Chapter 10 - The Day Daniel Lost His Company
At four o’clock, the boardroom doors closed.
At six twelve, Daniel Mercer was no longer chief executive officer of Mercer House Group.
The vote was five to two.
Daniel sat motionless as Evelyn Shaw read the resolution.
“Pending completion of the forensic audit, Daniel Mercer is removed as chief executive officer effective immediately. The board will appoint an interim executive.”
Daniel stared across the table at Richard.
Richard was not smiling.
That made it worse.
The evidence included eleven transactions carrying Daniel’s electronic approval.
Some Daniel remembered.
Others he did not.
Each had ultimately benefited entities connected to Richard.
But Richard had structured the transactions so that Daniel appeared to have personally authorized them outside regular controls.
Richard’s defense was elegant.
Daniel told me to do it.
Daniel’s defense was humiliating.
I signed without reading.
The board could not restore a chief executive simply because he had been careless rather than corrupt.
Outside the building, reporters waited.
“Mr. Mercer, are you under investigation?”
“Did your wife accuse you of domestic violence?”
“Is the company being sold?”
“Did your daughter suffer injuries in the mansion incident?”
Daniel said nothing.
A black SUV carried him to Claire’s house.
Emily was sitting at the kitchen table doing homework.
She looked up.
“Did you win?”
Daniel stopped.
“No.”
Emily’s face fell.
“What happened?”
“They took my job.”
“Can they do that?”
“Yes.”
“But it’s your company.”
Daniel sat beside her.
“Owning something and being allowed to run it aren’t always the same.”
Emily considered that.
Then she asked the question Daniel feared.
“Are we going to lose our house?”
“No.”
He hoped that was true.
Emily returned to her worksheet.
After several seconds she said, “Kids at school know.”
Daniel’s stomach tightened.
“Know what?”
“About the spa.”
He stared.
“A girl said her mom saw it online.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Do you want to stay home tomorrow?”
“No.”
The answer came quickly.
Then Emily’s pencil stopped.
“She said Vanessa was my mom.”
“She isn’t.”
“I told her.”
Daniel waited.
Emily’s eyes filled.
“Then she said you picked Vanessa instead of me.”
Daniel felt the room go quiet.
“Emily…”
“She’s stupid.”
But the tears came anyway.
Daniel reached toward her.
Emily pulled away.
It was not dramatic.
That made it worse.
“I told you I didn’t like being alone with Vanessa.”
Daniel swallowed.
“I know.”
“You said I had to try harder.”
“I know.”
“You said she loved me.”
His eyes burned.
“I was wrong.”
Emily looked at him.
“Why didn’t you believe me?”
Daniel could have said he believed Vanessa.
He could have said he thought Emily was adjusting.
He could have said Vanessa had never acted cruelly in front of him.
All of those things were true.
None were enough.
“Because I wanted everything to be okay,” he said. “And I was selfish enough to believe what made my life easier.”
Emily stared.
Daniel continued.
“I should have listened to you.”
Her chin trembled.
“You always say that now.”
He stopped.
She was right.
Apologies made after disaster did not rebuild trust immediately.
Daniel lowered his hand.
“You don’t have to forgive me because I apologized.”
Emily looked surprised.
“You’re mad?”
“At myself.”
She returned to her homework.
They sat together in silence.
Twenty minutes later, Claire entered.
She placed a legal envelope in front of Daniel.
“What now?”
“Vanessa filed for divorce.”
Daniel laughed tiredly.
Claire did not.
“She’s seeking temporary exclusive occupancy of the Bedford house.”
His smile vanished.
“On what basis?”
“She says returning there is necessary to preserve marital property and that your presence creates a hostile environment.”
“She almost killed Emily in that house.”
“Her attorney says no charges have been filed.”
Daniel opened the petition.
Vanessa was also seeking enforcement of their prenuptial agreement.
Six million dollars.
Plus claims for appreciation in marital property.
Helen called seconds later.
“I saw the filing.”
“She wants my house.”
“She wants leverage.”
“Can she get it?”
“Not likely under these circumstances, but don’t assume anything.”
Daniel looked toward Emily.
“What about Richard?”
“The board appointed Evelyn interim CEO.”
Daniel frowned.
“Not Richard?”
“No. That’s good.”
“For now.”
Helen paused.
“There’s another problem.”
“Of course.”
“Richard produced a promissory note.”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“What note?”
“Twelve million dollars. It claims you personally borrowed money from an investment vehicle he controls.”
“I never borrowed twelve million dollars from Richard.”
“The signature looks like yours.”
Daniel stood.
“Another forgery?”
“Possibly.”
“Possibly?”
“The first page contains your real electronic signature certificate.”
Daniel went still.
“So he attached it to a different document.”
“That’s what we need to prove.”
Claire listened from across the room.
Helen continued.
“If the note is enforced, he may try to attach your personal shares.”
Daniel understood.
Richard was not simply defending himself.
He was attacking every layer simultaneously.
Marriage.
Home.
Company.
Personal fortune.
Credibility.
Emily’s voice came softly from behind him.
“Dad?”
Daniel turned.
She held her pencil tightly.
“Vanessa used to say something.”
“What?”
Emily frowned, trying to remember.
“She said Richard always keeps the original.”
Daniel’s heart kicked.
“The original what?”
“I don’t know. She said, ‘You’re paranoid.’ And Richard said, ‘Paranoid people survive lawsuits.’”
Daniel looked at Claire.
Then at the torn red leather recovered from Vanessa’s dressing room.
May you like
If Richard had submitted a forged twelve-million-dollar note, somewhere there might be an original document showing what Daniel had actually signed.
And Richard, by his own habit, might still have it.
