Chapter 12 - The Bailed Monster

That evening, the news broke: Richard Mercer had posted a staggering fifty-million-dollar bail.
He didn't pay it himself. The funds were wired from an anonymous trust based in Zurich, backed by Victor Sterling—the shadowy billionaire defense contractor and brother to Halcyon's own Chief Auditor.
Within hours of his release, Richard made a public appearance on national television. Wearing a tailored suit, his face scrubbed clean, he looked straight into the camera and painted himself as the victim of a vindictive, power-hungry wife.
"Elena staged that entire incident," Richard lied smoothly on live TV. "She provoked me, recorded a scripted moment, and used it to launch a hostile takeover of my company. She’s an operative working to destroy Halcyon from within."
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My phone rang seconds after the broadcast ended. It was an unlisted number.
"Did you really think a slap would end me, Elena?" Richard’s voice hissed through the speaker, dripping with sinister malice. "You took my career. Now I’m going to take your life."