“If that’s the case, I believe you should pay for your crimes as well. I’d be willing to pay your settlement if you’d be willing to admit you are a wife-beating piece of shit,” Ben said, very serious about paying the man to confess.
Tim stopped, looking at Ben and he could see the rage burning behind the man’s eyes. “You’re a creep. She deserves someone like you. Blackmailing me doesn’t make you a better person. She’s looking for a wealthy man to take care of her. You’re stupid if you actually think she wants you for anything other than your money,” he sneered.
“The way I understand it, she’s going to have plenty of her own money once she’s through with you. She won’t need my money,” Ben said dryly, watching Tim’s hand shake with unshed fury.
Tim glared at him. “You’ve got my sloppy seconds.”
“There is nothing sloppy about Katherine. She was clearly too good for you,” Ben said, not letting his anger be tickled by the man working hard to get a reaction out of him.
“Sign the document Mr. Marshall and let’s put all this nasty business behind us,” Meredith said coolly.
Tim picked up the pen and scratched his name across the bottom. Ben sighed in relief, knowing it was over.
“The divorce is done. You won’t call her. You won’t show up here and you’ll do nothing to hurt her ever again,” Ben snarled, making damn sure the other man knew he wasn’t backing down.
“Be careful who you’re threatening,” Tim said, narrowing his gaze at Ben.
Ben smiled. “Oh, be careful, I think that could be construed as a threat of violence, don’t you think, Meredith?”
Meredith was nodding her head. “I do. Mr. Marshall, I’m not your counsel, but I would like to caution you about making threats of any kind. As I understand it, your entire future rests on you walking out of this office and never contacting either of my clients again. I’d hate to hear that something horrible happened to you. Prison is not kind to men like you.”
Tim looked like he would blow a gasket. Another woman had just stripped away the last bit of power he was holding onto. It was fitting to see him get taken down by two strong women who would not bend to the fear he wielded like a giant sword.
“Whatever. This meeting is over. You’ve got what you want,” Tim snapped, standing up, knocking the chair over with his angry outburst.
“I hope we never meet again, Mr. Marshall. I’ll file the divorce paperwork and you can send the settlement check to my office. The sooner it’s sent, the sooner we can put all this nasty business behind us,” Meredith said, not the least bit impressed by the violent stares Tim was throwing in her direction.
He stalked towards the door. Ben could see Katherine waiting on the other side and was immediately afraid for her safety. Tim was a man on the edge. He was pissed and would be looking for someone to lash out at. Ben jumped out of his own chair and rushed to get behind Tim, not trusting the man at all.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Katherine
TIM WAS WALKING STRAIGHT for her, a murderous look in his eyes. If she was smart, she would run. She didn’t run. Instead, she threw her shoulders back and defiantly stared back at him. She wasn’t going to back down, not when she had made so much progress to shut him down. Ben was beside her in a flash, his arm around her shoulders, facing off against Tim right alongside her.
Meredith and a few of the other attorneys were standing nearby. The tension in the room was palpable. Tim’s anger was practically radiating off of him as they faced off in the hall. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized she might get hurt. Tim might get a punch in before Ben could stop him. She had accepted the risk and was willing to take a hit if it meant there would be witnesses that could finally back up her story. Tim would be held accountable for his actions—finally.
“If you ever call me, call my job, show up at my place or show your face in my presence ever again, I will destroy you,” she said the words again, loving how they felt crossing her tongue.
He scoffed. “You act as if I want you back. I don’t want you near me. You can stop with the drama.”
“It isn’t drama. Only facts.”
His lip curled. “You don’t own the state of California. You don’t control me.”
She shook her head. “You’re right and you don’t own me. You have zero control over me. You are not my husband.”
He made a face. “Technically, I am your husband.”
Ben made a move forward. “Go away, Tim. Seriously, go away. There’s nothing more for us to say.”
“You think you got the upper hand here. Are you so sure those documents are real?” he asked, trying to take control of the situation.
She looked up at Ben and grinned. “I would say they’re real. They came from your filing cabinet and you just did everything I asked because they are,” she said, unable to hold back her laugh.
That pissed him off. She got a little thrill knowing she could still get to him. Tim pressed closer to her, glowering down using his oldest intimidation tricks. She glared back at him. Ben’s arm was wrapped tight around her. He took a small step forward, clearly putting his body between her and Tim.
“I don’t know how you got those papers, but when I find out, I will press charges.”