Chapter 1 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Stay Broken
The first thing Caleb Mercer did after canceling my dismissal was order everyone out of his bedroom.
Everyone except me.
I sat frozen beside his bed, my hand still trapped inside his.
Through my half-closed eyes, I watched Owen Pike hesitate near the doorway.
"Boss, we have a board meeting at ten."
"Cancel it."
"Caleb, the investors are expecting—"
"I said cancel it."
Owen's jaw tightened.
Before the shooting, nobody questioned Caleb's decisions.
Now Owen spoke to him like a child who'd misplaced something important.
"You're recovering," Owen said. "You shouldn't be worrying about operational matters."
Caleb slowly turned his head.
"Who appointed you my doctor?"
Silence.
Then Owen forced a smile.
"I'm trying to protect you."
"Then start by following instructions."
Owen left.
The door closed with a soft click.
Only then did Caleb look at me.
"You can open your eyes, Grace."
I winced.
"Was I that obvious?"
"Painfully."
I sat upright and released his hand.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"You were here all night."
"Apparently."
His dark eyes studied me.
"Why?"
I looked toward the untouched tea.
"Because someone needed to make sure you weren't arguing with the furniture until sunrise."
For the first time, Caleb smiled.
A real smile.
Small.
Unexpected.
And somehow more unsettling than his usual glare.
Then it vanished.
"Grace, I need you to tell me something."
I straightened.
"What?"
"Have you noticed Owen behaving strangely?"
I hesitated.
That was dangerous territory.
Owen controlled most of the household employees.
He approved our schedules.
Signed our paychecks.
And made sure nobody stayed employed after disappointing him.
"Define strangely," I said.
Caleb raised an eyebrow.
"You're avoiding the question."
"I'm considering whether answering it gets me fired again."
His expression softened.
"I won't fire you for telling me the truth."
I took a breath.
"He's been meeting people in the west wing after midnight."
Caleb went still.
"Who?"
"I don't know. Men in expensive suits. One woman. Sometimes they use the back entrance."
"How long?"
"Since you returned from the hospital."
His jaw tightened.
"Anything else?"
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Three nights ago, I heard Owen tell someone that the Mercer organization needed a new leader."
Caleb stared at the ceiling.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he reached toward his bedside drawer.
Inside was a small black security tablet.
He entered a code.
A camera feed appeared.
The west-wing hallway.
I leaned closer.
Caleb selected the footage from three nights earlier.
There was Owen.
Standing beside a tall woman in a cream-colored coat.
She turned toward the camera.
I recognized her immediately.
"That's Evelyn Hart."
Caleb looked at me.
"You know her?"
"She's the woman who visited you at the hospital and told the nurses she was your fiancée."
Caleb's expression turned icy.
"Evelyn Hart isn't my fiancée."
I swallowed.
"Then who is she?"
He stared at the screen.
"My former girlfriend."
I looked back at the footage.
Evelyn handed Owen a folder.
Then she leaned toward him.
The camera had no audio.
But the next image made Caleb's fingers tighten around the tablet.
Owen removed a document and signed it.
At the top were four words.
MERCER EMERGENCY SUCCESSION AGREEMENT.
Caleb read the signature.
Then whispered:
"Owen is trying to declare me mentally incompetent."
May you like
And according to the document, the person who would inherit control of his empire wasn't Owen.
It was Evelyn Hart.
