantial amount, and because of that, it was paid to the court. I just came from there to pick up the check. I don’t want it blasted in front of everyone I have it, so I came directly here.” Laurie opened her purse and pulled out the envelope she’d been handed by the law clerk. She watched as Mrs. Stone took it, then smirked as her eyebrows disappeared.
“Holy moly.”
“Yeah. I got to thinking over the last couple of weeks. I’m set in my business, in my home, and this money will just be sitting in the bank collecting interest. I have all my other accounts at a different bank, however, I’d like to open an account with you to deposit that check.”
“Will you be wanting any checks or debit cards against this account?”
“Maybe a debit card, but it would be used for emergency purchases only. If I have a large purchase coming up and decide to use this account, do I have to call ahead to have authorization?”
“I can put a spending limit on the card, and if your purchase will exceed that, you can call ahead, and I can see it will go through.”
“Thank you, I was thinking of a thousand-dollar limit.”
“I can do that.” She took the check, turned to her computer and started pounding the keys as she asked a ton of questions. Forty-five minutes later, Laurie walked out of the bank with a receipt, and the promise that a new debit card would be arriving within the week. With a smile on her face, she went to the office.
As soon as Laurie returned to her office, she gathered the necessary papers and headed to the meeting she’d requested on late Friday afternoon after she’d gotten the call from Jason. She’d decided to wait until Monday to pick up the check and deposit it. With her divorce papers in hand, and the contract Gibson Associates had with Stanton Enterprises, she went in prepared.
“Thank you for coming,” Laurie said as soon as she walked in and saw the people gathered around. As she walked to the head of the table, she talked. “I called you here because we need to terminate one of our support contracts. I want this done and the company served by the end of the week.”
“Who and why?” One of the lawyers scowled at her.
“Stanton Enterprises, because I am not longer married to Peter Stanton.” She was firm in her answer, and laid the divorce papers in the middle of the table along with the original contract her father had drawn up. They grabbed them, read them and nodded.
“Who would you like to serve the papers?”
“Mike Powers.”
“I’ll work on this,” the most senior lawyer said as he took the contract. He looked at Laurie with a look of concern.
“What?”
“Did the check clear?”
“This morning.”
“Great, that will make this better. With your permission, I’ll include a copy of the original contract with the termination highlighted.”
“Please, oh, and tell Mike that I want it personally delivered to Beatrice Stanton herself. I don’t care whether it’s to her home or office. I want it placed directly in her hands.”
“I’m new here,” one of the younger men said. “But what makes you think they can’t take us to court for you terminating the contract?”
“They can’t,” both Laurie and the other man said. The lawyer handed the contract to the younger man. “It states right here that all three Stantons, Beatrice, the late Peter, Sr. and Peter Jr signed. As you can see, it said once a legal divorce decree is produced, the contract becomes automatically null and void. We only need to send our letter of intent that it’s terminated. Laurie will then contact the bank to stop the payments.”
The meeting ended then, and though Laurie had a lot of work to do, she took a few extra minutes to herself reflecting what it would be like to be a fly on the wall when her former mother-in-law was served with the contract termination papers. With a gleeful laugh, she spun in her chair like a little girl, then with a gigantic smile on her face, went back to business as usual. That final piece of boulder that had been repressing her finally fell to the wayside.