Chapter 5 - The Paper Trail of Blood
Three days later, the Mercer empire was in a state of absolute collapse.
With Evelyn and Adrian held in federal detention, the board of directors at Mercer Logistics held an emergency meeting. What they discovered was staggering: Evelyn had embezzled over fifteen million dollars from corporate pension funds to maintain her lavish lifestyle and pay off private debts.
The local news outlets, which Evelyn had once controlled through threats and ad revenue, were now running non-stop coverage of the scandal.
In a high-security interrogation room at the federal courthouse, Adrian sat across from my father and Agent Vance. His designer suit was gone, replaced by a dark orange jumpsuit. All his arrogance had evaporated, replaced by a desperate, sniveling panic.
"It was my mother!" Adrian sobbed, burying his face in his hands. "She forced me to lie! She told me if I didn't back her up, she would cut me out of the estate trust! I didn't want Claire to get hurt! I swear!"
"You stood there while your mother sprayed industrial chemical into your wife's eyes," Agent Vance said, his voice dripping with disgust. "You held her back from her phone. You lied to the paramedics. And you falsified an official hospital report."
"I was afraid!" Adrian begged, looking at my father. "Mr. Sterling, please! Talk to Claire! I love her! We can fix this! I'll give her half the company!"
My father leaned across the table, his eyes burning with a dark, unyielding fury.
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"You don't have a company anymore, Adrian," Arthur said quietly. "Mercer Logistics was seized by federal marshals two hours ago. Every asset, every property, every dollar connected to your family has been frozen under the RICO Act."
"You built your life on the belief that you could crush people who had less than you," my father added, standing up. "Now you are going to spend the next two decades learning what it feels like to have nothing at all."
