Chapter 6 - THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED
The morning after the gala, my life changed completely.
By 8:00 a.m., every major financial outlet was reporting on Adrian's arrest.
By 9:30, the Mercer board had called an emergency meeting.
By noon, three banks had frozen accounts connected to Adrian and Chloe.
And by three in the afternoon, my attorneys had filed an emergency motion concerning Lily.
I spent the morning at home with my daughter.
She had no idea what had happened.
She sat on the living-room floor with her stuffed rabbit, feeding it imaginary soup.
“Mommy?”
“Yes?”
“Are we going home?”
I looked around the apartment.
“This is home for now.”
“Are we going back to Daddy's house?”
I felt something tighten in my chest.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Mommy needs to make some changes.”
She thought about that.
“Can I bring Bunny?”
I smiled.
“Of course.”
She hugged the rabbit.
That was all she needed to know.
Her world didn't need court documents.
She needed breakfast.
A warm bed.
And a mother who didn't disappear.
At noon, my lawyer arrived.
She placed several documents on the table.
“Adrian's attorney has requested temporary visitation.”
I stared at her.
“After everything?”
“They're going to argue that the incident was exaggerated.”
“They have the footage.”
“Yes.”
“And the recordings.”
“Yes.”
“Then how can they request anything?”
“Because he's still Lily's father.”
I hated hearing that.
Not because it wasn't true.
Because I remembered him sitting at that table while his mother struck our child.
My lawyer continued.
“The judge will decide what is safest.”
I nodded.
“What do you recommend?”
“Supervised visitation only.”
“Fine.”
“No overnight visits.”
“Absolutely.”
“And no contact with Chloe.”
“Yes.”
I signed the documents.
Later that afternoon, I went to Mercer Global.
The headquarters looked different.
Same glass walls.
Same marble lobby.
But the employees watched me differently.
Before, I had been the wife of the CEO.
Now they knew who I was.
The woman who actually controlled the company.
The boardroom was full.
Executives.
Lawyers.
Auditors.
Investors.
My father's representatives.
Everyone stood when I entered.
The chairman approached.
“Mrs. Mercer.”
“Ms. Mercer.”
He corrected himself.
“Right.”
I sat.
“Let's be clear.”
“Adrian is no longer involved in management.”
No one objected.
“Chloe's consulting contract is terminated.”
Silence.
“The financial audit begins today.”
The CFO swallowed.
“Yes, ma'am.”
“The company will cooperate with federal investigators.”
“Yes.”
“And nobody moves funds without dual authorization.”
The room nodded.
Then one director raised his hand.
“What happens to the divisions Adrian was managing?”
“I'll restructure them.”
“Who will lead them?”
“I haven't decided.”
That worried them.
Good.
For years, they had trusted Adrian because he looked confident.
I intended to rebuild the company around competence.
Not ego.
After the meeting, my father's legal counsel approached.
“There is another issue.”
“What?”
“The board believes Adrian may have hidden liabilities.”
“How large?”
“We don't know.”
“Then find out.”
He hesitated.
“There is one company we haven't accounted for.”
“Which one?”
“Mercer Strategic Holdings.”
I frowned.
“That company doesn't belong to us.”
“It was registered in Delaware.”
“By whom?”
The lawyer handed me the paperwork.
My heart stopped.
The registered owner was Chloe Bennett.
But the funding source was Adrian.
And the total capital was enormous.
Nearly $18 million.
I stared at the page.
“Where did he get this money?”
“That's what we're trying to determine.”
I looked at the date.
The company had been formed eight months before Lily was born.
That was no coincidence.
Adrian hadn't started planning to betray me after Lily's birth.
He had been planning long before.
Maybe even before I knew he was unfaithful.
I leaned back.
“Dig deeper.”
The lawyer nodded.
“There's something else.”
“What?”
“One of the transfers into Mercer Strategic came from an account registered to your late mother.”
I froze.
“My mother?”
“Yes.”
“She died four years ago.”
“I know.”
“That account shouldn't exist.”
The lawyer looked at me.
“Exactly.”
For the first time since Adrian's arrest, I felt afraid again.
May you like
Not of him.
Of what else he had been hiding.
