Chapter 7 - The Trial of Public Opinion
By evening, the news media had turned the Mercer estate into a fortress under siege.
News vans were parked down the block from the iron gates, their bright broadcast lights cutting through the falling snow. Headlines across major news outlets ran aggressive stories: MAFIA BOSS OR PROTECTOR? ADRIAN MERCER HARBOURS DAUGHTER OF DISGRACED LAWYER VANCE.
Inside his study, Adrian stood before a wall of monitors displaying the live television broadcasts.
Elena stood in the doorway, clutching her hands tightly, her eyes red from crying. "It's happening," she wept softly. "He's going to ruin your reputation, your company, everything you've built. Please, Mr. Mercer, let me go outside and turn myself in to the authorities. I'll tell them you knew nothing about my father's money!"
Adrian turned around slowly. His expression was completely devoid of panic.
"Turn yourself in for what, Elena?" Adrian asked quietly. "What crime have you committed?"
"I... I used a fake name! I didn't report my father's remaining assets!"
"You didn't report them because there are no assets," Adrian said coldly. "Arthur Vance died penniless. Every dollar he had was seized by federal receivers five years ago."
Elena blinked through her tears. "Then... why does Julian Thorne keep asking for the Zürich account codes?"
Adrian walked over to his desk, picked up an old leather-bound ledger, and threw it onto the table. "Because your father let Julian Thorne believe there was fifty million dollars in Switzerland to keep Thorne from coming after you while he was alive. It was a phantom trust, Elena. A lie Arthur Vance created to protect his daughter."
Elena stared at the ledger, her breath catching in her throat. "My father... lied to him?"
"He lied to a monster to keep you alive," Adrian said softly. "And Julian Thorne spent three years torturing you for a fortune that never existed."
"Then why is Thorne releasing these stories now?" she asked, desperate.
"Because he's desperate," Adrian replied. "He knows I'm closing in on his illegal loan operations. He thinks exposing you will force me to push you out of my house to save my corporate standing."
Adrian walked up to her, stopping just inches away. He reached out, his large, warm hand gently cupping her chin, forcing her to look up into his fierce, dark eyes.
"He doesn't understand that I don't care about corporate standing, Elena," Adrian whispered. "I care about winning."
May you like
"What are we going to do?" she rasped.
"We are going to hold a press conference," Adrian announced calmly. "Right here. In this house. Tomorrow morning."
