Chapter 3 - The Wife Before Her
Julia Mercer had loved shoes because she hated what expensive shoes represented.
That contradiction was how Mercer Luxe began.
She grew up poor outside Savannah.
Her mother cleaned hotel rooms.
Julia saved for months to buy a pair of black heels for her first corporate interview.
They destroyed her feet.
Years later, after marrying Daniel, she designed a comfortable formal shoe and convinced him to help manufacture five hundred pairs.
They sold out online.
Mercer Luxe grew from there.
By the time Julia died from ovarian cancer at thirty-eight, the company had twenty-one boutiques.
Daniel kept building because stopping felt like losing her again.
Rosa Alvarez had been there before most executives.
At first she cleaned the original boutique after hours.
Then Julia hired her full-time.
Later Rosa helped with events.
After Julia became sick, Rosa occasionally helped at home.
Emma adored her.
Celeste had reduced Rosa’s role after marrying Daniel.
“Old brand energy,” she called it.
Daniel had not noticed how insulting that phrase was until now.
The morning after the champagne incident, Rosa sat across from Daniel in his kitchen.
Emma slept upstairs.
“What did Julia know about Halcyon?”
Rosa held a mug of coffee she had not touched.
“I don’t know everything.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“Three months before she became very sick, she was reviewing vendor expenses.”
“Julia didn’t handle finance.”
“She did when something felt wrong.”
Daniel almost smiled.
That was Julia.
“What felt wrong?”
“Security invoices.”
Daniel frowned.
“Security?”
“Temporary event staff. Transportation. Warehousing.”
Rosa looked toward the window.
“She said the same services were appearing under different company names.”
“Halcyon?”
“One of them.”
“Who approved them?”
Rosa hesitated.
“Owen.”
Daniel went still.
Owen Grant.
Chief financial officer.
Daniel’s friend for seventeen years.
Godfather to Emma.
The man who stood beside Daniel at Julia’s funeral.
“No.”
Rosa nodded.
“I knew you’d say that.”
“Owen has been with me since the second year.”
“I know.”
“He helped save the company during the recession.”
“I know.”
“Julia trusted him.”
Rosa’s expression shifted.
“She did until she didn’t.”
Daniel stood.
“Why did she never tell me?”
“She tried.”
The answer stopped him.
“What?”
Rosa looked uncomfortable.
“She told me you were overwhelmed.”
“When?”
“After the diagnosis.”
Daniel felt anger rise.
“At me?”
“No.”
“At who?”
“At herself.”
Rosa put down the cup.
“She knew she was sick before you knew.”
Daniel stared.
That was true.
Julia had hidden the first test results for eleven days because Daniel was preparing the company’s largest launch.
He had forgiven her.
Mostly.
“She said she didn’t want her financial suspicions to become one more crisis.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“So she let it go?”
“No.”
Rosa shook her head.
“She kept files.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Rosa.”
“I really don’t.”
She thought.
“Maybe the old Mercer Street storage room.”
Daniel frowned.
The original boutique had closed three years earlier.
The building still belonged to Mercer Luxe and was used for archives.
“Why?”
“Julia asked me to move several boxes there.”
“What boxes?”
“Old vendor files.”
Daniel’s phone rang.
Owen.
Daniel stared at the screen.
Rosa saw the name.
“Answer.”
He did.
“Owen.”
“Daniel, thank God. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Emma?”
“Safe.”
“I saw the videos.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“What videos?”
There was a pause.
“You haven’t?”
“No.”
Owen exhaled.
“Somebody posted you attacking that guy.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Of course.
“What does it show?”
“You grabbing him. Throwing him into the shoe wall.”
“The tower?”
“Not in the clip.”
Daniel looked at Rosa.
She understood immediately.
Edited context.
“How bad?”
Owen hesitated.
“Bad.”
Daniel walked toward the window.
“What is Halcyon Event Logistics?”
Silence.
Not long.
But enough.
“Why?”
“They credentialed Pike.”
Owen responded too quickly.
“We use dozens of subcontractors.”
“Do you know Halcyon?”
“I’d have to check.”
“You’re the CFO.”
“I don’t memorize every event vendor.”
Daniel stared out at the driveway.
Fair answer.
Maybe.
“Julia knew the name.”
Another pause.
This one longer.
“Daniel.”
“Yes?”
“Be careful.”
His grip tightened around the phone.
“About what?”
“You’re upset. You’re connecting things.”
“Are they connected?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel turned toward Rosa.
Owen continued.
“The board is calling an emergency meeting.”
“For what?”
“Reputation.”
Daniel laughed.
“My daughter nearly had a glass tower fall on her.”
“I know.”
“And they’re worried about reputation?”
“They’re worried because the CEO was filmed throwing a sixty-two-year-old man into a wall in front of two hundred guests.”
Daniel said nothing.
Owen softened his voice.
“Let me handle the board.”
Daniel looked at Rosa.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Stay home with Emma.”
“And you?”
“I’ll stabilize things.”
The phrase made Daniel uneasy.
He had heard it before.
Years ago.
From Julia.
Whenever she believed someone was trying to take control of a situation by making everyone else feel too emotional to participate.
“I’ll attend the meeting.”
Owen sighed.
“Daniel—”
“I’ll be there.”
He ended the call.
Rosa stared.
“What?”
Daniel asked.
“You asked him about Halcyon.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“He said he would check.”
Rosa shook her head.
“What?”
“Julia once asked him the same question.”
Daniel felt cold.
“How do you know?”
“I was in the room.”
“What did he say?”
May you like
Rosa looked him in the eyes.
“The exact same thing.”
