Chapter 8 - A Final Visit
Three days later, the rain poured relentlessly over Washington D.C.
Inside the federal holding facility, Arthur Mercer sat at a cold steel table, wearing an orange jumpsuit instead of his usual bespoke Italian suit. His hair was messy, his eyes were sunken, and he looked fifteen years older than he had at the White House gate.
The heavy steel door clicked open, and Kate stepped inside.
She wore a clean service uniform, devoid of unnecessary medals, carrying only a single manila folder under her arm.
Arthur looked up, his eyes flashing with a desperate, pathetic hope.
"Kate..." he choked out, his voice weak and trembling. "You came. I knew you’d come. You're here to drop the federal charges, aren't you? You're going to help your father."
Kate sat down slowly across from him, laying the folder flat on the metal table.
"I am not here as your daughter, Arthur," Kate said quietly. "I am here as a representative of the United States Military to deliver the final audit results."
Arthur’s face fell. "Kate, please... they've frozen all my assets. Trevor is facing ten years in federal prison. The board kicked me out of my own company! They’ve taken everything from me!"
"You took it from yourself," Kate replied with flat honesty. "You spent thirty years prioritizing greed over quality, status over honor, and money over human connection. You built a house of cards, Arthur. All I did was stop protecting it."
"I was your father!" Arthur cried out, slamming his cuffed hands against the table. "I gave you a life of luxury! I gave you the best schools, the best clothes, the best tutors! And you threw it in my face for a green suit and a rifle!"
Kate looked at him with profound pity.
"You never gave me a father, Arthur. You gave me a manager," she said softly. "When I chose the Army twenty-six years ago, I wasn't rejecting you. I was choosing a life where my worth wasn't measured by a bank balance. You disowned me because you couldn't control me."
Arthur buried his face in his hands, quiet sobs wracking his frail shoulders. For the first time in his life, the billionaire had no money, no influence, and no power left to buy his way out.
"What... what happens to me now?" Arthur whispered through his fingers.
"You will stand trial," Kate said calmly, standing up from her chair. "The law will decide your fate. But as far as I am concerned... our story ended twenty-six years ago."
She turned and walked toward the door.
"Kate! Wait!" Arthur called out, his voice cracking with unbearable anguish. "Please... just call me Dad. Just once."
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Kate stopped at the door, her hand resting on the heavy steel handle. She did not turn back.
"Goodbye, Mr. Mercer."