Chapter 6 - The Final Audit
Two weeks later.
The corporate boardroom on the seventieth floor of Mercer Tower was bathed in the blinding afternoon sunlight reflecting off the Manhattan skyline. Around the massive mahogany table sat the entire executive board of Mercer Enterprises, along with federal prosecutors, senior forensic accountants, and corporate legal counsel.
At the center of the table sat Julian Mercer.
He didn't look like the golden boy anymore. His jaw was still slightly swollen from the punch I had delivered in the foyer, his designer suit was wrinkled, and his eyes darted nervously toward the armed federal marshals standing by the mahogany double doors.
The heavy glass doors swung open.
I walked into the boardroom, pushing Elena’s wheelchair. She wore a tailored white cashmere coat, her color fully restored, her dark eyes shining with quiet, unshakeable strength. Beside us walked Marco, carrying a heavy steel briefcase containing the complete forensic audit of Julian’s embezzlement, forgery, and domestic intimidation campaign.
Every member of the board stood up in unanimous respect as we approached the head of the table.
Julian shrank back in his chair, sweating profusely. "Luke... please," he stammered, his voice cracking. "We're brothers. You can't do this to me. Think of the family name—"
"The family name was tarnished the moment you decided to prey on a pregnant woman to steal a board seat," I interrupted coldly, pulling out the central executive chair and helping Elena settle comfortably into it before taking my place standing beside her.
I looked across the table at the lead federal prosecutor, giving a single, subtle nod.
"Julian Mercer," the prosecutor announced clearly, standing up and pulling out a warrant bearing the signature of the Southern District federal judge. "You are formally charged with corporate wire fraud, embezzlement of private trust assets, interstate extortion, and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault."
Two federal marshals stepped forward, hauling Julian out of his chair with brutal efficiency and snapping the steel cuffs around his wrists.
"You can't do this!" Julian screamed, thrashing wildly as they dragged him toward the exit. "Luke! You're destroying the company! You're destroying everything!"
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"No, Julian," I said, my voice cutting through the boardroom like a razor. "I'm finally cleaning house."
The heavy oak doors slammed shut behind him, sealing his fate forever.
