Chapter 6 - The Social DeathThe drive to the harbor warehouse was a blur of rain and neon lights. I sat in the passenger seat of Marcus’s sedan, my mind focused entirely on the digital battleground. On my laptop, I watched the deletion progress bar: 42% of corporate records destroyed.
Grant was working fast. He was tearing down his own empire to save his skin.
As we tore down the highway, my phone began to buzz continuously. The news of the receivership had already hit the financial wires. Marcus’s team had released the official press statement at 10:15 PM, complete with the court-certified copies of the fraud allegations and the photographs of the forensic team entering the Lomas de Chapultepec estate.
The social death of the Mercer family was instantaneous.
On my screen, I saw notifications from the city’s elite. The country club had already suspended Evelyn’s membership pending the fraud investigation. The charity gala she was supposed to chair next week had removed her name from the program. The bank had issued an immediate freeze on all personal accounts tied to the Mercer name as a precautionary measure against the asset-stripping allegations.
“They aren't just broke, Claire,” Marcus said, looking over at me as he navigated the slick roads. “They are radioactive. In twenty-four hours, no one in this city will even take a phone call from a Mercer.”
“Good,” I said, staring at the progress bar: 68%. “But social ruin isn't enough for Grant. He needs a cell.”
We pulled into the dark, gravel lot of the secondary warehouse. The structure was a massive, rusted corrugated steel building sitting right on the edge of the dark water. Parked near the side door was an old, unregistered sedan—Grant's emergency car.
May you like
A single light flickered from the upper office window of the warehouse.
I grabbed my laptop, unclipped my seatbelt, and stepped out into the freezing rain. The cold water struck my burned scalp, sending a jolt of pure, electric agony through my body, but I welcomed it. It reminded me exactly why I was standing in the dark at eleven o'clock at night.
