Chapter 3 - The Petition
Daniel did not sleep.
Lily did, eventually, curled beside him in his bed with Anna’s old blue blanket tucked beneath her chin.
Daniel sat in the armchair across from her, reading Margaret’s petition until the words blurred.
The allegations were brutal because some of them contained fragments of truth.
Daniel drank excessively.
He was emotionally volatile.
He had misused Lily’s trust.
He had neglected Lily while obsessing over Mercer Residential Group.
He had exposed her to “episodes of uncontrolled grief.”
Margaret claimed Lily had privately told her she feared being left alone with her father.
That was a lie.
But the petition included photographs.
Whiskey bottles in Daniel’s recycling bin.
A broken picture frame from the night Daniel had thrown it after finding one of Anna’s hospital bracelets.
A bruise on Lily’s upper arm.
Daniel enlarged the photograph.
He had never seen it.
At 2:18 a.m., Sarah Chen arrived.
She was forty-two, sharp-eyed, precise, and had represented Daniel in corporate matters for eight years.
She placed the petition on his kitchen counter.
“First question. Did you ever cause that bruise?”
“No.”
“Ever grab Lily there?”
“No.”
“Ever discipline her physically?”
“Never.”
Sarah nodded.
“Good. Second question. The trust withdrawal.”
Daniel rubbed his face.
“I told you about it last year.”
“You told me after you had done it.”
“I know.”
“I also told you to repay it immediately.”
“I repaid sixty thousand.”
Sarah stared at him.
“You still owe thirty-two-four?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Cash flow after Anna’s medical bills. Taxes. The house.”
Sarah exhaled.
“This is exactly why fiduciaries do not borrow from beneficiary assets.”
“I wasn’t borrowing.”
“The court may disagree.”
Daniel looked toward the ceiling.
“I thought it was permitted.”
“Because Margaret told you?”
“Yes.”
“Can you prove that?”
“She deleted the email.”
“From your inbox?”
“And apparently from my account.”
Sarah’s expression sharpened.
“Did she have your password?”
“She helped manage family finances when Anna got sick. I gave her access to some accounts.”
“Daniel.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t. You gave someone with a direct economic interest in removing you as trustee access to your communications.”
“My mother.”
Sarah held his gaze.
“That distinction stopped protecting you yesterday.”
She watched the security footage.
When she reached Raymond’s appearance, she replayed it twice.
“This helps.”
“Enough to end the guardianship case?”
“No.”
Daniel stared at her.
“She assaulted Lily on video.”
“That makes Margaret a terrible candidate for guardian. It does not automatically erase questions about you.”
He recoiled as if struck.
Sarah continued more gently.
“We win by being accurate. Not outraged.”
At seven, Lily woke.
Sarah asked if Lily would speak privately with a court-appointed guardian ad litem if necessary.
Lily clutched Daniel’s sleeve.
“Will Grandma be there?”
“No,” Sarah said.
“Then yes.”
At 8:12, Daniel received a text from Claire.
His younger sister.
Mom says you attacked her last night. What the hell happened?
Daniel called immediately.
Claire answered on the third ring.
“Tell me this isn’t as insane as it sounds.”
“Mom shoved Lily’s face into a bowl of rice three times.”
Silence.
Then Claire whispered, “What?”
“She poured soup over her head.”
“You saw that?”
“The camera did.”
Another silence.
Daniel heard Claire breathing.
“Send it.”
He did.
Two minutes passed.
Claire called back.
Her voice had changed.
“Oh my God.”
“She also filed for guardianship.”
“I know.”
Daniel stood.
“How?”
“Mom called me yesterday.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
Claire hesitated.
“She said you were falling apart.”
“So you believed her?”
“I saw you after Anna died, Daniel.”
“That is not an answer.”
“You were drinking.”
“Twice. You saw me drunk twice.”
“You were angry.”
“My wife was dying!”
“And you stopped talking to everyone!”
Daniel closed his eyes.
The argument was becoming exactly what Margaret needed.
“Claire. Did Mom ask you to sign anything?”
Silence.
“Claire.”
“A statement.”
Daniel’s stomach dropped.
“What statement?”
“That you were unstable after Anna died.”
“Did you sign it?”
“I said you drank too much for a while. I did not say you hurt Lily.”
“That affidavit is attached to the petition.”
Claire gasped.
“What?”
Daniel opened the exhibit.
There it was.
Affidavit of Claire Mercer.
He read aloud.
“‘Based on my observations, I fear my brother’s emotional condition may create a dangerous environment for his daughter.’”
“I never wrote that!”
“You signed it.”
“She told me it was for a family intervention.”
“Did you read it?”
Claire went silent.
Daniel’s voice broke.
“You signed a sworn statement without reading it?”
“She put the signature page in front of me.”
He almost shouted.
Then he remembered Lily was listening from the stairs.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Why would you do that?”
Claire whispered, “Because she paid the bank.”
“What bank?”
“My restaurant loan.”
Daniel stopped.
Claire owned a struggling wine bar in Evanston.
He knew business had been bad.
He did not know how bad.
“How much?”
“One hundred sixty thousand.”
“And Mom paid it?”
“She refinanced it. Through one of the company affiliates.”
Daniel felt the conspiracy expanding.
“What did she want in return?”
Claire started crying.
“My proxy.”
Daniel already knew.
Her fifteen percent.
“Claire…”
“She said it was temporary.”
“You gave Margaret voting control of your shares?”
“For one year.”
Daniel sat down.
Margaret had not been counting on Claire’s cooperation.
She already had it.
At eight-thirty, Daniel, Lily and Sarah headed to court.
As they entered the courthouse garage, Sarah received an email.
She read it once.
Then again.
“What?”
She turned her phone toward Daniel.
Mercer Residential Group’s board secretary had called an emergency meeting for Tuesday morning.
Agenda item one:
Removal of Daniel Mercer as President and Chief Executive Officer for cause.
Agenda item two:
Appointment of Margaret Mercer as Interim Chief Executive Officer.
Daniel stared at the screen.
Sarah said quietly:
“The guardianship case isn’t the destination.”
Daniel looked at Lily walking beside them.
“No.”
May you like
He finally understood.
“It’s the first vote.”
