That was answer enough.
At 6:40 a.m., another discovery arrived.
Not from hidden microphones.
From Mercer Holdings’ own systems.
Noah’s security director had spent months preserving copies of access logs and document activity involving Adrian.
After news of the river incident began circulating, Adrian accessed a restricted corporate data room from our home.
Within forty minutes.
He opened three documents.
My shareholder agreement.
The marital estate trust.
And a purchase option involving Mercer Holdings’ Evermere River terminal.
The last one mattered.
Years earlier, Mercer Holdings had signed a complicated financing agreement allowing certain strategic assets to be sold quickly under emergency conditions if a controlling shareholder became incapacitated or died.
It existed to protect the company from debt collapse.
Adrian had apparently found another use for it.
A shell company connected to his father had been quietly accumulating minority debt positions.
If I were presumed dead and Adrian could exercise temporary voting authority over my shares, he could force Mercer Holdings into selling the Evermere River terminal below market value.
That terminal controlled access to almost a third of our regional freight network.
Lose it, and Mercer Holdings would weaken overnight.
His father could then acquire more of the company through debt pressure.
“It isn’t a simple takeover,” I said.
“No.”
Noah looked almost impressed despite himself.
“It’s better.”
