Chapter 12 - The Family Gathering
The suite was vast, framed by floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the storm-tossed harbor. A crystal chandelier cast a warm, golden glow over the plush furniture, the marble bar, and the four people gathered around the central glass table.
Vanessa stood by the window, holding a crystal flute of champagne, wearing a stunning black velvet gown.
Julian sat at the desk, his designer tie loosened, stamping corporate legal documents with a heavy brass seal.
Marcus Vance stood near the balcony doors, his arms crossed over his chest, his face completely devoid of emotion.
And on the leather sofa sat Lily.
She was wrapped in an oversized hotel bathrobe, her tiny legs tucked under her, clutching her damp plush rabbit. Her face was streaked with dried tears, her eyes wide with terror.
"Daddy!" she screamed, lunging off the sofa.
Marcus moved with lightning speed, grabbing Lily by the collar of her robe and hauling her back, his pistol pressing instantly against the side of her small head.
"Take one more step, Daniel, and she doesn't reach her fifth birthday," Marcus said, his voice flat, professional, cold.
I froze in the center of the suite. My gun remained leveled at Marcus’s chest.
"Let her go, Marcus," I said, every muscle in my body coiled like a steel spring.
Julian let out a dry, nervous laugh, standing up from behind the desk. "Look at you, Daniel. Look at the noble soldier. You look like a drowned rat."
"Julian," I said, staring at my brother. "Claire treated you like her own family. She gave you twenty percent of Mercer Logistics when Dad died."
"And that was her mistake!" Julian yelled, his calm veneer cracking, exposing the vicious entitlement underneath. "Twenty percent? Dad built this company! It was supposed to be mine! But then you came back from the Navy with your saintly medals, and Claire gave you everything! I was the one who ran the day-to-day operations while you two played happy family in your lighthouse!"
"So you murdered her," I said.
Vanessa took a delicate sip of her champagne, smiling coldly over the rim of the glass. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Daniel. Claire was reckless. She wouldn't listen to reason. Aegis Red offered us three hundred million dollars for those guidance systems. Did she really think we’d let her destroy that deal with a conscience?"
"You threw Lily off the terrace," I snarled, my gaze locking onto Vanessa. "You looked into a four-year-old child's eyes and dropped her into the sea."
"And she survived," Vanessa sighed, checking her manicured nails. "Which proves my point: you Mercer men are infuriatingly resilient. But it ends tonight. Sign the succession surrender, Daniel. Acknowledge Julian as sole executor of Lily's trust. Do it, and maybe Marcus leaves the girl at a fire station in New York."
"She’s lying, Daniel," Marcus said quietly from across the room.
Vanessa froze. Her champagne flute stopped halfway to her lips.
Julian blinked, turning toward Marcus with a frown. "What did you say, Vance?"
Marcus didn't look at them. His gun slowly lowered from Lily's head.
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"I said you're lying, Vanessa," Marcus said, his gravelly voice echoing in the dead silence of the suite. "You were never going to let the girl live. You ordered me to drown her in the harbor five minutes ago."
***
