Chapter 16
MICHAEL
Kevin's office sat on the second floor of a glass-fronted building on the main commercial road in Sanibel, three doors down from a coffee shop and across the street from a small accountancy firm. Michael held the door for Maggie, and she calmly breezed through it with a newfound confidence.
The receptionist looked up.
"Mrs. Sullivan," the receptionist greeted her with a familiar smile. "Are you here to see Mr. Sullivan?”
"Hello, Nancy," Maggie said. "Yes, we are here to see him, and please, from today it’s Ms. Samuel, as I’m going back to my family name ."
“I’m glad,” Nancy told her with a bright smile. “It’s about time. Go up, I’ll unlock the elevator for you.”
They climbed in and were whisked to Kevin’s floor. The door to the elevator dinged open, and they stepped out. It was not a bad space, Michael noted as Maggie led them through to Kevin's office. His assistant greeted Maggie with warmth, as Michael noted. They all liked her here.
“Hello,” Maggie greeted the man. “Is he in?”
“Yes, you can go in. He’s not with anyone at the moment,” the assistant told her.
Maggie gave a few sharp raps on the door before they heard a voice inside.
“Come in,” Kevin called.
Maggie pushed the doors open and stepped inside. Kevin looked startled at first, then his face turned into a smile that looked more like he was gloating as he assumed they were there to give him what he’d demanded.
"Maggie," Kevin said. "Michael. Please come take a seat." He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. “I take it you’re here to sign me off on my demands?”
Maggie pulled out a small recording device and plopped it onto the table, pressing record.
"We are here to address your demands, Kevin," Maggie told him, and they saw the light of greed spark in Kevin's eyes. “But first, I need to formally introduce Michael to you as my new attorney for the record.”
As she read the date and time, Michael had to hide a smile as Kevin's smile faltered.
"Your new attorney?" Kevin repeated, then glanced at Maggie. “What was wrong with your last one? He was helping you.”
"Well, he’s been let go," Michael confirmed. "Now let’s get straight down to the business of your divorce, shall we?”
“I thought we were just going to talk about my demand,” Kevin said, going a little pale.
Michael ignored his comments and continued.
“The settlement proposal you delivered to Maggie Sullivan, soon to be Samuels again, this morning has been reviewed.” He tilted his head slightly and held Kevin’s eyes that were slowly filling with panic.
“It will not be accepted. I have prepared a counter-proposal that I would like to walk you through and strongly recommend you sign it. "
Michael opened the slim leather folder he’d carried in from the car, removed a clean printed document, and slid it across Kevin's desk.
Kevin didn’t pick it up.
"Michael," Kevin said. "Maggie and I agreed this morning to keep attorneys out of it until we come to an agreement on how much of her boutique and inheritance I will receive."
"No. Maggie agreed to read your terms," Michael corrected. "She made no commitment to negotiate without representation. My proposal was already in place before that meeting. Please read the document, Kevin."
Kevin glanced at Maggie. Maggie held his gaze calmly.
Kevin pulled the document toward him, and his eyes scanned the page. His face reddened with anger before he pushed the document back toward Michael. "This is unacceptable," Kevin stated.
"Which part?" Michael asked.
"All of it," Kevin answered. "Where is my share in the building or the boutique? The spousal support I’m entitled to because she earns a lot more than I do, and she initiated the divorce.” He hit the document with the top of his hand in annoyance.
“Instead, you want me to sign a full waiver of any future claim on Maggie's business, brand, or estate.” His eyes bulged in fury.
“And the clause on Toby is, frankly, insulting. "
"The clause on Toby reflects the guardianship agreement you signed eighteen months ago, Kevin," Michael reminded him.
"You signed away any guardianship rights at that time, in writing, in exchange for the lump sum of money that Maggie paid you.
That document is on file. The clause in this contract simply codifies what is already legally true.
You have no claim on access to your grandson.
Toby will decide for himself when he is old enough to choose. "
Kevin's jaw worked, and his eyes narrowed. "I’m not signing this, Michael," he said flatly.
"I would advise you to read the rest of it," Michael replied. “Then pick up that pen beside your hand and sign it.”
Kevin glanced down at the second page. He paused.
"What is this?" Kevin asked, pointing to a section on the page he was on.
"That is a summary of the design theft case Maggie has been quietly documenting for the last fourteen months," Michael answered. "She has receipts, dates, photographs of altered stock appearing on the Kitsch Couture floor within seventy-two hours of new arrivals at her boutique.” He saw Kevin’s eyes grow wide this time with fear.
“We also have witness statements from two former Kitsch Couture seamstresses who have already cooperated under a non-disclosure agreement with Maggie's legal team. "
"That proves nothing," Kevin said.
"On its own, no," Michael agreed. "Combined with what we received this afternoon, it proves a great deal."
"What did you receive this afternoon?" Kevin asked.
Michael didn’t answer immediately. He let the silence sit and watched Kevin work himself into a cold sweat. Then, with deliberate unhurried movements, Michael reached into his inside jacket pocket and produced Kevin's phone. He set it carefully on Kevin's desk, screen up, between them.
Kevin stared at it.
"That’s my phone," Kevin said slowly. “I was wondering where it went to and how I ended up with…” His brows shot up as it suddenly dawned on him what had happened and when.
"I picked it up by mistake in Maggie's office this morning," Michael told him. "I didn't realize until it was too late, and you were already gone."
Kevin's face went white. "That is not admissible," he said.
"It is admissible," Michael corrected. "Inadvertent discovery of evidence on a device picked up in good faith, with no passcode protection, is a recognized exception.
" His face went blank. "I had to check the phone to find out whose it was.
" A smile lifted on one side of his mouth.
"And in case it does get challenged, I've already issued litigation hold notices to your carrier and to Vanessa's.
The messages exist on the carrier servers regardless of what you delete from the device in front of you.
They will be preserved pending discovery. "
"On what grounds?" Kevin hissed. "A divorce doesn't get you those records."
"This is no longer just about the divorce, Kevin," Michael pointed out.
"I am now retained as counsel for the celebrity Vanessa just defamed across three platforms in violation of a signed waiver.
That gives me standing to pursue civil discovery against Kitsch Couture for breach of contract, misappropriation of name and likeness, and false advertising.
Your messages with Vanessa establish your participation.
That makes you a co-defendant in a federal civil action, Kevin.
Not a divorce. A federal civil action with statutory damages, attorneys' fees, and the kind of public record that will follow you for the rest of your career. "
Kevin sat very still.
"On top of that," Michael continued evenly, "Maggie has independent grounds for a civil conspiracy claim on the design theft.
And there is the matter of the message thread with Mr. Johnson, in which you offered to sell shares in a building you do not own.
Maggie owns that building outright. Has owned it from before the marriage.
The deed is in her name and her grandfather's trust. What you offered Mr. Johnson is fraud in the inducement, Kevin.
If he paid you a deposit on the basis of that offer, that is a separate criminal matter. "
Kevin was no longer looking at the document; he was staring blankly at the wall behind Michael and had gone deathly pale. Eventually, his eyes, heavy with the knowledge he was about to be crushed, asked. “What do you want?”
"Kevin," Michael said, "I will be direct with you. Maggie doesn’t want a trial. She just wants your marriage to end today, on the terms set out in the document in front of you. If you sign this afternoon, Maggie will not pursue the design theft case against you personally, only against Vanessa and Kitsch Couture.”
“No, leave Vanessa out of this,” Kevin retorted. “You’ll ruin her business.”
“She should’ve thought of that before stealing other people’s work,” Maggie pointed out coldly. “And not reading what she’s signing, especially when a high-profile celebrity hands you a waiver to sign.”
Kevin glared at Maggie for a while before turning to Michael. Defiance lit his eyes once again. "And if I don’t sign?”