Chapter 8 - ASHES OF AN EMPIRE
The fallout was catastrophic and complete. The courtroom had not been sealed. Reporters had caught wind of the billionaire custody battle, and by Friday morning, the truth was front-page news.
The eighteen-second video was leaked—not by me, but by the teenager, Maya, who had grown disgusted by the smear campaign against me and posted it to her social media. It went viral in hours.
Rebecca became a national pariah. Her country club friends abandoned her. Brad divorced her in a desperate attempt to salvage his ruined career, taking Sophie and moving to another state.
My parents, unable to pay their called-in debts and universally shunned by their social circle, were forced into bankruptcy. They packed up their belongings in a rented moving truck in the dead of night, fleeing the city in disgrace.
They came to my gates one last time before they left. I stood on the other side of the wrought iron bars, watching them beg in the rain. My mother was weeping, clutching the bars.
"Daniel, please! We have nothing! We're your blood!"
May you like
"My blood," I said softly, "is upstairs, sleeping safely in her bed. You are just strangers who used to know me."
I turned my back and walked up the long driveway, leaving them in the dark.
