Chapter 11: The Golden Handcuffs
The flashbulbs were still searing Leah’s retinas long after the federal agents had escorted a handcuffed Eleanor Mercer out of the Halcyon Hotel.
The ballroom had emptied out, leaving only the wreckage of a shattered dynasty: overturned champagne flutes, discarded press credentials, and the echoing silence of absolute victory. Leah stood at the edge of the stage, her emerald gown catching the dimming lights, staring at the doors where her mother’s tormentor had just been dragged away.
She had won. But why did she feel like she couldn't breathe?
"Drink this," a gentle voice said.
Mateo materialized beside her, handing her a glass of sparkling water. He had removed his tuxedo jacket, his white shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing the faint bruises on his forearms from their midnight escape the night before.
"Is she actually in a cell?" Leah asked, her voice raspy.
"Federal holding, downtown," Mateo confirmed, leaning against the stage. "Bail has been denied. Given the flight risk and the sheer volume of offshore accounts we exposed, she’s not seeing sunlight anytime soon. You did it, Leah. You actually took down Eleanor Mercer."
Julian walked up the steps, looking ten years younger than he had that morning. The heavy burden of Eleanor’s manipulation had lifted from his shoulders, replaced by a fierce, protective pride as he looked at his daughter.
"The board has officially recognized your inheritance," Julian said, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "The trust is unlocked. As of midnight tonight, you officially hold sixty percent of Mercer Enterprises. I've retained my seat as CEO, but you, my dear, are the majority shareholder."
Leah looked down at the pale-green signet brooch still pinned to her collarbone. "What happens now?"
"Now, we rebuild," Julian said softly. "But first, we get you home. The press is swarming the estate, so I’ve booked the penthouse suite here at the hotel for the night. Heavy security. You need to sleep."
Leah nodded, exhaustion finally seeping into her bones.
But as she walked down the service corridor toward the private elevators, a cold shiver ran down her spine. The victory felt incomplete.
"Where is Hayes?" Leah asked, stopping in her tracks.
Mateo and Julian exchanged a dark look.
"He vanished during the chaos," Mateo admitted, his jaw clenching. "The feds are looking for him. He was Eleanor’s right hand; he knows too much for them to just let him walk. But he's a professional ghost, Leah. He wiped his servers before the FBI even raided Eleanor’s office."
"He won't come after you," Julian assured her quickly. "Hayes is a mercenary. Eleanor’s accounts are frozen. Without her money, he has no reason to stick his neck out."
Leah wanted to believe him. But as she finally laid down in the king-sized bed of the penthouse suite, staring at the vaulted ceiling, she couldn't shake the memory of Hayes holding that gun in the library. He hadn't looked like a man just doing a job. He had looked like a man who enjoyed the power of the trigger.
At 3:00 AM, Leah’s phone vibrated on the nightstand.
She jolted awake, her heart hammering. Only three people had this new, secure number: Julian, Mateo, and the head of security.
She picked it up. Unknown Caller.
Hesitantly, she pressed answer and held it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Did you really think the ledger was the only thing in that safe, Miss Moreno?"
Leah’s blood turned to ice. It was Hayes.
"How did you get this number?" Leah demanded, sitting up and clutching the sheets.
"I have access to things that would make your billionaire father weep," Hayes chuckled, the sound dry and metallic over the line. "Eleanor was an idiot. She kept records of everything. Not just her own crimes, but the crimes of the Mercer family. Including the real reason your precious mother ran away twenty-six years ago."
"My mother ran because Eleanor threatened her," Leah snapped.
"Oh, Leah," Hayes sighed mockingly. "You have so much to learn about the viper's nest you just inherited. Claire didn't run from Eleanor. She ran from Julian’s father. Because she found out what the old man was doing in the dark."
"You're lying."
May you like
"I have the documents, Leah. The original blackmail files. If you want them, you’re going to pay me ten million dollars in untraceable cryptocurrency. If you don't... I leak them to the press, and Mercer Enterprises crumbles into dust. And your father goes to prison for a very long time."
Before Leah could speak, the line went dead.
