Chapter 6 - The Unraveling
"You can't do this!" Ethan shrieked, lose of all control as Sabrina desperately pulled on his arm, trying to get him to stop making a scene in front of the press. "Those are my children! I am their biological father!"
"Is that so?" Claire stepped forward, her voice ringing clear and strong through the ballroom. "When I was lying in a pool of my own blood on a city bus, where were you, Ethan? You were on a private jet to Los Angeles with your mistress. When the doctor said my babies might not survive the night, where were you? You were posting photos on Instagram from a yacht in Malibu."
She gestured toward Alexander. "This man—a stranger—paid my medical bills. He stood by my bed for two months. He protected my life while you were busy trying to erase me. You lost any right to call yourself a father the second you stepped out of that conference room."
The crowd broke into quiet applause. Several major bank directors who had been talking to Ethan earlier quietly stepped away, shaking their heads in disgust and canceling their scheduled private meetings with him on the spot.
"You're crazy!" Ethan gasped, turning to his financial advisors who were standing nearby with pale faces. "Call the lawyers! We're suing her for fraud! We're suing Vance!"
"I wouldn't advise that, Mr. Mercer," a voice spoke up from behind Alexander.
Marcus, Alexander’s chief legal advisor, stepped forward and handed Ethan a thick blue dossier.
"What is this?" Ethan demanded, his hands trembling.
"That is a formal notice of corporate foreclosure," Marcus explained with a cold smile. "As of four o'clock this afternoon, Vance Enterprises purchased eighty-five percent of Mercer Global's defaulted debt from the Central Bank. You no longer own your company, Mr. Mercer. You are officially insolvent."
Ethan dropped the folder. Pages fluttered onto the marble floor, showing glaring red numbers and foreclosure stamps.
"No... no, no, no!" Ethan stammered, falling back against a marble pillar. "My company... my father built that company!"
"And you destroyed it for a superficial illusion," Alexander said coldly, wrapping a protective arm around Claire’s waist. "Security, please escort Mr. Mercer and his associate out of the building. They are trespassing."
Four massive security guards stepped forward, grabbing Ethan and Sabrina by their arms.
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"Let go of me! Do you know who I am?!" Sabrina screamed as her designer dress was rumpled in the scuffle. "Ethan, do something!"
Ethan didn't speak. He was dragged across the shining floor, his eyes fixed on Claire. She didn't even watch him leave. She was looking up at Alexander, her face filled with peace and a quiet, glowing joy.
