Chapter 69: Three Days

Kelvin’s POV

Shortly after reviewing a report, a gentle knock sounded at my door.

I looked up from the documents. "Come in."

My secretary stepped inside. "Mr. Mercer, the two lawyers from the Hugo family are here to see you."

I frowned slightly. The Hugo family lawyers. After their last visit, I expected the matter to continue in court. I did not expect them back in my office.

"What do they want?"

"They didn’t give details. They only said it concerns Miss Hugo."

Of course it did. What else could be their reason? I closed the report and leaned back. "Send them in."

She nodded and left.

I did not have to wait long. A few minutes later, the two lawyers entered my office. I recognised the older lawyer from their previous visit. The other man was unfamiliar, but the way he carried himself made it clear he was not here merely to observe.

They greeted me politely and sat opposite my desk. Then the older lawyer placed a folder on his lap.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Mercer. We are here today on behalf of Miss Emerald Hugo."

"I assumed as much."

He nodded. "Then I will get straight to the point," he said and opened the folder. "We have completed a further review of the evidence relating to the allegations against our client."

I leaned back. "And?"

"We uncovered information that changes our position considerably."

I narrowed my gaze down at him. "What information?"

He took several documents from the folder and laid them on my desk.

"Our investigation found links between Miss Maya Fox and several people involved in fabricating the materials used against Miss Hugo."

My eyes narrowed. "Maya?"

"Yes."

I picked up one of the documents. Names, dates, and communication records filled the page. I scanned them.

"You’re saying my fiancée contacted these people?"

"We have evidence indicating that she did."

I looked at the lawyer. "And what exactly does that prove?"

"It connects Miss Fox to people involved in creating the false material."

I set the document down. "That doesn’t prove she framed Emerald."

"No, Mr. Mercer. It doesn’t."

His calm answer irritated me, so I retorted, "Then don’t make it sound as if you’ve already reached a conclusion."

"We haven’t." He shook his head. "We are simply presenting the evidence that has been uncovered."

The second lawyer, who had been quiet until then, placed another document on the desk. "This may interest you more."

I picked it up, and the moment I saw the account information, my attention sharpened. I knew that account.

It was mine.

I looked at the lawyer. "What is this?"

"Financial records."

I scanned the transactions. Several payments had gone to people named in the other documents. My expression hardened. "These payments came from my account."

"Yes."

I looked up sharply. "I didn’t authorise these."

"We haven’t said that you did," he replied almost immediately. "We are simply showing you where the financial trail leads."

I stared at him. "So you’re accusing me now?"

"No. We are saying the financial trail leads to an account in your name. What that means, and who authorised the transactions, is for you to determine."

I pushed the document back across the desk. "This is absurd."

The older lawyer remained composed. "You are entitled to your opinion, Mr. Mercer. However, the records themselves remain unchanged."

I rose from my seat. His calm tone was starting to get under my skin.

"You come into my office with documents linking my account to people I’ve never dealt with, tell me my fiancée had contact with them, and expect me to sit here calmly?"

"No one is asking you to accept anything without reviewing it."

I walked around the desk and stopped a few feet from them. "Then what exactly do you want?"

The lawyer closed the folder. "We have a proposal from our client."

I stared at him. "What kind of proposal?"

"Miss Hugo is prepared to resolve the matter without pursuing the lawsuits further."

I gave a short laugh. "And what does she want in return?"

The lawyer did not hesitate. "Three per cent of Mercer Technologies."

"Three what?" I stared at him, certain I had heard wrong. "Three per cent?"

"Yes. Transferred into Miss Hugo’s personal name."

I laughed again, though there was nothing amused in it. "So Emerald sent you here to demand three per cent of my company?"

"She has made a settlement proposal."

I shook my head. "This is unbelievable."

"It is nevertheless her proposal."

I turned away from them and walked towards the window. Emerald did not want compensation or an apology. She wanted shares—a legal stake in Mercer Technologies.

After everything, she had found a way to turn the lawsuits into leverage.

I turned back to them. "And what does she intend to do with the lawsuits if I agree?"

"She is prepared to withdraw them against both you and Miss Fox."

I stared at them. So that was the price: three per cent of Mercer Technologies in exchange for ending the lawsuits.

"You expect me to believe she will simply walk away after getting three per cent?"

"She will fulfil whatever settlement is formally agreed upon."

I scoffed. "You lawyers always have an answer for everything."

"That is generally why clients hire us."

The reply was so matter-of-fact that I almost laughed. Instead, my irritation sharpened.

I walked back to my desk and studied the documents again. Something about all of it sat wrong with me.

If I had not authorised those payments, someone else had found a way to use my account. And if the evidence tying Maya to those people was genuine, I had to consider a possibility I did not want to face.

I looked up at the lawyers. "You’re making a serious accusation against my fiancée."

The older man corrected me calmly. "No, Mr. Mercer. We are presenting evidence concerning Miss Fox. What you choose to conclude from it is your decision."

I clenched my jaw. "You know what? This whole thing is ridiculous." I pointed towards the documents on my desk. "You expect me to hand over part of my company because Emerald decided she wants it?"

"She has offered to withdraw the lawsuits in exchange for it."

"You keep repeating that as if it makes the demand reasonable."

"That is for you to decide."

I stared at them, my patience finally wearing thin. "You’re trying to corner me."

The older lawyer’s expression did not change. "We don’t need to corner you, Mr. Mercer. You are free to reject the proposal. But if you reject it, the lawsuits continue."

There was no threat in his voice, which somehow made it worse. They were not bluffing. They had come prepared, and they knew it.

I looked down at the documents again, then back at the two men. "How long?"

"Three days."

I frowned. "Three days?"

"Yes. Our client has instructed us to give you three days to consider the proposal."

I let out a humourless laugh. "Three days to decide whether I should give her three per cent of the company I built?"