Chapter 8 - The Crumbling Empire
The consequences arrived faster than anyone anticipated.
My father's real estate firm was built on public trust and clean corporate imagery.
By Wednesday, three major investors pulled out of their upcoming projects.
The firm's stock plummeted twenty percent in a single day.
Preston, who was the vice president of the company, became a toxic asset.
The board of directors held an emergency meeting.
They forced my father to terminate Preston's employment immediately.
Preston was out on bail, hiding in his penthouse.
But he was entirely alone.
His new bride, the woman he had tried so hard to impress, had packed her bags.
She filed for an annulment within forty-eight hours of the wedding.
She cited extreme fraud and emotional distress.
She even went on a morning talk show to clear her own name.
She cried on national television, saying she had no idea she married a monster.
My mother tried to do damage control.
She hired an expensive PR firm.
The PR firm quit after twenty-four hours because the public backlash was too severe.
May you like
The golden family was tarnished forever.
And they had done it completely to themselves.
