Chapter 10 - THE WOMAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
Nobody in the room moved.
Not Adrian.
Not Claire.
Not even Victor.
Because on the screen...
Rebecca Mercer was alive.
Her face appeared in the middle of the dark bedroom.
The woman Adrian had buried.
The woman whose funeral he attended.
The woman whose absence had destroyed his daughter.
"Adrian..."
Her voice came through the speakers.
Soft.
Familiar.
Impossible.
Claire looked at him.
The color had disappeared from his face.
For the first time since she met him...
Adrian Mercer looked completely broken.
"No."
The word came out like a whisper.
Victor watched him carefully.
"You recognize her."
Adrian didn't answer.
"Turn it off."
Victor smiled.
"Why?"
"Turn it off."
This time his voice carried power.
Danger.
But Victor only laughed.
"You spent twelve years pretending you were over it."
He stepped closer.
"But you never stopped looking for answers."
Claire looked at Adrian.
"You looked for her?"
Adrian didn't respond.
And that silence told her everything.
The video continued.
Rebecca was sitting in a room Claire didn't recognize.
Her face looked tired.
Scared.
But alive.
"If you're watching this..."
Rebecca looked directly into the camera.
"Something went wrong."
Adrian took one step forward.
"Rebecca..."
His voice broke.
Just slightly.
But Claire heard it.
Everyone heard it.
The woman on the screen continued.
"I need you to understand something."
She looked down.
"Lily was never supposed to lose me."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"And you were never supposed to lose her."
The screen suddenly went black.
Silence.
Then Victor spoke.
"Now you understand."
Adrian turned slowly.
"What did you do?"
Victor smiled.
"I didn't kill your wife."
A pause.
"I saved her."
Claire felt sick.
"What?"
Victor looked at her.
"You don't know anything about this family."
Adrian stepped closer.
"Where is she?"
Victor's smile disappeared.
"Still asking the wrong question."
"What question should I ask?"
Victor looked at him.
"Why did your father want Rebecca gone?"
The room became silent.
Claire felt a chill.
Because this wasn't about money.
It wasn't about the company.
It was about the past.
Adrian's past.
"My father?"
Victor nodded.
"Rebecca discovered something."
Adrian's face changed.
"What?"
"Something about Mercer Holdings."
Victor looked around.
"The empire you built."
A pause.
"The empire you thought was yours."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"You're lying."
"Am I?"
Victor reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small envelope.
Then threw it onto the floor.
Adrian picked it up.
Inside were documents.
Old documents.
Claire watched his expression change as he read them.
"What is it?"
He didn't answer.
"Adrian?"
Finally:
"My father planned everything."
Victor smiled.
"Exactly."
A pause.
"He wanted one son to run the company."
His eyes moved to Adrian.
"And one son to take the blame."
Claire looked between the brothers.
"Blame for what?"
Victor looked at her.
"The murder of a man our father wanted gone."
Silence.
Then Adrian said:
"You're insane."
Victor laughed.
"Maybe."
He stepped back.
"But tomorrow, the world will know the truth."
Suddenly, the lights flickered.
Marcus looked toward the hallway.
"Something's wrong."
Adrian turned.
"What?"
Marcus checked his phone.
His expression changed.
"We lost contact with the security team."
Everyone froze.
Victor smiled.
"While you were watching your dead wife..."
A pause.
"My people were taking your house."
A loud sound came from downstairs.
A gunshot.
Claire grabbed Lily.
Adrian moved instantly.
"Everybody down!"
The mansion exploded into chaos.
And as Adrian pulled Claire and Lily into the hidden security room...
Claire realized something terrifying.
May you like
The man who had spent his entire life protecting everyone else...
was finally facing an enemy who knew every one of his weaknesses.
