Chapter 7 - The War of Two Fronts
By noon that same day, news of the fallout had sent shockwaves through the Seattle business community. The King County Superior Court issued a total freeze on all corporate assets associated with Mercer Global Development, Apex Sovereign Holdings, and the personal accounts of both Grant Mercer and Thomas Bennett.
Claire sat in the secure, glass-walled conference room of Vance & Associates on the forty-fifth floor of a downtown Bellevue skyscraper. Outside the window, rain still swept across the city, but inside, a team of forensic accountants and senior litigators were hard at work, sifting through the massive ledger Claire had retrieved from Thomas’s dining room.
Evelyn Vance walked into the room, holding two hot mugs of coffee. She set one down in front of Claire and took a seat opposite her.
"The preliminary review of the Apex ledgers is finished," Evelyn said, her eyes shining with professional satisfaction. "It's far worse than we thought—and far better for our case. Thomas and Grant didn't just siphon your inheritance. They engaged in massive tax evasion, bank fraud, and illegal land acquisition spanning three states."
"What about Grant?" Claire asked, adjusting the ice pack she was holding against her swollen cheek.
"Grant is panicking," Evelyn replied with a grim smile. "When the asset freeze hit his corporate accounts two hours ago, his primary contractors stopped work on his flagship development—the seventy-million-dollar Lake Washington Tower. He can't pay his payroll, he can't pay his suppliers, and his primary investors are swarming his office."
Before Claire could respond, Evelyn’s assistant knocked on the door and stepped inside.
"Ms. Vance, Grant Mercer is downstairs in the lobby with his lead attorney. He's demanding to see Mrs. Mercer immediately. He's creating a scene."
Claire looked at Evelyn. Evelyn made a move to stand up. "I'll have security remove him from the building."
"No," Claire said firmly, standing up. "Bring him to the small consultation room. I want to talk to him."
"Claire, you don't have to face him," Evelyn warned gently.
"I want to, Evelyn. But I want two security guards outside the glass, and I want the room recorded."
Ten minutes later, the door to the consultation room opened, and Grant Mercer stormed inside. The polished, arrogant man who had struck her and thrown her into the rain less than eighteen hours ago was nowhere to be seen. His hair was disheveled, his designer suit was wrinkled, and panic burned in his bloodshot eyes.
Behind him stood Vanessa Cole, looking terrified, still holding a high-end designer handbag that Claire recognized as one purchased with their joint account.
"Claire!" Grant shouted, stepping toward her, but halting instantly as two towering security officers stepped inside the room. He pointed a shaking finger at her. "What the hell have you done? My accounts are frozen! My job site is shut down! Are you insane?"
Claire remained seated at the head of the table, her hands folded neatly in front of her. She stared at him with complete indifference.
"You hit me six times, Grant," she said softly. "You threw my clothes into a mud puddle. You gave my dead mother's pearls to your mistress. And you told me that everything in our life belonged to you."
"That was a mistake!" Grant blustered, his voice cracking with desperation. "I was stressed! Thomas was pushing me into a corner, trying to steal my company!"
"Your company?" Claire let out a soft, cold laugh. "Mercer Global Development was built with eighty million dollars of my father's trust money, funnelled through Thomas’s shell companies. You didn't build an empire, Grant. You were a glorified manager operating on my stolen inheritance."
Grant turned pale. He glanced nervously at Vanessa, who shrank back toward the door.
"Claire, listen to me," Grant pleaded, dropping his voice into the smooth, manipulative tone he had used on her for eleven years. "We can fix this. Thomas lied to both of us! He set us against each other! If you drop the asset freeze, we can force Thomas out together. You and me. We can start over."
Claire looked at him—really looked at him. She saw the hollow cowardice beneath his handsome exterior, the absolute vanity that had allowed him to abuse her and then expect her to forgive him the moment his money was threatened.
She slowly stood up, leaned across the table, and looked directly into his eyes.
"Vanessa," Claire said, turning her gaze to the terrified woman near the door. "Are you still wearing my mother's pearls?"
Vanessa’s hand flew to her neck, trembling violently. "I... I left them on the nightstand in the Bellevue house!"
"Good," Claire said. Then she looked back at Grant. "The police have issued an arrest warrant for you, Grant. Aggravated felony assault. The officers are waiting in the main lobby right now."
Grant’s eyes went wide with sheer terror. "What?"
"You wanted me out of your house," Claire whispered. "Now, you're going to spend the night in a cell."
The security guards stepped forward, grabbing Grant by the arms as the doors opened and two Bellevue police officers walked in with handcuffs raised. Grant began screaming obscenities, thrashing violently as the metal cuffs clicked around his wrists, while Vanessa dissolved into hysterics beside him.
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Claire watched silently as her husband was dragged away down the hall. But as the noise faded, she turned back to Evelyn, knowing the hardest battle was still ahead.
"Grant is finished," Claire said quietly. "Now, let's go after Thomas."
