Chapter 8 - Marcelline’s Counterattack
Marcelline’s lawyers filed an emergency motion.
She argued the trust order should be reconsidered because the judge did not have full information about my:
“violent conduct and coercive influence.”
The slap.
Relevant.
Could my violence affect Elsa’s trust administration?
Potentially if I was seeking control.
But the order did not give me control.
That weakened her argument.
Marcelline also alleged that Elsa’s statement about prior pushing had been influenced by:
“the intense emotional reaction of her father.”
Possible in theory.
That is why professionals interviewed separately.
No automatic belief simply because child said it.
The judge did not reverse the trust order.
Instead:
Confirmed independent trustee.
Restricted both me and Marcelline from directly contacting trust staff about contested matters except through counsel for ninety days.
Fair.
Then Marcelline did something worse.
She gave a columnist off-record information about Elsa’s inheritance.
Headline:
MAFIA HEIRESS, 7, GAINS $34M AS FAMILY WAR EXPLODES.
I nearly called every lawyer I knew.
Eleanor stopped me.
“Can you prove Marcelline leaked it?”
“No.”
“Then don’t accuse.”
The source knew details available to several lawyers, accountants, and family members.
Could have been anyone.
Later discovery in civil litigation showed Marcelline had texted a friend:
Maybe people should know what Vittorio is really protecting.
But no proof she was the columnist’s source.
We did not state it as fact.
More important:
Elsa’s financial privacy had been breached.
I issued no exact number confirmation.
The trust issued no comment.
At school, one child told Elsa:
“You’re richer than everyone.”
Elsa came home crying.
“Am I?”
I sat with her.
“You have money held for you.”
“How much?”
“You’re seven. We’ll explain more as you grow.”
“Is it because Mom died?”
That question.
“Yes. Some came from your mom.”
She looked miserable.
“I don’t want it.”
“You don’t have to want it today.”
“Can give Mom back?”
I had no answer that would fix that.
So I held her.
Money is a terrible substitute for a person.
May you like
Children understand that faster than adults.
────────────────────
