Chapter 570:
“Too late,” Henderson whispered, looking at his own phone. “The SEC just flagged the volume. They froze it. And… oh god. They know it was you. The timestamps…”
Matriarch Sullivan clutched her pearls. “This isn’t business. This is an execution.”
Thorne Industries. The Executive Office.
The room was silent except for the hum of the servers. Elias stood before a wall of monitors. One screen showed the Sullivan stock price plummeting—a red line diving off a cliff before flatlining into the gray of a suspension. Another showed the live feed of the panicked activity outside the Sullivan headquarters.
“Sir,” Tina said from her desk. “Sullivan stock has hit the circuit breaker. Trading is halted. And we have confirmation: Spencer Sullivan liquidated forty percent of his holdings three minutes before the halt.”
“Good,” Elias said. His voice was devoid of emotion. “Send the transaction logs to the SEC enforcement division. Let them know we suspect insider trading.”
“Keep the pressure on. Contact the secondary lenders. Tell them if they refinance the Sullivans, Thorne Industries will pull all deposits from their institutions.”
“Already done,” Tina said. “Also… Duke William is on line one. Video.”
Elias turned to his desk and tapped the screen.
The face of Duke William Windsor filled the monitor. He was sitting in his office in Valois, a glass of wine in his hand. He looked amused.
“Elias,” William drawled. “I hear there’s a fire sale in New York? Spencer Sullivan? Really? The man has the charisma of a damp sponge.”
“He overstepped,” Elias said simply.
“I saw the photos,” William laughed. “Aurora’s grandmother has a good arm. But listen, do you need me to twist the knife? The Sullivan family has some assets in Europe. A vineyard in Bordeaux, I believe. I could have the health inspectors find… oh, I don’t know… a rare beetle infestation?”
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“No need,” Elias said. “Stay out of it, William. This is personal.”
William’s smile faded slightly. “You’re enjoying this too much. Be careful, Elias. Wrath is a sin.”
“And coveting your neighbor’s wife is also a sin,” Elias shot back, his eyes narrowing.
William held up his hands in surrender. “Touché. But seriously. Treat her well. Or I won’t just send inspectors; I’ll come myself.”
“You won’t have the chance,” Elias said, and cut the connection.
He looked back at the red line on the screen. It wasn’t enough. Money was one thing. But Spencer had insulted Aurora’s dignity. He had called her “damaged.”
Elias picked up his jacket.
“Tina, cancel my afternoon meetings.”
“Where are you going, sir?”
“To teach a lesson that a balance sheet can’t,” Elias said, walking out the door.
Back at the Sullivan Manor, Spencer was pacing in circles, muttering. “It’s a bluff. It has to be. Elias is a businessman. He won’t throw away millions just to make a point.”
“He just did,” Matriarch Sullivan moaned.
“No,” Spencer stopped. A manic light entered his eyes. “We just need to talk to Aurora. If she apologizes… if she begs Elias to stop… he’ll listen to her. She’s the weakness.”
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