Chapter 4: The Verdict of the Family
Months later, the trial captivated the nation.
Evidence reached far beyond the fire.
Financial records revealed years of corporate fraud.
Witnesses described intimidation, bribery, and the destruction of documents.
Douglas Mercer admitted that he had buried internal reports to protect the company.
He insisted he never intended for anyone to die.
The jury disagreed.
Juliette testified for six days.
She admitted that jealousy had consumed her as a teenager.
Caroline had always been the admired daughter.
The future CEO.
The one everyone trusted.
She claimed she never expected the fire to spread so quickly.
The prosecution argued that choices made in panic still carried consequences.
After two days of deliberation, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts for the crimes proven at trial.
The Mercer empire collapsed within weeks.
Mercer Biotech filed for bankruptcy.
Scholarships, hospitals, and charitable foundations bearing the Mercer name were placed under independent management.
The fortune that had once seemed untouchable disappeared almost overnight.
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For the first time in years, the Mercer name no longer represented prestige.
It represented a cautionary tale.
