Chapter 7 - Public Reckoning
The fallout from Khloe’s press conference was swift and catastrophic for the Rossi family.
Within four hours of the unedited footage going viral, the Rossi Maritime stock crashed by sixty-five percent. Board members panicked, resigning en masse, while international shipping clients canceled their contracts to avoid being associated with the scandal.
Victor Rossi sat alone in his pent-house office overlooking Wall Street, watching his life's work disintegrate on live television. His phone rang endlessly, filled with messages from bank executives demanding immediate repayment of loans.
Suddenly, the door to his office was pushed open. Marcus Thorne walked in, unannounced, accompanied by two financial attorneys carrying leather folders.
Victor looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his suit rumpled. "You... you ruined me, Marcus," Victor rasped, his voice trembling with defeated rage. "You destroyed my family name."
"No, Victor," Marcus said calmly, taking a seat across from him and crossing one leg over the other. "Your daughter destroyed your family name, and you enabled her narcissism until it consumed you both."
Marcus gestured to his lead attorney, who slid a thick document across the mahogany desk.
"What is this?" Victor asked numbly.
"That is a complete takeover agreement," Marcus replied. "Thorne Enterprises has purchased eighty-two percent of Rossi Maritime’s distressed debt from your creditors. You are officially bankrupt, Victor. You no longer own this building, you no longer own your fleet, and you no longer own your family's estate in the Hamptons."
Victor gasped, clutching his chest as if he had been struck by a physical blow. "You're taking everything...?"
"I am leaving you with enough money to pay your legal defense fees for the upcoming federal wire fraud trial," Marcus said coldly, standing up. "And not a single penny more. You and Isabella thought you could hunt my wife because she came from a humble background. You thought she had no power. But you forgot that when she married me, my power became hers."
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Marcus leaned down, resting both hands on Victor’s desk, locking eyes with the broken billionaire. "If I ever hear your family’s name mentioned near my wife or child again, Victor, I won't just take your wealth. I will make sure you spend the rest of your natural life in a federal penitentiary alongside your daughter."
Without waiting for a response, Marcus turned and walked out of the office, leaving Victor Rossi sitting in total, silent ruin.
