Chapter 4 - Mercury Capital Holdings
Brooke searched for Mercury Capital Holdings that evening.
The company had been registered only two months earlier.
Its public address led to a private mailbox.
Its listed director was an attorney Brooke did not recognize.
Its ownership records were hidden behind another corporation.
She printed the page.
The next morning, the paper was gone from her desk.
Trevor entered the kitchen carrying coffee.
“Looking into investments now?”
“What is Mercury Capital?”
He did not pause.
“A financing vehicle.”
“For what?”
“Company restructuring.”
“Why is its mail coming here?”
“Temporary administrative arrangement.”
Brooke watched him carefully.
“Does Ethan know?”
Trevor smiled.
“Ethan trusts me.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Victoria entered wearing a cream silk suit.
“Your constant suspicion is becoming unhealthy.”
Brooke turned toward her.
“I asked about a business envelope.”
“You interrogated Trevor.”
“He is using my husband’s address.”
Victoria’s expression softened into false concern.
“You have not been yourself since the miscarriage.”
Brooke froze.
Victoria knew that subject could still hurt her.
She used it anyway.
“Grief can cause paranoia,” Victoria continued.
“I am not paranoid.”
“No one said you were.”
“You just did.”
Trevor sipped his coffee.
“You should speak to someone.”
Brooke left the room.
That afternoon, she called the family attorney.
His assistant said he was unavailable.
Brooke left a message.
Two hours later, Trevor entered the bedroom.
“Why are you contacting attorneys?”
“Because you refuse to answer questions.”
“You are not an officer of the company.”
“I am Ethan’s wife.”
“That gives you no authority.”
“It gives me a reason to protect him.”
Trevor stepped closer.
“From his own family?”
“From anyone who believes deployment makes him easy to steal from.”
The smile left Trevor’s face.
For one second, Brooke saw something dangerous.
Then Victoria called from the hallway.
Trevor stepped back.
That night, Brooke received an email from Ethan.
He wrote that Trevor had explained Mercury as part of a legitimate restructuring.
He asked Brooke not to worry.
The message sounded like Ethan.
But one phrase felt wrong.
You need to trust the family.
Ethan had never used those words.
He always said, Trust your instincts.
Brooke checked the email details.
It had been sent from Ethan’s account.
But the login originated from the penthouse network.
She immediately photographed the screen.
Someone inside the apartment had accessed Ethan’s email.
When Brooke turned, Trevor was standing behind her.
“How long have you been there?” she asked.
“Long enough.”
He looked at the photograph on her phone.
Then he held out his hand.
May you like
“Give it to me.”
👉 Brooke refused to surrender the photograph, and that was the moment Trevor stopped treating her as an inconvenience and began treating her as a threat.
