Chapter 18
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After Sofia left my office, armed with a burner phone and strict instructions on how to safely navigate her shifts without drawing suspicion, I immediately locked my door and pulled out my encrypted laptop. My hands were remarkably steady, driven by a cold, clinical focus that I had spent the last nine years refining. I dialed Luis’s number. He was no longer just a security technician; he ran an independent consulting firm specializing in protective logistics.
"Emma," Luis answered on the second ring, his voice warm but professional. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Tell me you're finally taking a vacation."
"No vacation, Luis," I said, staring at the flashing cursor on my screen. "I need you to run a deep, comprehensive background check on Arthur Mercer. Real estate developer. Look into his personal holding companies, specifically anything tied to his late brother's estate."
The warmth vanished from Luis's voice, instantly replaced by the sharp edge of the man who had helped me dismantle Julian Cross's network.
"Mercer," Luis repeated quietly. "I know the name. He runs in the same circles William used to dominate before the reforms. What are we looking for, Emma?"
"I have a worker who just reported a locked room in Mercer's sub-basement," I explained, the words feeling heavy in my mouth. "She believes Mercer's orphaned nephew, Leo, is being kept down there against his will, heavily medicated, while the public is told the boy is at a Swiss boarding school."
Luis cursed softly in Spanish under his breath. "It's the exact same playbook. Isolate the heir, control the narrative, maintain the assets."
"Exactly," I agreed. "If Leo's parents died two years ago, Leo inherited their share of the family empire. I need to know the terms of that inheritance. Who controls the trust while Leo is a minor, and what happens to the money if Leo is deemed mentally unfit to govern his own affairs?"
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"I'll pull the public probate records and trace the offshore holdings," Luis promised, the sound of rapid typing echoing over the line. "It will take me a few hours to bypass the corporate firewalls Mercer uses to hide his family trusts. But Emma... if this is what you think it is, Mercer is extremely dangerous. He has a private security force that rivals a small military."
"I know," I said, my gaze drifting to the window. "But this time, I am not a lone housekeeper sneaking around in the dark. We know how to fight them now. Get me the financial motive, Luis. I will handle the rest."
