Chapter 7 - The Fall of the Empire
The grand entrance of Mercer Manor was surrounded by flashing red and blue lights.
Dozens of reporters and news cameras lined the wrought-iron gates as state police officers carried boxes of impounded files, computers, and financial ledgers from the front doors.
In the center of the foyer, Victoria Mercer stood flanked by two state troopers.
Her expensive hair was disheveled, her face contorted in a mask of hysterical fury as heavy steel handcuffs were secured behind her back.
“This is an outrage!” Victoria screamed at the lead prosecutor standing near the marble fountain. “I built this city! My family owns the legal department! You can't do this to me!”
“Mrs. Mercer,” the lead prosecutor read flatly from an official document. “You are being charged with First-Degree Conspiracy to Commit Fraud, Extortion, Falsification of State Child Welfare Records, and Illegal Seizure of Real Estate Assets.”
Julian Vance was already sitting in the back of a police cruiser outside, having given a full confession twenty minutes earlier in exchange for a plea bargain.
From across the driveway, a sleek black town car pulled up.
Caleb stepped out, holding Sadie’s hand. The five-year-old girl wore a bright yellow raincoat, her small red rain boots stepping splashily through the clear puddles on the driveway.
Victoria’s eyes locked onto Caleb as she was led down the stone steps toward the waiting transport van.
“Caleb!” Victoria shrieked, her voice cracking with desperation. “Tell them! Tell them this is a mistake! I did everything for you! I built this empire for you!”
Caleb walked up to the bottom of the steps, stopping five feet away. He looked at the woman who had spent six years manipulating his life, destroying his happiness, and trying to steal his child’s future.
He felt no anger left for her. Only pity.
“You didn't build anything, Victoria,” Caleb said softly, his voice carrying clearly over the noise of the news cameras. “You just stole from people who were better than you.”
“You’re nothing without me!” Victoria spit, her eyes wild as the officers pushed her into the back seat of the police van. “You’ll ruin the company!”
“The company is being liquidated, Victoria,” Caleb replied calmly. “And every penny from the Oakridge land trust is going directly into a foundation for foster children—in Mara’s name.”
The police van doors slammed shut, cutting off her screams forever.
Sadie squeezed Caleb’s hand, looking up at the grand, dark mansion. “Are we ever coming back here, Daddy?”
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Caleb looked down at his daughter, offering a bright, warm smile. He picked her up in his arms, swinging her high into the air as she let out a delighted giggle.
“Never, sweetheart,” Caleb said, kissing her cheek. “We’re going home.”
