The lawsuits came like a coordinated military strike.
Patent infringement from a company Marcus had never heard of. Discrimination charges from employees who'd been terminated for cause. Securities fraud allegations based on accounting practices that had been approved by three different auditing firms. Environmental violations for a manufacturing facility they didn't even own.
All filed on the same day. All backed by legal teams that charged more per hour than most people made in a month.
"It's coordinated," Marcus's lawyer, Patricia Hernandez, said during their emergency meeting. Her normally perfect composure was cracked, stress lines visible around her eyes. "I've been practicing corporate law for twenty-five years, and I've never seen anything like this. The resources required for this level of simultaneous assault..."
"How bad is it?"
Patricia spread seventeen separate legal documents across the conference table. "Each of these cases is weak individually. Probably wouldn't survive summary judgment. But together? They're designed to bleed you dry. Even if you win every single case, the legal fees alone could bankrupt the company."
"And if we lose?"
"Criminal charges. Potential prison time. Complete corporate dissolution."
Marcus felt the walls closing in. "How long do we have?"
"With the current burn rate? Six months, maybe eight if we settle some of the smaller cases."
"I won't settle. Every settlement is an admission of guilt, and we're not guilty of anything."
Patricia's voice was gentle but firm. "Marcus, sometimes you have to choose between being right and being alive."
That evening, Marcus sat in his home office, staring at the stack of legal papers. Through the window, he could see Emma in the backyard, teaching their golden retriever, Max, to fetch a frisbee. Sarah was reading on the porch, occasionally looking up to laugh at Emma's increasingly elaborate training methods.
Normal. Peaceful. Perfect.
About to be destroyed.
His phone buzzed. David's name on the screen.
"We need to talk," David said without preamble. "James and I are coming over."
"Sarah's making dinner. Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"No. It can't."
Twenty minutes later, David and James sat in Marcus's living room, both looking like they hadn't slept in days. Through the kitchen doorway, Marcus could hear Sarah helping Emma with homework, their voices a comforting counterpoint to the tension crackling in the air.
"The board met today," James said without preamble.
"Without me?"
"Emergency session. The lawsuits... Marcus, the investors are panicking. Three of them have already called for your resignation."
"My resignation? I founded this company!"
"And you're the target of every lawsuit," David said quietly. "They're not coming after James and me. They're coming after you specifically."
Marcus felt something cold settle in his chest. "So?"
"So maybe you should consider stepping down. Temporarily. Let the legal issues resolve themselves, then—"
"Step down from my own company?"
"It's not your company anymore, Marcus," James said, and there was something in his voice—a distance that Marcus had never heard before. "It's a publicly traded corporation with fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders. And right now, you're a liability."
"I'm a liability."
"The lawsuits name you specifically. Your leadership style. Your refusal to consider strategic partnerships. The Hartford offer—"
"Don't you dare bring up Hartford."
"Seven billion dollars!" James exploded, his composure finally cracking. "They offered us seven billion dollars, and you turned it down without even consulting the board!"
"I am the board! We are the board!"
"We're three votes out of nine, Marcus. And right now, six of those votes think you've lost your mind."
The room went quiet except for the sound of Emma's laughter from the kitchen.
"Are you voting against me?" Marcus asked.
David and James looked at each other—that same wordless communication that had been happening more and more lately.
"We're voting for the company," David said finally.
"That's not an answer."
"Yes," James said. "We're voting for your resignation."
The betrayal hit like a physical blow. Marcus felt his breath leave his lungs, felt the world tilt sideways.
"You're my partners. My friends."
"We're your friends," David said, and his voice was breaking. "That's why we're trying to save you. Step down. Let us handle the Hartford situation. Take Sarah and Emma somewhere safe while this blows over."
"Handle the Hartford situation how?"
Silence.
"You're going to sell."
"We're going to survive," James said. "And if that means selling, then yes. We're going to sell."
Marcus stood slowly, his legs unsteady. Through the kitchen doorway, he could see Sarah helping Emma with math homework, both of them bent over the dining room table, completely absorbed in the simple task of education.
His family. His life. His responsibility to protect.
"Get out," he said quietly.
"Marcus—"
"GET OUT!"
The kitchen went silent. A moment later, Sarah appeared in the doorway, concern etched across her face.
"Everything okay?"
David and James were already gathering their things, their faces masks of professional regret.
"We'll schedule the board meeting for Friday," David said. "You'll have a chance to present your case."
"My case for running my own company?"
"Your case for why you should remain CEO of a publicly traded corporation that's facing seventeen simultaneous lawsuits."
After they left, Marcus sat alone in his living room, staring at the family photos on the mantle. Sarah pregnant with Emma. Emma's first steps. Family vacations. Christmas mornings. Birthday parties.
All of it built on the foundation of Apex Dynamics.
All of it about to crumble.
Sarah sat down beside him, not saying anything, just offering her presence.
"How much did you hear?" he asked.
"Enough." She took his hand. "Are we going to be okay?"
Marcus looked at his wife—this woman who'd believed in him when he was nobody, who'd supported him through eighteen-hour days and startup nightmares, who'd built their life around his dreams.
"I don't know," he said. "I honestly don't know."
Emma appeared in the doorway, her homework finished, her face bright with eight-year-old optimism.
"Daddy, can we work on my app now?"
Marcus forced a smile. "Of course, kiddo. Let's go code."
As he walked to his home office with his daughter, Marcus made a silent promise.
Whatever happened, he would protect them. No matter the cost.
He had no idea that the cost would be everything.