He Locked My 3-Day-Old Baby Out to Go on Vacation—Until the Sheriff Arrived at My Door

Beside him, his mother, Evelyn, sat in a white rattan lounge chair, wearing oversized sunglasses and a wide-brimmed straw hat. She was sipping mimosas and scrolling through boutique shopping websites.

"Did that girl call you again?" Evelyn asked casually, adjusting her sunglasses. "She needs to learn that a man needs space after the stress of a child being born. You were in that hospital for almost twelve hours, Brandon. It was exhausting for you."

Brandon chuckled, adjusting his sunglasses. "She called three times last night, Mom. She was crying about the door code."

"Good," Evelyn sneered, swirling her glass. "She's lived in that massive house like she owns the place. She forgets that without your guidance, she’d be nothing. Leaving her out in the cold for a night or two will bring her back to reality. She'll be begging you to come home by Sunday."

"Yeah," Brandon agreed, taking a sip of his drink. "I turned her phone notifications to silent. Let her stay at her brother’s place for a week. It’ll teach her some respect."

Suddenly, Brandon’s phone screen lit up with an incoming call. It wasn't Claire.

It was his boss, Richard Sterling, the Senior Managing Partner at Sterling Capital—the firm where Brandon had been desperately trying to secure a vice-president promotion for the last two years.

Brandon quickly sat up, smoothing his polo shirt as if his boss could see him through the phone.

"Mr. Sterling! Good morning, sir," Brandon answered, putting on his most professional, smooth voice. "I'm just taking a few days of family leave after the birth of my daughter—"

"Brandon," Sterling’s voice cut through the speaker, ice-cold and furious. "Where are you right now?"

Brandon blinked, caught off guard by the tone. "I'm... I'm out of state briefly, sir. Just handling some family matters—"

"Are you aware that two process servers and a representative from the County Sheriff’s Department just walked into our corporate headquarters with a federal freeze order on your wage disbursements?" Sterling demanded, his voice rising in anger.

Brandon’s smile completely vanished. He dropped his cocktail onto the pool deck, the glass shattering against the blue tiles.

"W-what?" Brandon stammered, jumping out of his lounge chair. "A freeze order? Sir, there must be a mistake—"

"There is no mistake," Sterling snapped. "We were served with an emergency court injunction regarding felony bank fraud, forgery, and illegal asset conversion involving your wife’s trust funds. The board has placed you on immediate, unpaid administrative leave pending a formal internal investigation."

Evelyn froze, her mimosa glass stopping halfway to her mouth. "Brandon? What’s going on?"

"Mr. Sterling, please!" Brandon panicked, stepping away from his mother, his forehead suddenly covered in cold sweat. "It’s just a misunderstanding with my wife! She’s emotional, she just had a baby—"

"Your personal legal disasters are destroying this firm’s reputation!" Sterling barked. "Security has already escorted your assistant out of your office to clear your desk. Do not come back to this building until this matter is resolved in court. Good day, Brandon."

The line went dead.

Brandon stood by the pool, staring at his phone screen in absolute disbelief. His heart pounded against his ribs like a sledgehammer.