Chapter 6 - Desperate Moves
"Father," I said, my voice completely flat. "How did you get this number?"
"It doesn't matter," Richard Mercer rasped. He sounded ten years older, his arrogant voice replaced by a pathetic, desperate wheeze. "Victoria... you have to help us. The federal prosecutors... they are charging Derek with eight counts of wire fraud and grand larceny. They are setting his bail at ten million dollars. We don't have that kind of liquid cash! Everything we own has been frozen by the SEC!"
I stood by the glass doors of the terrace, looking out at the vast, darkened lawn. "Derek committed a crime, Father. He stole forty-two million dollars from human beings who gave thirty years of their lives to your company."
"He is your brother!" my father begged, his voice cracking with emotion. "He made a mistake! He was desperate! If he goes to trial, he's looking at twenty years in federal prison! Victoria, please... talk to Alistair. Have his legal team withdraw the evidence. Tell the US Attorney it was an internal accounting error!"
I felt a cold disbelief wash over me. Even now, stripped of everything, he still expected me to compromise my integrity to save the golden child who had helped ruin us.
"An accounting error?" I questioned softly. "You came to my hospital room six hours after I gave birth. You stood by while mother called your grandson fatherless. You dropped a legal document on my lap and threatened to leave me penniless on the street. Where was your mercy then, Father?"
Silence fell over the line, heavy and suffocating.
"We... we were wrong about Alistair," my father whispered pathetically. "We didn't know..."
"That's the point, isn't it?" I snapped, my voice rising slightly. "You didn't care about me. You only care now because Alistair has power, and I hold the keys to your freedom. If Kirk had been the son of an ordinary man, you would have left us to starve."
"Victoria, please..."
"No, Father," I declared firmly. "Derek will face the legal system. You and mother will sell your penthouse and your summer estates to pay for your legal defense. Do not call this number again."
"Victoria! If you do this, you are dead to us!" my father suddenly roared, his old, vicious temper flaring through his desperation. "You are no daughter of mine! You are a traitor!"
"I ceased being your daughter the moment you placed a price tag on my son," I said softly.
I hung up the phone and immediately blocked the line.
Alistair walked into the room, wearing a soft grey t-shirt and sweatpants, his dark hair messy. He had overheard the end of the conversation. He walked up behind me, wrapping his warm arms around my shoulders, drawing me close.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
"I am," I said, leaning my head against his chest. "For the first time, I actually am. They can't hurt me anymore."
"Good," Alistair murmured, kissing the top of my head. "Because tomorrow, we have a very important appointment."
May you like
I turned around in his arms, looking at him in confusion. "An appointment? With who?"
Alistair smiled—a genuine, radiant smile that warmed my entire heart. "With the world. We are hosting the annual Sanders Global Gala on Saturday. And it's time to introduce the future of our family to society."
