Chapter 4 - The Counter-Attack
The Mercers weren't going down without a fight. Margaret was a vicious woman who had spent her entire life clawing her way into high society. Two days after Christmas, she hired a sleazy tabloid lawyer and launched a smear campaign, leaking stories to local blogs claiming Emily was a neglectful mother who abandoned her newborn in a fit of rage.
Ryan appeared on a local news segment, looking properly groomed and sorrowful. "I just want my daughter back," he lied to the cameras. "Emily needs psychological help. Her father is a volatile retired mechanic who is keeping them hostage in a rundown house."
I watched the broadcast from the Northstar headquarters downtown. It was time to step out of the shadows.
"Run the press conference," I told my PR director.
The next morning, the grand ballroom of the InterContinental Hotel was packed with journalists. They expected a statement from Emily’s lawyer. Instead, the lights dimmed, and I walked up to the podium.
I wasn't wearing my mechanic's jumpsuit. I wore a bespoke charcoal Savile Row suit. The screen behind me lit up with the official global registry of Northstar Logistics, showing my name as the sole founder and majority shareholder.
The room fell dead silent. Flashbulbs went off like a wall of lightning.
"My name is Marcus Vance," I spoke clearly into the microphones. "For thirty years, I have kept my private life out of the press. But recently, public statements have been made regarding my daughter, Emily, and my granddaughter, Lily, by individuals who are currently under federal investigation for corporate espionage and domestic assault."
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I clicked a button, and the screen shifted to show high-definition security footage from the front porch of my home on Christmas Eve—Emily shivering, bleeding from a cut on her lip where Margaret had struck her, clutching a freezing three-day-old infant.
"The Mercer family didn't just evict a mother," I said, my voice echoing like thunder. "They attempted to murder my granddaughter. And as of this moment, I am dedicating the entire financial power of Northstar to ensure they spend the rest of their lives behind bars."
