The 50-Million Dollar Loophole: How One Widow Broke the Bank

Chapter 24: The Blackout Drive

"Sterling's people inside the city hacked the portal!" Julian yelled, slamming his fist onto the mahogany table. "They completely shut down the municipal e-filing grid!"

Marcus went pale. "Without a digital timestamp, that massive breach of contract lawsuit is completely useless. The bulldozers will legally clear the lot before the clerk's office even opens."

Julian didn't hesitate. He grabbed the thick stack of freshly printed papers and shoved them into his scuffed leather briefcase.

"The Honorable Judge Carter lives in Westlake," Julian stated, his eyes wide and manic as he gripped the breach of contract lawsuit. "If the digital route is dead, I have to physically deliver these papers to his home."

"He'll hold you in contempt of court!" Marcus warned, but Julian was already sprinting out the shattered front door.

Julian threw his sedan into gear, peeling out of the driveway. The sky was pitch black, and a violent thunderstorm had just broken over the city, slicking the winding suburban roads.

He gripped the steering wheel, pushing the engine past the speed limit. The heavy legal paperwork sat securely on the passenger seat, the only thing standing between his mother and total ruin.

He checked his rearview mirror. A pair of blindingly bright, high-beam headlights suddenly appeared out of the darkness, accelerating rapidly toward his bumper.

The massive vehicle slammed violently into Julian's rear quarter panel, sending his sedan into a terrifying, hydroplaning spin toward the steep embankment.

Julian's car is run off the road by a black SUV in the pouring rain.