Chapter 5 - The Ultimatum
By eight o'clock the following morning, the storm had cleared, leaving a sky of blinding, crystalline blue over the snow-covered peaks. But inside the Mercer mansion, the air was thick with gunpowder.
Evelyn Mercer sat in the formal parlor, her silver hair immaculately styled, flanked by two men in dark tailored suits. One was Dr. Vance, looking smug and composed with a thick leather folder on his lap. The other was Arthur Sterling, the chief legal counsel for the Mercer family estate and a longtime friend of Daniel’s late father.
Daniel entered the parlor carrying a mug of black coffee. He didn't offer anyone a seat, nor did he sit down himself. He stood by the fireplace, leaning his elbow against the marble mantel piece.
"You're thirty minutes early, Evelyn," Daniel said casually, taking a sip of coffee. "Sophie hasn't finished her breakfast."
Evelyn stood up, her eyes flashing with cold, aristocratic fury. "This isn't a social call, Daniel. Arthur, show him the documents."
The lawyer cleared his throat uncomfortably, pulling a legal injunction from his briefcase. "Daniel... as the co-trustee of the Clara Mercer Memorial Trust, which funds fifty percent of Sophie’s medical expenses and private care, Evelyn has filed an emergency motion with the county family court."
Daniel didn't flinch. "On what grounds?"
"Endangerment," Vance interjected smoothly, opening his folder. "We have obtained Ms. Bennett’s complete employment records from Nashville. She is not a licensed physical therapist. She was terminated for gross insubordination and unauthorized administration of physical therapy that led to a formal board review. Allowing her to perform high-risk, unharnessed physical load-bearing on a child with severe cerebral palsy constitutes medical neglect."
"If you do not sign this termination order today, Daniel," Evelyn said, her voice shaking with controlled passion, "we will file for temporary medical guardianship of Sophie by noon. The judge will grant it within two hours based on Dr. Vance's affidavit. We will place Sophie in a top-tier residential rehabilitation facility in Boston where she will be protected from this madness."
Daniel slowly set his coffee mug down on the mantelpiece. The porcelain made a soft, sharp clink against the stone.
He looked at Arthur Sterling. "Arthur. Have you read the financial disclosures for Apex Mobility Systems recently?"
The lawyer blinked, confused. "What does that have to do with—"
"Apex Mobility Systems," Daniel repeated, his voice dangerously soft. "The company that provides Sophie’s motorized chairs, her custom standing frames, and her specialized therapeutic seating. I instructed my financial team to do a deep audit at four o'clock this morning."
Daniel pulled a single folded piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it onto the glass coffee table.
"Dr. Vance holds forty thousand preferred shares in Apex’s parent holding company. In the last three years, he has personally signed off on over two hundred thousand dollars worth of custom Apex equipment for my daughter—equipment that keeps her locked in a sitting position twenty-two hours a day."
Dr. Vance’s face drained of color. His jaw worked silently, but no sound came out.
"Daniel, that is entirely beside the point!" Evelyn shouted, her composure cracking. "Whatever financial arrangements Dr. Vance has do not change the fact that this woman is an unqualified imposter playing games with a crippled child!"
CRASH.
The glass coffee table didn't shatter, but Daniel’s hand hit the wood beside it with such terrifying force that both Vance and Sterling jumped out of their seats.
"DO NOT USE THAT WORD IN MY HOUSE AGAIN!" Daniel roared, his body vibrating with a rage so colossal it shook the room.
He stepped directly into Evelyn’s face, his eyes wild and dark.
"She is my daughter. She is Clara’s daughter. And if you think for one second, Evelyn, that you can use my wife’s memory and a trust fund I built with my own blood to take my child away from me, you have forgotten who I am."
He turned his gaze to Dr. Vance, who was backing toward the door.
"You are fired, Vance. If I see your face on my property after twelve o'clock today, I will have you arrested for criminal trespass. And by three o'clock, my attorneys will file a formal complaint with the State Medical Board regarding your undisclosed financial conflicts of interest."
Vance grabbed his folder, his hands shaking violently, and bolted out the double doors without saying another word. Arthur Sterling quietly closed his briefcase, looking at Daniel with a mix of awe and profound pity.
"Daniel..." Arthur whispered softly. "Evelyn still has standing with the trust judge. If this goes to court, they will bring in independent medical experts. If Ava cannot prove that her methods are safe and effective under clinical observation... you could lose control of Sophie's care."
May you like
Daniel turned his back on them, looking up at the oil painting of Clara hanging above the fireplace.
"Then we won't wait for a court," Daniel said quietly. "We will show them."
