Chapter 14 - Sins of the Father
Arthur Mercer looked immaculate, entirely untouched by the dirt and chaos of the night. His camel-hair coat was dry, his silver hair neatly combed back, his posture as imperious as it had been at the head of every boardroom table Ethan had ever sat before. But his eyes were dead, hollowed out by the cold calculation of a man who had long ago traded his soul for corporate dominance.
"You really are your mother's son, Ethan," Arthur said quietly, his thumb hovering over the red arming toggle of the detonator. "Romantic. Impulsive. Entirely devoid of practical foresight."
"Step away from the van, Arthur," Ethan warned, stepping between his father and the trolley carrying his newborn child. Elena collapsed against the side wall behind him, her breathing shallow and ragged, her hand barely able to keep a grip on Dr. Thorne's sleeve.
"Do you know what happens tomorrow morning if Clara's father pulls his credit lines?" Arthur asked, his voice low and venomous. "Mercer Logistics defaults on eighty million dollars in commercial paper. The banks seize the family properties. Our name becomes a punchline in every financial daily from New York to London. You throw away three generations of labor for... what? For a waitress and a sickly bastard?"
Ethan stepped forward, ignoring the detonator. He was three feet away from his father now, close enough to smell the expensive cognac on the older man's breath.
"He isn't a bastard," Ethan said, each word deliberate, sharp as obsidian. "His name is Leo. And he has more honor in his broken heart than you have had in your entire miserable, hollow life."
Arthur sneered, his thumb pressing down on the arming switch. "Then you can all burn together in this godforsaken woods."
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Before the switch could engage, Clara appeared from the utility doorway. She held Ethan’s abandoned mobile slate, its screen glowing brightly in the dark garage.
"Too late, Arthur," Clara announced. "The live audio from the clinic intercom has been streaming directly to the state regulatory board and the regional news desk for the past twelve minutes. Every threat you made about the hospital funding, every word about the audit fraud—it's already on the wire."
