Chapter 6 - The Fall of Julian MercerBy 8:45 the following morning, every major financial network had reporters outside Mercer Global headquarters.
Julian caught her arm.
“She’s upstairs.”
“But the ribbon—”
“I saw.”
Nathan was already speaking into his radio.
“Confirm Mia’s location.”
A voice answered almost immediately.
“Safe. Bedroom level. Officer Chen with her.”
Rosa sagged against the wall.
Julian turned back toward the monitor.
Victor Salazar remained in the lobby.
He had not tried to enter.
He wanted them to see him.
Nathan checked another feed.
“How did he get the ribbon?”
Rosa whispered, “She wore it yesterday.”
Julian’s stomach tightened.
Someone had been close enough to Mia to remove it.
The intercom rang.
Julian answered.
Victor’s voice was smooth.
“Happy belated birthday, Mercer.”
Julian said nothing.
“I hear it was intimate.”
“What do you want?”
“You know.”
“No. I don’t.”
Victor laughed.
“You always were difficult.”
Julian watched his face on the monitor.
“Leave.”
“Send Elena down.”
“No.”
“Then send the drive.”
“No.”
Victor smiled.
“You’re risking a very expensive life for a maid.”
Julian’s eyes darkened.
“Get off my property.”
The smile vanished.
“You think being richer than most men makes you untouchable.”
“No.”
Julian leaned toward the screen.
“I think recording this conversation makes you stupid.”
Victor’s expression flickered.
Then the feed went black.
Nathan cursed.
“He jammed the camera.”
Julian immediately ordered additional security.
But Victor was already gone.
That evening, the Mercer Global board convened by emergency video conference.
Twelve directors appeared on Julian’s screen.
Four looked angry.
Three looked frightened.
The others were careful.
Board chairman Charles Fenwick spoke first.
“Julian, the allegations are serious.”
“They’re fabricated.”
“Can you prove that?”
“Yes.”
“Then do it.”
“I will.”
“When?”
“When revealing evidence doesn’t put a child in danger.”
Silence.
Fenwick frowned.
“What child?”
Julian realized he had said too much.
Another director interrupted.
“We lost nine percent market value today.”
“And we’ll recover it.”
“Clients are freezing contracts.”
“We’ll recover them too.”
Fenwick leaned forward.
“You have forty-eight hours.”
“For what?”
“To stabilize the situation or voluntarily step aside during the investigation.”
Julian’s face hardened.
“You want me to resign.”
“Temporarily.”
“No.”
“Julian—”
“No.”
The call ended badly.
Rosa stood in the doorway.
“You shouldn’t have to do this.”
He closed the laptop.
“Do what?”
“Destroy your life because of mine.”
“It’s my decision.”
“You hardly know me.”
“So everyone keeps saying.”
“It’s true.”
Julian looked at her.
“Then tell me.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“Tell me who you are.”
Rosa stared at him for a long moment.
Then she entered.
“My father was a mechanic.”
Julian listened.
“My mother cleaned hotel rooms. I was the first person in my family to finish college.”
“What did you study?”
“Accounting.”
He looked surprised.
“You’re an accountant?”
“Was.”
“What happened?”
“I married Gabriel.”
“That doesn’t usually cancel a degree.”
Despite everything, she smiled.
“We started his company together.”
Julian stared.
“You worked at Marquez Systems?”
“I handled finances.”
Suddenly the entire case changed.
“You understood the shell companies.”
“All of them.”
“Why didn’t Gabriel’s lawsuit mention you?”
“Because I begged him not to.”
She looked toward the hallway where Mia slept.
“I was pregnant. I was afraid.”
Julian nodded slowly.
“What happened after he died?”
“I ran.”
“For five years?”
“Yes.”
“Why New York?”
“Because hiding near the person looking for you can sometimes be safer than crossing borders where they expect you.”
“That’s clever.”
“It was desperate.”
She folded her arms.
“And you?”
“What about me?”
“Who are you?”
Julian almost laughed.
“My biography is online.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
No employee had ever spoken to him that way.
Perhaps that was why he answered.
“My father left when I was seven.”
Rosa remained silent.
“My mother cleaned offices at night. I used to sleep in supply closets while she worked.”
Rosa’s expression softened.
Julian continued.
“When I made my first million, I bought her a house.”
“That must have felt good.”
“It did.”
“And then?”
“I got busy.”
The words sounded pathetic.
“She died while I was in Singapore negotiating a merger.”
Rosa’s eyes lowered.
“I’m sorry.”
“I missed her last call.”
That was the truth he almost never said aloud.
“She called at 2:14 in the morning. I saw her name. I silenced the phone because I was about to walk into a meeting.”
His jaw tightened.
“She died six hours later.”
Rosa whispered, “Julian…”
“I built an empire so she would never have to clean another office.”
He looked around the penthouse.
“Then I became the kind of man who barely noticed the woman cleaning mine.”
Rosa had tears in her eyes.
For a moment, they simply looked at one another.
Then a little voice came from the hallway.
“Mommy?”
Mia appeared carrying a blanket.
Rosa crouched.
“What are you doing awake?”
“I had a bad dream.”
Julian watched Rosa lift her daughter.
Mia rested her cheek against her mother’s shoulder.
“Mr. Julian?”
“Yes?”
“Are the bad people coming?”
Rosa looked at Julian sharply.
He crouched to Mia’s level.
“No.”
“You promise?”
He hesitated.
Adults had promised him things as a child that they could not control.
So Julian chose different words.
“I promise we’ll do everything we can to keep you safe.”
Mia studied him.
Then held out one small hand.
“Okay.”
Julian took it.
The next day, they made their move.
Federal prosecutor Rebecca Han arrived secretly at Mercer’s penthouse.
She reviewed Gabriel’s evidence for six hours.
At the end, she removed her glasses.
“This is enough for a major investigation.”
Rosa gripped the table.
“Can you protect my daughter?”
“If you formally cooperate, we can arrange federal protection.”
Julian asked, “And Salazar?”
“We need more than an old recording to charge him with murder.”
Rosa’s shoulders dropped.
“But fraud, bribery and conspiracy?”
Rebecca nodded.
“We have a path.”
For the first time in five years, Rosa looked hopeful.
Then Rebecca’s phone buzzed.
She read a message.
Her expression changed.
“What?”
Julian asked.
Rebecca turned the screen toward them.
A news alert.
MERCER GLOBAL BOARD CALLS EMERGENCY VOTE TO REMOVE FOUNDER JULIAN MERCER AS CEO.
The vote was scheduled for the next morning.
Rosa whispered, “This is because of us.”
Julian stared at the headline.
“No.”
He slowly stood.
“This is because they think I’m weak.”
His phone rang.
Board chairman Fenwick.
Julian answered.
Charles spoke without greeting.
“Tomorrow at nine.”
Julian smiled coldly.
“I’ll be there.”
“Good.”
“And Charles?”
“Yes?”
“You should probably check who owns the voting shares before you try to steal my company.”
A pause.
Then Fenwick said quietly:
“We already did.”
Julian’s smile disappeared.
Because suddenly he understood.
May you like
Someone had been buying Mercer Global stock for months.
And Victor Salazar might already control enough votes to take everything.
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