Chapter 9 - The Special Committee
Mercer Development’s board created an independent special committee.
Three outside directors.
Outside counsel.
Forensic accountants.
Grant objected.
He lost.
Evelyn controlled enough trust votes to support the investigation.
For once, she did not choose peace.
Grant was placed on administrative leave from acquisition authority while the review proceeded.
Not fired.
Not accused publicly.
Process first.
Reporters still noticed.
Mercer Development issued a statement:
The board is reviewing certain historical vendor relationships.
Grant hated the phrase.
It made something serious sound boring.
But boring words often frightened executives more than dramatic ones.
Forensic accountants requested company devices.
Grant returned Daniel’s phone.
Three days late.
He did not return the silver drives.
He claimed he had never seen them.
House-access logs contradicted nothing directly.
No cameras inside Daniel’s office.
But a housekeeper remembered Grant carrying a small leather case when he left.
Still not proof.
Then company phone data was recovered.
Grant had attempted to factory-reset it.
The reset failed because of enterprise management protections.
The audio Daniel recorded remained in cloud backup.
So did photographs of documents.
Grant’s attempt to wipe the phone became another problem.
He claimed privacy.
The committee asked why he had possession at all.
No good answer.
Meanwhile, Clara fought a different battle.
Public perception.
A reporter called Lily’s school.
Clara became furious.
Rachel sent formal notice requesting media stop contacting a minor.
Most complied.
One tabloid didn’t.
Headline:
SECRET BRIDE’S DAUGHTER HOLDS KEY TO MERCER FORTUNE.
Clara wanted to scream.
Lily saw it on another parent’s phone.
That night she asked,
“Am I the key?”
“No.”
“Then why did they say?”
“Because they want people to click.”
“What happens when they click?”
“They make money.”
Lily frowned.
“That’s stupid.”
“Excellent media analysis.”
Lily smiled briefly.
Then:
“Is Uncle Grant bad?”
Clara’s chest tightened.
“I don’t know if people are one thing.”
“Did he lie?”
“Yes.”
“Did Dad know?”
“Yes.”
“Did Grandma know?”
“Not everything.”
Lily thought.
“Do I still love Uncle Grant?”
Clara looked at her.
“That’s not something I decide.”
Lily nodded.
“I think I do a little.”
“That’s okay.”
“And I’m mad.”
“That’s okay too.”
Grief had become crowded.
Daniel.
Grant.
Family.
Money.
A house.
Lily still had to be seven inside all of it.
Clara’s primary job became keeping adult conflict from colonizing childhood.
That meant saying no to interviews.
No to putting Lily in court unless absolutely necessary.
No to letting attorneys repeatedly question her.
Lily’s drawing and limited statements had been documented once with appropriate professionals.
Enough.
Evidence would come from adults and records now.
That boundary later became crucial.
Grant’s lawyers wanted to depose Lily regarding Daniel’s comments.
Rachel opposed it.
The judge agreed initially.
A seven-year-old would not become the estate litigation’s centerpiece when documentary evidence existed.
Clara left court relieved.
Outside, Grant waited.
First time they had stood close since the funeral.
He looked exhausted.
“Clara.”
She kept walking.
“I need five minutes.”
“No.”
“Daniel was my brother.”
She stopped.
“Yes.”
“You think I wanted any of this?”
“I think you told me to leave my house three hours after his funeral.”
Grant looked ashamed for half a second.
Then defensive.
“I thought the trust reverted.”
“You lied about Andrew.”
Silence.
“You told us he said the documents were incomplete.”
Grant looked away.
“I was given bad information.”
“By whom?”
No answer.
“Peter?”
Grant’s jaw tightened.
There.
Clara saw it.
“Peter altered the files.”
Grant said nothing.
“You knew.”
“Clara.”
“You knew.”
He lowered his voice.
“Daniel was about to destroy the company over an internal accounting dispute.”
“So you forged his estate plan?”
“I didn’t forge anything.”
“Then tell the committee everything.”
Grant stared at her.
“You don’t understand what Daniel was doing.”
Clara stepped closer.
“Then explain.”
He looked toward the courthouse steps.
“Daniel was going to take Mercer control away from the family.”
“For ten years.”
“Ten years is a generation in business.”
“He didn’t trust you.”
Grant’s face changed.
Clara regretted the cruelty immediately.
But it was true.
Grant whispered,
“He trusted strangers more than me.”
Rachel approached.
“Clara.”
Time to leave.
Grant called after her:
“Ask Rachel what Daniel planned after the ten years.”
Clara stopped.
Rachel’s expression changed.
Grant saw.
A bitter smile.
“She didn’t tell you.”
Clara turned toward Rachel.
“What happens after ten years?”
Rachel remained composed.
“We’ll discuss it privately.”
Grant laughed.
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“More secrets.”
For once, he was not wrong.
