Chapter 5 - The Competency Hearing
The heavy oak doors of the judge’s private chambers slammed shut, sealing us inside.
My father refused to look at me, staring straight ahead with the rigid posture of a man who believed he was completely untouchable.
My mother sat beside him, weeping softly into a tissue, while Claire held her hand and glared at me with pure venom.
Sitting across from them was Mr. Sterling, the arrogant family lawyer, who was organizing a massive stack of medical documents.
"Your Honor, this is a clear-cut tragic case," Mr. Sterling began, addressing the exhausted-looking judge.
"Nora Mercer has suffered from severe delusions and aggressive paranoia for years, culminating in her estrangement from her loving family."
Mr. Sterling handed a shiny flash drive to the bailiff.
"We have video evidence from her sister, Claire, detailing Nora's erratic behavior, as well as sworn affidavits from extended family members."
"She is now hallucinating that she owns the family business and is actively trying to destroy her father's legitimate corporate merger."
The judge adjusted his reading glasses and looked over at me and Ethan.
"Ms. Mercer, these are very serious allegations," the judge said sternly.
"Do you have any actual medical evidence to refute this claim of mental incompetence?"
I slowly unclasped my leather briefcase and pulled out a single, heavily sealed manila envelope.
"I do not need to prove my own sanity today, Your Honor," I said, sliding the envelope across the heavy wooden desk.
"I only need to prove why my late grandfather explicitly bypassed my father in the trust agreement."
My father finally snapped his head toward me, his eyes widening in sudden, unmasked panic.
"Do not let her show you that!" my father yelled, half-rising from his chair.
"Sit down, Mr. Mercer, or I will hold you in contempt," the judge barked, slicing open the seal.
I looked directly into my father's terrified eyes.
"That envelope contains my grandfather's private medical logs and a verified psychiatric evaluation from three years ago," I explained clearly.
"It formally diagnoses my father with severe narcissistic personality disorder and early-onset dementia."
The room fell into an absolute, suffocating silence.
"My grandfather knew my father was mentally unfit to run Blackridge Holdings," I continued, my voice steady and unyielding.
"He also knew my father had secretly gambled away millions of the company's liquid assets."
"That is the real reason the shares defaulted to me, and it is the real reason my father is desperately trying to sell the company to Vanguard."
Claire let out a dramatic gasp, dropping her mother's hand.
"Dad, is this true?" Claire demanded, realizing her golden-child inheritance was entirely gone.
The judge finished reading the document and slowly took off his glasses, looking at Mr. Sterling.
"Counselor, did you know your client was medically compromised when you drafted this fraudulent merger?" the judge asked dangerously.
Mr. Sterling did not look panicked at all; instead, he calmly closed his legal briefcase.
"Yes, Your Honor, I was fully aware," Mr. Sterling replied in a shockingly normal voice.
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He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gold federal badge, slapping it onto the table.
"I am a Special Agent with the FBI, and this entire family is under federal investigation."
