Chapter 3 - The First Blow
At nine o’clock the following morning, the sun rose over a city that had no idea the landscape of its corporate elite was about to shift.
In the mahogany-paneled boardroom of Hale Group, Daniel sat at the head of the table, nervously adjusting his silk tie. His mother, Vivian, sat in the corner, clutching a designer handbag, her face pale despite layers of expensive makeup. Sitting across from them were three representatives from Vanguard Holdings, accompanied by Chloe Vance, who wore a brilliant solitaire diamond necklace around her neck.
“Daniel, calm down,” Chloe whispered, leaning over to pat his hand. “So what if Emma turned out to be a Mercer? She’s soft. She loves you. Once she cools off, you can apologize, play the devoted father, and leverage her father’s network to save us.”
“You don’t understand, Chloe,” Daniel hissed, sweat glistening on his forehead. “You didn’t see her father’s eyes. He looked at me like I was a bug under a boot.”
“Nonsense!” Vivian piped up from the back. “She’s married to you! Under the law, husband and wife share assets. If she’s a Mercer, then you are entitled to part of her estate! We just need to assert our rights.”
Before Daniel could respond, the heavy glass doors of the boardroom swung open.
It wasn’t the Vanguard executives’ legal team. It was Harrison, flanked by four process servers in dark suits and two armed court bailiffs.
“Daniel Hale?” Harrison asked, stepping to the center of the room.
Daniel stood up quickly, trying to maintain composure. “Yes. Who gave you permission to enter my private—”
“I am Harrison Croft, chief legal representative for Mercer Global and personal attorney to Victoria Mercer,” Harrison interrupted cleanly. “I am here to serve you with several urgent legal notifications.”
The process servers moved forward in unison, slating stacks of heavy legal documents onto the polished glass table in front of Daniel.
“What is this?” Daniel stammered, staring at the mountains of paper.
“First,” Harrison began, ticking points off his fingers with terrifying calm, “a emergency petition for sole physical and legal custody of Lily Mercer, accompanied by an immediate temporary restraining order prohibiting you and Vivian Hale from coming within one thousand yards of Victoria Mercer or the child.”
“Restraining order? On her mother-in-law?” Vivian shrieked, jumping out of her chair. “I helped bring that baby into the world!”
“You poured contaminated wastewater over a post-operative mother three hours after her discharge from the ICU, Mrs. Hale,” Harrison replied, his tone chillingly flat. “We have high-definition security footage from your own driveway. The police have already received a copy, alongside a formal charge for aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.”
Vivian froze, her mouth open in horror.
“Second,” Harrison continued, turning back to Daniel, “Mercer Capital acquired ninety-two percent of Hale Group’s outstanding debt from Vanguard Holdings at six o’clock this morning. As your primary creditor, we are calling in the full balance of forty-two million dollars, due by five o’clock this afternoon.”
Daniel’s knees hit his leather chair. “Forty-two million? That’s impossible! Vanguard agreed to give us six months!”
“Vanguard sold the debt to us for cash upfront,” Harrison said smoothly. “And third, Miss Chloe Vance...”
Chloe flinched as Harrison turned his cold gaze toward her.
“The two hundred thousand dollar transfer from Hale Group’s accounts to purchasing the diamond pendant around your neck has been flagged by federal auditors as corporate embezzlement. An emergency freeze has been placed on all personal accounts associated with Hale Group executive staff pending a criminal investigation.”
“Embezzlement?” Chloe gasped, clutching her necklace. “Daniel gave it to me!”
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“With company funds while the business was insolvent,” Harrison noted. “Have a good day, ladies and gentlemen. You have six hours to pay forty-two million dollars.”
Harrison turned on his heel and walked out, leaving the boardroom in absolute ruin.
