Chapter 4 - The Vermont Boy
"Get away from the windows," Arthur commanded calmly, though his hands moved swiftly to gather the files on the table and place them back inside his briefcase.
Hannah rushed to the bassinet, lifting Sophie into her arms. Her face was pale, but her movements were steady. "Is it the police?"
"No," Dr. Vance said, peering through the corner of the lace curtains. "It’s a private security vehicle. I recognize the plates. It’s Mercer Global Security."
"My mother," I said, feeling a cold rage ignite inside me. "She knew I came up here. She realized I’d find out about Sophie."
"She didn't know about Sophie until Dr. Vance flagged the records request three days ago," Arthur corrected. "She thought you were just coming to collect the fictitious documents she claimed Hannah had. But now that you're both in the same room... she knows the game is up."
The sharp knock on the front door vibrated through the house. It wasn't a friendly knock; it was the heavy, rhythmic pounding of a corporate security team enforcing an order.
"David Mercer!" a voice boomed from the porch. It was Marcus Vance—Richard’s younger brother and the head of Mercer Global's internal security team. "David, open the door. We have orders from the Managing Partner to secure the premises and escort you back to Boston."
I looked at Hannah. She was holding our child, her eyes wide with fear, but beneath the fear, I saw a fierce, unyielding strength that I had forgotten existed during our months of miserable litigation.
"Don't let them in," she whispered.
"I won't," I said.
I walked to the front door and unlocked the deadbolt, opening it just far enough to step out onto the snow-dusted porch, closing the heavy wooden door firmly behind me.
Marcus Vance stood on the porch, flanked by two large men in dark tactical overcoats. A sleek black Suburban idling in the driveway sent thick plumes of white exhaust into the freezing night air.
"David," Marcus said, his hands tucked neatly into his pockets. "It’s twenty degrees below zero out here. Step aside. We need to secure the files inside."
"You're trespassing on private property, Marcus," I said, my voice dripping with ice. "Get off my ex-wife's land."
Marcus smiled faintly, a cold, practiced corporate expression. "Your mother is concerned for your well-being, David. You've been under a lot of stress since the finalization of the divorce. She feels you aren't making rational decisions. She sent us to make sure you didn't do something... foolish."
"Like discovering that my CFO stole millions from the company?" I stepped closer to him, ignoring the two security guards who shifted their balance forward. "Or that my mother forced my pregnant ex-wife into isolation? Or maybe that I have a fourteen-year-old half-brother living two hours away that you've been hiding from me?"
Marcus’s smile vanished completely. The air between us turned deadly quiet.
"You're out of your depth, David," Marcus said softly. "You were always a good strategist in the boardroom, but you don't have the stomach for what your mother built. You think this is about a family business? It’s about a billion-dollar portfolio. Your father knew it. Your mother knows it."
"Where is Eli?" I demanded.
"Eli is where he belongs," Marcus replied coldly. "Under proper care. Now, stand aside. We have a warrant to seize all digital assets and communications records on this property related to Mercer Global."
"You don't have a warrant," Arthur Pendelton’s voice rang out as he stepped onto the porch, shutting the door firmly behind him. He held his phone up, displaying an active call screen. "Because I am currently on the phone with the Vermont State Police Chief, whom I have known for thirty years. I’ve reported an unauthorized intrusion by armed private security on a private residence. They have two cruisers five minutes away."
Marcus stared at Arthur, then looked back at me. He spat into the snow near my boots.
"This doesn't end in Vermont, David," Marcus said smoothly. "The emergency board meeting is scheduled for 9:00 AM after Christmas Day in Boston. By then, the share transfer will be complete. You'll be locked out of the building before the markets open on Monday."
"We'll see about that," I said.
Marcus gave a brief nod to his men. They turned and walked back down the driveway, slipping into the dark SUV. The vehicle reversed down the narrow lane, its taillights fading into the thick curtain of falling snow.
I turned to Arthur. "We can't wait until Monday. We need to go to Eli now."
"He's right," Hannah said, opening the front door slightly, holding Sophie wrapped warm in her blanket. "If they know you know about Eli, they'll move him. They'll send him away."
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"The storm is getting worse," Dr. Vance warned. "Driving to the western border tonight is extremely dangerous."
"I don't care," I said, looking at Hannah and then down at the small face of my daughter. "I've lost fourteen years with one family member because I trusted my mother. I'm not losing another minute."
