An old warehouse supervisor whispered:
“Noah?”
My brother smiled.
“Morning.”
Then everyone started talking at once.
Some cried.
Some hugged him.
I stood near the elevators.
Noah looked at me.
“Still angry?”
“Yes.”
“Reasonable.”
“How long will you ask?”
“Until the answer changes.”
“It won’t soon.”
He nodded.
“Also reasonable.”
Mercer Holdings survived.
Barely at first.
Then steadily.
We sold several unnecessary assets.
Rebuilt compliance.
Removed anyone tied to Adrian’s network.
Most importantly, we kept the Evermere River terminal.
The property Adrian had tried to hand to his father became the center of our recovery plan.
My health improved more slowly.
The dizziness faded.
Then the heart palpitations.
Sleep returned.
One morning I realized I had gone several days without waking exhausted.
I cried while brushing my teeth.
The human body is strange.
You can survive a river, attempted fraud, betrayal and criminal trials.
Then cry because you finally wake up feeling normal.
I sold the house Adrian and I shared.
I could not stand the kitchen.
