Chapter 13 - The Plot Thickens
Just when it seemed the conspiracy was fully understood, a new twist surfaced during the pre-trial investigation. Dana Brooks called an urgent meeting at Michael's private estate in La Jolla, inviting Mateo and Rafael to attend.
Sitting around a large glass conference table in Michael's study, Dana displayed a complex financial flowchart on a large digital screen.
"We dug deeper into Daniel Mercer's offshore accounts," Dana explained, pointing to a series of red lines connecting shell companies in Europe. "The ten million dollars promised to Mercer wasn't coming from Julianna's funds."
Michael frowned. "What do you mean? Where was it coming from?"
"A rival defense contractor based in Zurich—Ares Global," Dana revealed. "Mercer wasn't just helping Julianna steal your estate. He was selling Vance Aerospace's ion-engine blueprints to Ares. The push off the yacht was timed specifically so Ares could launch a hostile takeover of your board during the chaos following your death."
Mateo leaned forward, staring at the screen. "So... Julianna was being lied to, too?"
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"She thought she was the mastermind," Dana said with a cold smile. "In reality, Mercer and Ares Global were going to frame her for your murder, let her go to prison, and take control of your aerospace company themselves."
Michael looked at Rafael and shook his head. "They calculated every corporate angle, but they forgot that a young boy with a conscience could ruin their entire plan."
