Chapter 12 - THE SECOND BETRAYAL
Richard did not go quietly.
Before the meeting ended, he accused Marcus of conspiring with Daniel.
He accused Margaret of manipulating me.
He accused Kelsey of stealing company records.
Then he accused me of betraying my family.
That one almost made me laugh.
Afterward, I turned off the laptop and sat in silence.
Margaret touched my shoulder.
“You did well.”
“I feel sick.”
“That’s normal.”
“I just removed my father from the company my grandfather built.”
“No.”
She looked me in the eye.
“Your father removed himself.”
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Mrs. Mercer?”
“Yes?”
“This is Detective Nolan with Columbus Police.”
My chest tightened.
“We executed a search warrant on your father’s temporary residence.”
“What did you find?”
There was a brief pause.
“Several estate documents carrying your signature.”
My fingers went cold.
“Forged?”
“We believe so.”
He continued.
“We also recovered a handwritten list.”
“What kind of list?”
“Properties.”
Margaret moved closer.
Nolan continued.
“Your home is listed.”
“Anything else?”
“Three Hale-Mercer warehouses.”
Marcus looked up sharply.
“And beside each property is an estimated sale value.”
I closed my eyes.
Richard had not just been planning to steal from me.
He had been planning to strip the company.
“How much?”
“Approximately sixty-three million dollars total.”
My stomach turned.
Nolan added, “There are buyer names beside several entries.”
“Blackridge?”
“One is Blackridge.”
“And the others?”
“Different companies.”
Marcus asked quietly, “Can you ask who owns them?”
I repeated the question.
Detective Nolan answered.
“We’re investigating.”
Then his tone changed.
“There is one more issue.”
I gripped the phone.
“What?”
“We found a document concerning custody of your unborn child.”
Everything inside me went still.
“What did you say?”
“A draft petition.”
Margaret’s expression hardened.
Nolan continued.
“It appears Richard planned to argue that after Daniel’s death, you were mentally unfit to raise the child.”
I could barely speak.
“He was going to take my baby?”
“According to the draft, he intended to petition for temporary guardianship.”
My eyes moved toward Grace’s camera.
Richard had wanted my home.
My money.
My shares.
May you like
And my daughter.
That was the moment the last piece of me that still thought of him as my father disappeared.
