Chapter 4 - THE ASHES OF BLACKTHORNEThe cathedral descended into absolute pandemonium.
Undercover reporters disguised as mourners—tipped off by my automated press release hitting wire services the exact millisecond I pressed the remote—flashed cameras blindingly from the back pews. Microphones thrust forward into the aisle.
"Mr. Mercer! Is Blackthorne Capital filing for emergency bankruptcy?" "Mara Mercer! Is it true you engineered the short squeeze?"
Damian’s phone buzzed incessantly in his pocket, a relentless death rattle of margin calls, investor panic, and regulatory freeze notices from the SEC. His massive financial empire, built on ruthless intimidation and aggressive takeovers, had collapsed in less than five minutes.
"You're ruined," Damian whispered, staring at the floor, his Italian shoes now stained with spilled lily pollen and crushed plastic. "You took everything from me."
"I didn't take anything, Damian," I replied softly, stepping close enough for only him to hear. "I simply stopped protecting you from yourself. Grandfather gave you a long rope. You chose to hang yourself with it."
Aunt Celeste rushed past the guards, throwing herself at my feet, sobbing hysterically. "Mara! Sweetheart! Please! We're family! Think of all the Christmases, the dinners—tell Sterling this is a joke. Call off your algorithms!"
I looked down at my aunt, remembering how she had watched me choke on the marble floor just minutes earlier, whispering “Don’t embarrass us today.”
"Where was your family loyalty when you watched me suffocate?" I asked quietly.
Celeste choked on her words, her face turning chalk-white as she realized there was no mercy left in my heart.
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Sterling signaled the guards. "Escort Mr. Mercer and his mother off the premises. Federal marshals are waiting outside to serve Damian with an arrest warrant for insider trading and corporate espionage."
As the guards dragged Damian away—his designer suit wrinkled, his expensive shoes scuffed, and his billionaire status reduced to ash—the heavy oak cathedral doors slammed shut behind him.
