Chapter 4 - The Legal Meatgrinder
The aftermath of the rescue was a whirlwind of flashing lights, medical personnel, and legal machinery. Emma was immediately wrapped in a warm blanket and placed in the back of an ambulance, where EMTs checked her for chemical burns and minor abrasions. Aaron never left her side, holding her small hand while Jordan handled the logistics.
The Grant sisters and their mother were lined up on the driveway in full view of the neighborhood, handcuffed and being loaded into separate police vans. Natalie was screaming at the top of her lungs, her makeup smeared, looking frantically for Aaron.
"Aaron! Tell them to stop! It was a joke! We were making a TikTok video! It was a prank!" she yelled as an officer guided her head down into the back of the cruiser.
Aaron walked slowly over to the police car. He looked down at the woman he had promised to love and cherish, feeling absolutely nothing but disgust.
"A prank, Natalie?" Aaron said, his voice dangerously low. "You filmed your mother dragging our daughter by her hair. You watched your sister pour chemicals on her. You smiled."
"It wasn't real gasoline! It was just a joke to scare her because she wouldn't listen to her grandmother!" Natalie sobbed, her voice cracking. "Please, Aaron, think of our family! Think of your reputation! If this gets to the media, Ashford Global shares will plummet!"
"I don't care about the shares," Aaron said coldly. "And you aren't my family anymore. You and your mother and your sisters are going to prison for a very, very long time. I am going to use every dollar, every connection, and every legal resource I possess to ensure you get the absolute maximum sentence. There will be no bail. There will be no plea deals."
The officer slammed the door, cutting off Natalie’s frantic screams.
By 3:00 AM, Aaron’s legal team, led by senior partner Robert Vance, arrived at the police headquarters. They brought with them an emergency filing for absolute, sole legal and physical custody of Emma, alongside an immediate restraining order against the entire Grant family, including extended relatives.
"We have the doorbell footage, the interior camera footage Jordan recovered from the cloud, and the video Natalie recorded on her own phone, which was seized as evidence," Vance told Aaron in a private briefing room. "The prosecutor is ecstatic. This isn't just assault; it’s attempted aggravated arson, conspiracy to commit child abuse, and extortion. They are facing fifteen to twenty years minimum."
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"Make it thirty," Aaron said, staring out the window at the dark city skyline. "And I want a total freeze on Natalie's access to any joint accounts. She has no money for a private defense attorney. Let her use a public defender."
"Consider it done," Vance replied.
