{"id":30658,"date":"2026-10-05T15:22:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T15:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30658"},"modified":"2026-10-05T15:22:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T15:22:45","slug":"part-32-nathans-killing-of-his-own-son-ended-the-succession-scheme-but-rebecca-revealed-anna-had-planned-one-final-reckoning-for-edward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30658","title":{"rendered":"PART 32 \u2013 Nathan\u2019s Killing of His Own Son Ended the Succession Scheme, but Rebecca Revealed Anna Had Planned One Final Reckoning for Edward"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Police reached Cross\u2019s location eighteen minutes later.<\/p>\n<p>Too late for him.<\/p>\n<p>Julian Cross died beside the control terminal he had used to seize Sophie\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan was gone.<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt nothing clean about Cross\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>No satisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>No grief.<\/p>\n<p>Only the exhausted recognition that another father had chosen control over a child.<\/p>\n<p>Cross had been a murderer.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan had still killed his son.<\/p>\n<p>Both facts could exist together.<\/p>\n<p>Anna would have insisted on that.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel remained at Hawthorne until Sophie\u2019s disaffiliation was independently verified.<\/p>\n<p>Richard checked twice.<\/p>\n<p>Then a third time.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Whitmore verified from Bellmont.<\/p>\n<p>An outside trust attorney verified remotely.<\/p>\n<p>Sophie Mercer no longer belonged to the special Mercer succession structure.<\/p>\n<p>She retained ordinary protected assets.<\/p>\n<p>No founder conversion rights.<\/p>\n<p>No Continuity leverage.<\/p>\n<p>No automatic Bellmont control.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel exhaled only after the final confirmation.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Reed leaned against the wall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just made your daughter less rich.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve had a difficult week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They left Hawthorne near dawn.<\/p>\n<p>Edward waited at Bellmont headquarters under supervision.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca remained hospitalized.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas had gone to Claire.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret stayed with Sophie.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory was alive after surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Eleanor was in custody.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan was a fugitive.<\/p>\n<p>The archive was public.<\/p>\n<p>The network was breaking.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, Daniel could see an ending.<\/p>\n<p>Not close.<\/p>\n<p>But visible.<\/p>\n<p>He reached Bellmont headquarters after sunrise.<\/p>\n<p>Reporters packed the sidewalk.<\/p>\n<p>Police barriers separated them from the entrance.<\/p>\n<p>Questions flew.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Mercer!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid your company participate in illegal surveillance?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Edward Mercer alive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Bellmont hide criminal financing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill you resign?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel turned toward the cameras.<\/p>\n<p>That sentence had defined his family.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to answer.<\/p>\n<p>He stepped toward the microphones.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard frowned.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, Edward Mercer is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The crowd exploded.<\/p>\n<p>He raised a hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, evidence indicates Bellmont entities were used in hidden financial structures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More shouting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I am cooperating with investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you resigning?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel paused.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at him sharply.<\/p>\n<p>Reporters shouted louder.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am surrendering executive control pending creation of an independent restructuring board.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you selling?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Bellmont collapsing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho killed your wife?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n<p>The question cut through everything.<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward the reporter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvidence indicates Julian Cross deliberately altered her vehicle after an earlier sabotage attempt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cameras moved closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCross is dead?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho ordered him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNathan Mercer authorized the operation that preceded the fatal act. Investigators will determine full criminal responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid your father know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked toward the building.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEdward Mercer knew Anna was in danger and made decisions that failed to protect her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the truth.<\/p>\n<p>Not murder.<\/p>\n<p>Not innocence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill he face charges?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf evidence supports them, he should.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The reporters erupted again.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stepped back.<\/p>\n<p>Richard whispered, \u201cYour father will hate that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019ll survive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Inside, Edward sat in the old executive lounge.<\/p>\n<p>He had watched the statement on television.<\/p>\n<p>When Daniel entered, he turned it off.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou resigned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I meant it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could have rebuilt Bellmont.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI might help rebuild it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot owner-king.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou always hated my office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hated your chair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward looked down.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel sat opposite him.<\/p>\n<p>For a moment they were simply father and son.<\/p>\n<p>Legally.<\/p>\n<p>Emotionally.<\/p>\n<p>Not biologically.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel realized that did not erase decades.<\/p>\n<p>It only made them stranger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas is my father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBiologically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you ever resent me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward looked genuinely surprised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNever?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you were mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt something tighten in his chest.<\/p>\n<p>Edward continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot as property.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThough I understand why you might doubt that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou raised me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou lied to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou manipulated my company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou let me believe you were dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you loved me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the hardest truth.<\/p>\n<p>Love had not prevented harm.<\/p>\n<p>It had often helped Edward justify it.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know what to do with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to know today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For once, Daniel appreciated the answer.<\/p>\n<p>His phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>Hospital line.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDisappointed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnna left something for Edward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>Edward frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t in the founder ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou kept another thing from us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt least consistency survives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe made me promise not to deliver it until Meridian was dissolved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked toward the city.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy Edward?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Anna believed he would try to disappear again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward looked away.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel noticed.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wanted to remove that option.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she leave?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA confession.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward went pale.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca answered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel held up a hand.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot about Anna\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHartwell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward looked toward the door.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca\u2019s voice softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnna recorded Edward admitting what he did before his staged death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe ordered attacks on three companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAttacks?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinancial sabotage. insurance manipulation. engineered defaults.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou did exactly what Hartwell later did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward whispered, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnna found proof.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she release it immediately?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause one of the companies employed twelve thousand people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>Consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Anna had been trying to expose crimes without destroying innocent lives.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe spent weeks separating evidence of Edward\u2019s actions from assets that would collapse if released badly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Edward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew she had it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs that why you wanted her investigation stopped?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There.<\/p>\n<p>Another motive.<\/p>\n<p>Not murder.<\/p>\n<p>Self-preservation.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt anger return.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were protecting yourself too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time you said Bellmont.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou meant yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnna believed Edward had to confess voluntarily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause if he didn\u2019t, you would spend the rest of your life wondering whether exposing him was betrayal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Anna had anticipated even that.<\/p>\n<p>The emotional trap.<\/p>\n<p>Family versus truth.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wanted Edward to choose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at his father.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward stared at the floor.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel asked Rebecca, \u201cWhere\u2019s the recording?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSend it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s patience thinned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnna\u2019s instruction was explicit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEdward hears it first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked toward him.<\/p>\n<p>Edward seemed suddenly older.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he hears it at Bellmont House.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnother circle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause that is where Edward signed the first Hartwell agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>The restaurant basement.<\/p>\n<p>Founder ledger.<\/p>\n<p>Everything returned there.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnna wanted the confession made where the structure began.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe always did love symbolism more than she admitted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill you go?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel waited.<\/p>\n<p>Finally:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bellmont House remained closed.<\/p>\n<p>Police still controlled the basement.<\/p>\n<p>By afternoon, Daniel and Edward returned.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca attended remotely from the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Richard came as counsel.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Reed stood outside.<\/p>\n<p>No reporters.<\/p>\n<p>No board.<\/p>\n<p>No audience except investigators recording the statement.<\/p>\n<p>They sat at a table near booth seventeen.<\/p>\n<p>Not in it.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had chosen another table deliberately.<\/p>\n<p>He did not want every important moment in his life swallowed by that booth.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca\u2019s face appeared on a tablet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou look terrible, Edward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled faintly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou always were kind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI learned from you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel said, \u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca did.<\/p>\n<p>Anna appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Different video.<\/p>\n<p>She sat in an office.<\/p>\n<p>Edward\u2019s voice could be heard off-camera.<\/p>\n<p>Anna said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSay it clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward answered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI authorized pressure against three Hartwell-linked companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCredit interference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInsurance challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Anna\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEdward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegulatory complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFalse?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared at his father.<\/p>\n<p>Edward did not look away from the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Anna continued:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know employees would lose jobs?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you care?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward on the recording went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Anna asked again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you care enough to stop?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The present Edward closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>The video continued.<\/p>\n<p>Anna:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou keep saying you\u2019re fighting Hartwell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are becoming it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Edward on the recording whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at his father.<\/p>\n<p>Present Edward began crying.<\/p>\n<p>Quietly.<\/p>\n<p>No performance.<\/p>\n<p>Anna continued:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen confess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel froze.<\/p>\n<p>Edward on the recording said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Daniel knows what I did, he\u2019ll lose faith in everything I built.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anna answered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe he should.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt the words settle.<\/p>\n<p>Edward\u2019s recording continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted him to inherit something clean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anna laughed softly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou cannot wash an inheritance by hiding the blood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The video ended.<\/p>\n<p>No one spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca\u2019s face remained on the tablet.<\/p>\n<p>Edward wiped his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel waited.<\/p>\n<p>Finally:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Edward looked toward the investigators.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>Edward began.<\/p>\n<p>Names.<\/p>\n<p>Dates.<\/p>\n<p>Companies.<\/p>\n<p>Orders.<\/p>\n<p>Payments.<\/p>\n<p>False complaints.<\/p>\n<p>Pressure campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>He confessed for forty-three minutes.<\/p>\n<p>No excuses.<\/p>\n<p>No strategic framing.<\/p>\n<p>When he finished, the lead investigator asked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you authorize any act intended to kill Anna Mercer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward looked toward Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>Then answered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know she might be harmed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you act adequately to prevent it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid your secrecy contribute to her death?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked down.<\/p>\n<p>That was not a legal confession to murder.<\/p>\n<p>It was something else.<\/p>\n<p>A father finally naming the harm created by control.<\/p>\n<p>The investigator ended the recording.<\/p>\n<p>Edward remained seated.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stood.<\/p>\n<p>Edward looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you leaving?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou face whatever follows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Edward\u2019s voice was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know I have no right to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill you let me see Sophie?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward looked up.<\/p>\n<p>That was more than he expected.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel left Bellmont House.<\/p>\n<p>Outside, his phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>A message from Richard.<\/p>\n<p>NATHAN FOUND.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n<p>ALIVE.<\/p>\n<p>Second message.<\/p>\n<p>Police location: Mercer shipping terminal.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n<p>Another message followed.<\/p>\n<p>He has Gregory.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel turned toward Marcus Reed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet the car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nathan had lost Continuity.<\/p>\n<p>Lost Cross.<\/p>\n<p>Lost the trust.<\/p>\n<p>Lost Meridian.<\/p>\n<p>Lost the archive.<\/p>\n<p>Now he had only one person left who knew the Mercer family from the inside and hated what it had done.<\/p>\n<p>Gregory Shaw.<\/p>\n<p>And Daniel knew desperate men often became most dangerous after everything they believed belonged to them was gone.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30659\">Click here to continue reading: PART 33: Nathan Took Gregory Back to the Mercer Shipping Terminal, Where the Family\u2019s Oldest Crime Finally Collided With Anna\u2019s Last Unfinished Case<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Police reached Cross\u2019s location eighteen minutes later. Too late for him. Julian Cross died beside the control terminal he had used to seize Sophie\u2019s trust. Nathan was gone. Again. Daniel &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30658"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30693,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30658\/revisions\/30693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}