Chapter 7 - The Crumbling Empire
The fallout was immediate. The stock price of Mercer Technologies plummeted as the news hit the major outlets. Headlines about "The CEO Who Forged His Family's Future" dominated the tech world.
Daniel was arrested on the steps of the office building. I watched from a distance as they put him in the back of the squad car. He didn't look at me; he looked at his own reflection in the window, a man who had finally realized he had nothing left to see.
Ashley, however, turned state’s evidence. She was granted immunity in exchange for her full cooperation. The company was placed into receivership, and for the first time in years, the culture began to change.
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I took a seat on the board, not as the wife of the CEO, but as the woman who had saved the company from its own corruption. We fired the cronies Daniel had installed, restructured the debt, and began the long process of rebuilding our reputation.
It was exhausting, but it was ours. The company was no longer a monument to Daniel's ego; it was a testament to the fact that you cannot build a future on the ruins of someone else's trust.
