An Opening
Thursday, continued…
Anna focused on her work, uploading the scanned documents Assistant Wang had sent her into the system. She then forwarded the email to her assistant with instructions to handle it, noting that the original signed documents were on their way back to Australia.
Afterward, Anna turned to the next set of documents that needed her review. As she worked through them, an email arrived from her assistant, Jodie Hughes, who, given the time difference, was likely preparing to leave for the day.
“Anna, we’ve received some information here that you didn’t marry Lu Jinhu. What’s going on? Everyone is concerned. A Family Court envelope marked ‘Personal and Confidential’ was sent here today. I opened it in case it was important. It is, in fact, a de facto property settlement, but the signature on the documents isn’t yours. What do you want me to do? —Jodie”
Anna immediately responded.
“Jodie, please assure everyone that I’m fine, and I’ll explain everything when I’m back. Can you scan and email me a copy of those orders? Also, let Alfred know I need to speak with him about them. —Anna”
Not long after, Jodie sent another email with the requested documents attached.
“Anna, the orders are attached. Alfred is waiting for your email. —Jodie”
Anna paused her work and opened the attachment. As she scanned the family court orders, her heart sank. The signature on the documents was clearly not hers.
She immediately opened a chat with Hou Yi.
“Yi, it looks like Lu Jinhu used fake court orders to get my assets. They’ve been sent to work. I still have time to appeal them, though.”
“Go ahead with the appeal. Is there anything you need from me?” Hou Yi replied almost immediately.
“I’ll need to email a colleague about it. But it looks like I’ll have to return to Australia earlier than I planned. I came here for a reason, but now it seems I have to deal with this.”
“Let me know when you need to go back. I’ll arrange a private plane for us, no need for commercial flights. Also, tell your employers that you’ll pay for private representation. I’ll transfer the funds to their trust account personally.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that. Once I email my colleague, I’ll have about an hour to finish up the next batch of documents we need to go through.”
“Just let me know when you need to leave, and I’ll make time for it.”
Anna, feeling the weight of everything that had just come to light, turned to her work email again. She typed out a message to Alfred, her colleague back in Australia.
“Hi Alfred,
Jodie emailed me a copy of some Family Law orders marked ‘Private and Confidential’ that I’ve just received today. They involve Lu Jinhu and me in the breakdown of a de facto relationship. Jodie mentioned that the signature on the documents isn’t mine. This is the first time I’ve seen these orders.”
“Please do not, and I stress this, do not mention this to anyone just yet. When Lu Jinhu dumped me a few days ago, he admitted that he had been using me to gain citizenship and had taken all of my assets. I had no idea he was doing this, but now, I can do nothing about it.”
“I need you to immediately lodge an appeal against these orders with a rush hearing date, so I can overturn them and stop him from taking any more assets out of the country. I’ll draft the affidavit in support tonight and email it to you for review. Let me know how soon you need me to come back to handle this.”
Anna closed her laptop for a moment, taking a deep breath. The legal work and personal upheaval were piling up, and the next steps she took would be crucial in trying to regain control of her life. She was ready for the fight ahead.
