Chapter 5 - The Price of Forgiveness|
Arthur Mercer had always believed every problem came with a price tag.
A bad newspaper story could be buried with expensive lawyers.
An unhappy investor could be silenced with a generous settlement.
A family argument could supposedly be resolved by reminding everyone who controlled the money.
So when I entered a quiet reception room after the ceremony, I wasn't surprised to find my father waiting beside a polished wooden table.
What surprised me was the velvet jewelry box sitting on it.
Evelyn occupied a chair near the window.
Trevor stood beside her, staring at his phone.
Arthur rose immediately.
"Kate."
I closed the door behind me.
"You asked to see me."
He smiled with an awkwardness I had never witnessed before.
"First, congratulations."
"Thank you."
"That was quite a ceremony."
"It was."
He gestured toward the chair opposite him.
"Please, sit."
I remained standing.
His smile tightened.
"Still stubborn."
"Still busy."
Evelyn cleared her throat.
"Arthur, perhaps we should simply say what we came to say."
My father ignored her.
He opened the jewelry box.
Inside lay a diamond-studded watch with an engraved gold clasp.
It was beautiful, expensive, and completely unwanted.
"I bought this for your twenty-first birthday," he said.
I looked at him.
"You told me not to come home for my twenty-first birthday."
He swallowed.
"Things were difficult then."
"You changed the locks."
"Kate, please."
"You told the household staff I wasn't permitted on the property."
He closed the box slowly.
"People make mistakes."
"Yes, they do."
He appeared relieved.
"Good, then perhaps we can move forward."
I said nothing.
Arthur glanced toward the door and lowered his voice.
"Your accomplishments today have made me reconsider certain things."
There it was.
Not my service.
Not the years he'd missed.
My accomplishments.
The fact that other powerful people respected me had suddenly made me worth knowing again.
He reached into his jacket and removed a folded document.
"I've spoken with our family attorney."
He placed it beside the watch.
"I can restore you to the estate plan."
Evelyn's head snapped upward.
"Arthur!"
He waved her into silence.
"And there's an executive advisory position available at Mercer Defense Tech."
I stared at the paper.
"You want me to join your company?"
"Eventually, perhaps."
He smiled.
"Obviously, you'd need to finish whatever military commitments you have."
I couldn't help myself.
"Whatever military commitments?"
He looked confused.
"Your service."
"Arthur, I have spent twenty-six years building a military career."
"Yes, yes, and you've done very well."
He made a dismissive gesture.
"But surely you don't intend to spend your entire life taking orders."
I stared at him.
The man had just watched a presidential ceremony recognizing my leadership.
Yet somehow, he still imagined me as a young recruit waiting for permission to make decisions.
"I enjoy serving," I said.
He leaned forward.
"Of course, but you could do so much more with Mercer resources behind you."
Trevor finally put down his phone.
"Dad, maybe this isn't the time."
Arthur's eyes flashed.
"Stay out of this."
Then he turned back to me.
"Kate, our company is competing for a contract worth several billion dollars."
"I know."
"I have dedicated thirty years to building something extraordinary."
"Then you should be proud of your work."
"I am."
He hesitated.
"But there are people who seem determined to sabotage us."
My expression remained neutral.
"The review process will establish the facts."
He studied me.
"Surely you know people who could make sure this nonsense doesn't get out of hand."
I felt the last trace of sympathy disappear.
"Stop."
He blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"Do not ask me to use my position to interfere with an investigation."
Arthur flushed.
"I'm asking you to help your family."
"No, you're asking me to compromise my duty."
He stood abruptly.
"After everything I've offered you?"
I looked at the watch, the estate papers, and the man who had brought them.
"That's the problem, Arthur."
"What problem?"
"You still think being a father means offering things."
He looked away.
For a moment, something vulnerable appeared on his face.
Then Evelyn rose.
"This is absurd."
She pointed toward me.
"Arthur has made an extraordinarily generous offer, and you're behaving like an ungrateful child."
I turned toward her.
"You called me a guard dog less than two hours ago."
Her face reddened.
"That was a misunderstanding."
"No, it was an introduction."
Trevor pressed his lips together.
I couldn't tell whether he was hiding anger or laughter.
Arthur moved closer.
"Kate, I am trying to bring you home."
I held his gaze.
"Home was the place where you told me I no longer belonged."
He opened his mouth, but I wasn't finished.
"I spent years hoping you'd call because you missed me."
My voice stayed steady.
"Tonight, you called because you need something."
Arthur looked at the document on the table.
Then he whispered something I hadn't expected.
"You don't understand how much I could lose."
I studied him for a long moment.
"Maybe that's because you never bothered to understand what you already lost."
I turned toward the door.
Behind me, Trevor suddenly spoke.
"Kate, wait."
I stopped.
His expression was no longer smug.
He looked frightened.
"There's something about the Sentinel Link tests that Dad hasn't told you."
Arthur spun toward him.
May you like
"Trevor, not another word."
And for the first time that evening, my stepbrother looked directly at his father and refused to obey.
