Chapter 5 - The Confrontation at the Estate Gates
The black sedan turned off the suburban highway, passing through two tall, wrought-iron security gates onto the winding, tree-lined driveway of the Mercer estate in Long Island.
The estate was a monumental stone manor built in the 1920s, surrounded by manicured lawns, marble statues, and manicured hedges overlooking the Sound. It was the epicenter of the Mercer family’s wealth—and the place where Beatrice Mercer had established her headquarters since Liam's passing.
As the car came to a stop at the bottom of the grand stone entrance steps, fifty-nine-year-old Beatrice Mercer was already standing on the top landing.
Elegantly dressed in a crisp, expensive cream-colored designer skirt suit with pearl earrings and styled blonde hair, Beatrice stood with her hands folded neatly in front of her, a smug, triumphant smile playing across her lips. She believed the black sedan was bringing Raymond back from a canceled morning meeting so she could present him with the "voluntary departure" papers signed by Elena.
The rear door of the sedan swung open.
Elena stepped out onto the gravel driveway, still holding four-year-old Leo in her arms, her worn brown boots hitting the stone path.
The smug, arrogant smile vanished instantly from Beatrice’s face.
Her eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated shock as she stared down at the widow she thought was currently sitting on an international flight over the Atlantic.
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"Elena...?" Beatrice gasped softly, her voice wavering as she took a instinctive half-step backward on the top stone step.
Before Beatrice could process the situation, the front passenger door opened, and Raymond Mercer stepped out onto the driveway.
