Chapter 14 - A Company Full of Families
Mercer Build wasn't an empire. It was a business Hannah and I had built from a rented office above a hardware store.
Our workers had children, mortgages, sick parents, and plans for next summer.
When the bank called demanding clarification, I couldn't pretend the forged guarantee was merely a family fight.
I gathered the department heads in the conference room and told them what I knew.
"I can't promise there's no risk," I said. "I can promise no one here will be kept in the dark."
Our project manager, Samir, sat forward.
"Then tell us what we can do."
We hired an independent forensic accountant and restricted access to payment systems while the lender investigated. Nina sent the company records to the appropriate authorities.
By late afternoon, Patrick surfaced at a police station with a lawyer.
He had driven away after receiving a threat, then decided to cooperate rather than vanish permanently.
His statement admitted he'd supplied Miles with confidential trust information and helped disguise documents as routine wedding expenses.
He denied ever intending to hurt Oliver.
"Intentions don't undo what happened," I told him when we met with counsel present.
He nodded and cried into his hands.
Patrick's original transaction logs showed that a holding company called Whitehaven Capital stood behind the new loan.
Its managing member was hidden behind layers of corporate paperwork.
Our forensic accountant traced a payment for "consulting services" to a personal account.
The account belonged to Celeste.
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She hadn't been helping her father's business.
She had been paid to get close to mine.
