Chapter 6 - UNCLE ALISTAIR'S LIE
Alistair Mercer did not answer his phone for thirty-six hours.
Hadrian called twenty-one times.
Owen called six.
Detective Sloan attempted formal contact.
Nothing.
Then Alistair called Sorrel.
The call arrived on her smartwatch at six-ten in the evening.
Hadrian nearly ignored it.
Sorrel looked at the screen.
“Uncle Al?”
Hadrian's head snapped toward her.
Sorrel answered before he could stop her.
“Hello?”
Hadrian moved closer.
A man's voice came through the watch.
“Sorrel.”
Alistair sounded breathless.
“Where is your father?”
Sorrel looked at Hadrian.
“He's here.”
“Give him the watch.”
Hadrian took it.
“Where are you?”
Silence.
Then Alistair spoke.
“You have to stop.”
Hadrian's face hardened.
“Stop what?”
“Digging.”
“You approved money from my daughter's trust.”
“I can explain.”
“You helped Celeste.”
“I didn't know what she was doing.”
“Then come explain it to the police.”
Alistair exhaled.
“I can't.”
Hadrian stepped away from Sorrel.
“Why?”
“Because Celeste is not the person you should be afraid of.”
Hadrian went still.
“Who?”
Alistair did not answer.
Hadrian lowered his voice.
“Who, Alistair?”
“Dad started this.”
Hadrian's blood cooled.
Their father, Conrad Mercer, had been dead eleven years.
Hadrian looked toward Owen.
Owen was listening.
“What did he start?”
“The trust.”
“Elara's trust came from her family.”
“Not that part.”
Alistair sounded frightened.
“The control provision.”
Hadrian stared.
“What are you talking about?”
“Dad hated that you married Elara.”
Hadrian remembered.
Conrad had considered the marriage a threat.
Elara's family had more wealth.
More influence.
And no interest in allowing Conrad to dominate their daughter's finances.
Hadrian had cut contact with his father for nearly two years.
Alistair continued.
“When Sorrel was born, Dad became obsessed with what she would inherit.”
Hadrian clenched his jaw.
“He died when she was two.”
“Yes.”
“What does he have to do with this?”
“He made arrangements.”
“With whom?”
Alistair hesitated.
“Victor Vane.”
Celeste's father.
Hadrian closed his eyes briefly.
Of course.
“What arrangements?”
“To gain influence over the trust if Elara died.”
Hadrian felt sick.
“Elara's death was an accident.”
“Yes.”
Alistair answered too quickly.
Hadrian noticed.
“Alistair.”
“It was.”
“Why did you answer like that?”
Silence.
Hadrian's voice changed.
“Was Elara's death an accident?”
Sorrel looked over.
Hadrian immediately walked into the kitchen.
Owen followed.
Alistair whispered.
“As far as I know.”
“That is not an answer.”
“I never knew everything.”
“Tell me what you knew.”
“I knew Dad and Victor worked on something involving the trusts.”
“What?”
“I don't know.”
Hadrian's breathing became heavy.
“You approved Sorrel's money.”
“I was appointed temporary co-trustee after your ninety-day absence.”
“You knew that would happen.”
“Yes.”
Hadrian squeezed the countertop.
“You sent me overseas.”
“I recommended you.”
“You extended the assignment.”
“I helped.”
Hadrian closed his eyes.
“Why?”
Alistair's voice cracked.
“Because Celeste said she needed temporary authority to protect Sorrel's inheritance.”
Hadrian almost laughed.
“From whom?”
“You.”
Hadrian opened his eyes.
“What?”
“She told me you were burning through money.”
“You know that isn't true.”
“She showed me financial records.”
“Forged?”
“I know that now.”
Hadrian's face hardened.
“You didn't check?”
“I should have.”
“You used my daughter as collateral for your stupidity.”
Alistair said nothing.
Hadrian continued.
“You knew Celeste's family had history with Elara's estate.”
“Yes.”
“You still trusted her.”
“I thought we were protecting the company.”
“There it is.”
Alistair exhaled.
Hadrian knew him too well.
“The company.”
Hadrian's voice became disgusted.
“You didn't care about Sorrel.”
“That isn't fair.”
“You sent me away because it helped your board position.”
“Hadrian—”
“You wanted my voting power weakened.”
Alistair snapped.
“You were going to sell!”
Hadrian became still.
Owen looked between them.
Alistair continued.
“You wanted to sell the overseas division.”
“Because it was bleeding money.”
“You would have destroyed Father's legacy.”
“Father is dead.”
“He built Mercer Global.”
“And almost destroyed everyone in his family doing it.”
Alistair breathed heavily.
Hadrian understood.
Celeste had found exactly the weakness she needed.
Alistair's obsession with their father's company.
She convinced him Hadrian was reckless.
She convinced him Sorrel's fortune needed protection.
She offered a legal mechanism.
All Alistair had to do was keep Hadrian overseas.
“Where are you?”
Hadrian asked.
Alistair hesitated.
“I'm leaving.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“Come back.”
“No.”
“Alistair.”
“If Celeste knows I talked to you—”
“What will she do?”
Alistair laughed nervously.
“You still think Celeste is acting alone.”
“Then give me a name.”
Alistair became silent.
Hadrian waited.
Finally, Alistair whispered.
“Victor.”
Celeste's father.
Hadrian's jaw tightened.
“What about him?”
“He never stopped watching the trust.”
“Why?”
“Because there is another clause.”
Hadrian looked at Owen.
“What clause?”
Alistair swallowed.
“If Sorrel is declared psychologically incompetent before she turns eighteen, control transfers.”
“To whom?”
“An independent trust administrator.”
“Who?”
Alistair whispered.
“Vane Fiduciary Holdings.”
Hadrian's stomach dropped.
Victor Vane's company.
Forty-two million dollars.
Celeste needed Sorrel labeled unstable.
That explained the fake psychological report.
The residential center.
The invented behavioral incidents.
The years-old photographs.
Hadrian suddenly understood the whole architecture.
It was not just custody.
It was financial capture.
“Alistair.”
Hadrian's voice became deadly calm.
“How much did Victor promise you?”
Silence.
“How much?”
“Nothing.”
“I don't believe you.”
“He promised to vote with me.”
“On what?”
Another silence.
Hadrian already knew.
“Removing me as CEO.”
Alistair said nothing.
Hadrian laughed bitterly.
“You sold my daughter for a board vote.”
“No.”
“That is exactly what you did.”
“I didn't know about the chain.”
“You knew enough.”
“I never thought Celeste would hurt her.”
“You helped isolate her.”
Alistair's breathing broke.
“I made a mistake.”
Hadrian looked toward the doorway.
Sorrel was sitting in the living room with Juniper.
His voice became softer.
“No.”
“You made choices.”
Alistair did not respond.
“Come back.”
“I can't.”
“You can tell the truth.”
“Victor will destroy me.”
Hadrian's expression hardened.
“You should be more worried about what happens if you keep lying.”
A sudden sound came through the watch.
A door.
Alistair gasped.
“Someone's here.”
Hadrian straightened.
“Where are you?”
Alistair whispered.
“Hadrian.”
“Tell me where you are.”
The line crackled.
Then Alistair said one sentence.
“Check Father's old hunting lodge.”
The call disconnected.
Hadrian immediately tried calling back.
Nothing.
Detective Sloan was contacted.
Police went to the lodge.
Hadrian was ordered not to follow.
He waited.
One hour.
Then two.
At ten-thirty, Sloan called.
Hadrian answered immediately.
“Did you find him?”
“We found the lodge.”
“And Alistair?”
“No.”
Hadrian's stomach tightened.
“But someone had been there recently.”
“Any sign of violence?”
“No.”
“Then where is he?”
“We don't know.”
Hadrian rubbed his forehead.
Sloan continued.
“We found documents.”
Hadrian looked at Owen.
“What documents?”
“Old trust correspondence.”
“From when?”
“Eleven years ago.”
Hadrian went silent.
His father.
Sloan continued.
“There is a letter from Conrad Mercer to Victor Vane.”
Hadrian's skin chilled.
“What does it say?”
“We are still processing it.”
“Read me the relevant part.”
Sloan hesitated.
Then she did.
Hadrian listened.
One sentence changed everything.
If Elara remains an obstacle, the contingency must survive her.
Hadrian stopped breathing.
Owen stared.
Hadrian's voice came slowly.
“What does ‘if Elara remains an obstacle’ mean?”
“We don't know.”
Hadrian looked toward the framed photograph of his late wife.
For four years, he had accepted that Elara's death was a random tragedy.
Rain.
A drunk driver.
Wrong place.
Wrong time.
But now a dead man had written a letter about Elara being an obstacle.
A trust scheme had survived her.
And the same family connected to that scheme was now targeting Sorrel.
Hadrian looked at Owen.
“Get me the accident file.”
Owen understood immediately.
“Hadrian.”
“Get it.”
“It was four years ago.”
“I know.”
“The driver pled guilty.”
“I know.”
“Reopening this may lead nowhere.”
Hadrian stared at Elara's photograph.
“Then we will find nowhere.”
His voice hardened.
May you like
“But we are going to look.”
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