Chapter 13 - TWENTY-FOUR MINUTES
Julian read the notice twice.
Then he laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because after twelve years, Conrad had stopped pretending.
“He wants my chair.”
Khloe looked at him.
“He wants the company.”
Julian nodded.
Graybridge controlled twenty-two percent.
Khloe directly controlled twelve.
Other Mercer family trusts held another sixteen.
Institutional directors held the rest.
A surprise vote could succeed if enough proxies had been collected.
Margaret checked the filings.
Her face darkened.
“Conrad already has commitments.”
“How many?”
“Thirty-one percent outside Graybridge.”
Julian stared.
“With Graybridge, fifty-three.”
A majority.
Khloe felt cold.
“Can we stop the vote?”
“Only by proving Graybridge’s beneficial ownership before nine.”
The estate file.
Rowe had lost it.
Conrad had it.
Sofia held up Luca’s ledger.
“This proves Khloe is the beneficial holder.”
Margaret shook her head.
“It helps.”
“It may not be enough.”
“We need the original control agreement referenced in Elena’s estate file.”
Khloe checked the time.
Twenty-one minutes.
Marcus entered.
“I may know where my father is.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Where?”
“Thorne Tower.”
“How?”
“He just summoned the board there for nine.”
Julian frowned.
“He’s holding both votes simultaneously.”
Marcus nodded.
“He wants control of Mercer announced at the same time he consolidates Thorne.”
Khloe understood the theater.
Two dynasties.
One morning.
Conrad standing at the center.
Margaret looked toward Marcus.
“If he has the estate file, it’ll be with him.”
Marcus grabbed his coat.
“I’ll get it.”
Khloe said, “No.”
He stopped.
She walked toward him.
“This time, we do it together.”
“You need to stay for the hearing.”
“Then you go with federal agents.”
Marcus nodded.
No argument.
No lone mission.
At 8:43, agents entered Thorne Tower with a warrant tied to Margaret’s abduction and Richard Hale’s suspected fraud.
Conrad was not in his office.
But his private safe was open.
Inside sat Elena’s estate file.
Marcus almost laughed when the agent held it up.
His father had believed ownership meant possession.
The file was rushed electronically and physically toward Mercer headquarters.
At 8:51, Margaret opened the scanned copy.
Pages.
Codicils.
Trust diagrams.
Letters.
Then the original control agreement.
Signed by Elena.
Witnessed by Margaret.
Beneficial holder:
KHLOE ELENA MERCER.
Margaret immediately submitted it to the court and Graybridge counsel.
At 8:55, Richard Hale attempted to withdraw as counsel.
The judge denied his request until the hearing concluded.
At 8:57, Graybridge’s internal trustee called Margaret.
She listened.
Then smiled for the first time all morning.
“The vote is suspended.”
Julian exhaled.
Khloe closed her eyes.
Three minutes before Conrad would have taken the company.
They had stopped him.
For now.
At 9:00, every major financial network began broadcasting from outside Thorne Tower.
Conrad walked toward a podium.
He did not look defeated.
That worried Khloe.
Marcus arrived back at Mercer headquarters.
“He knew the file was gone.”
“How?”
“He smiled when agents entered.”
Khloe stared at the live feed.
Conrad stepped toward microphones.
“My family is facing a coordinated attempt to seize assets through forged historical documents.”
Khloe almost laughed.
He was accusing them of his own crime.
Conrad continued.
“My son has been compromised.”
“My daughter-in-law is under severe emotional stress.”
“And Julian Mercer has spent years concealing financial irregularities tied to both companies.”
Julian’s expression hardened.
Then Conrad dropped the bomb.
“Twelve years ago, Julian Mercer personally authorized the transfer that became the basis of Luca Rossi’s alleged theft.”
Reporters erupted.
Isabella froze.
Khloe looked at Julian.
Conrad continued.
“I am releasing the original side agreement today.”
A document appeared behind him.
Signed by Julian.
Signed by Luca.
Signed by Elena.
Khloe stared.
Julian went pale.
“That’s not…”
He stopped.
Khloe looked at him.
“Not what?”
Julian stepped toward the screen.
“My signature is real.”
Silence.
Isabella whispered, “What did you sign?”
Julian looked shaken.
“A nominee agreement.”
“For Graybridge?”
“No.”
“For something else.”
“What?”
Julian closed his eyes.
“A voting pool.”
Khloe felt the floor disappear again.
Conrad smiled on television.
“The public was told Luca Rossi stole eighteen million dollars.”
“He did not.”
Isabella stared at the screen.
Conrad continued.
“The money was used to purchase hidden voting control.”
“Control held not for Khloe Mercer.”
“Not initially.”
Khloe stopped breathing.
Marcus looked at Julian.
“No.”
Conrad smiled directly into the camera.
“The original beneficiary was Julian Mercer.”
Every person in the boardroom turned toward Khloe’s uncle.
Julian whispered, “That’s impossible.”
May you like
But for the first time, Khloe could not tell whether he was shocked by a lie.
Or by a truth he had hoped would never surface.
