The Thorne Heiress Unveiling Shadow novel Chapter 24

From his vantage point on the balcony, Kaelen Blackwood observed the entire fiasco with a cold, detached amusement. He watched as Aria was publicly dismantled, not by a physical blow, but by the quiet, surgical words of an expert. He saw the digital fallout begin in real-time as he scrolled through the trending #SuttonSuperfake hashtag on his own phone, a small, cruel smile touching his lips.

He saw the panic in Richard Sutton's eyes and the theatrical swoon of Caroline. He saw Aria, abandoned and exposed, looking like a broken doll in her now-infamous dress.

This, he realized, was the perfect moment. The moment of maximum leverage he had been waiting for. The Suttons were not just wounded; they were mortally wounded, their social standing bleeding out on the floor of the Met. It was time to deliver the final, killing blow.

He placed his empty whiskey glass on a passing waiter's tray and straightened his tuxedo jacket. With a quiet word to Marcus, who nodded once in understanding, Kaelen descended the private staircase to the main floor.

The crowd parted for him as he moved, the whispers and laughter dying down in his presence. He walked with an unhurried, predatory grace, his destination the small stage at the front of the hall where the foundation's chairman was about to give a speech.

He ascended the steps and took the microphone from the startled chairman.

"Good evening," Kaelen's voice, amplified by the speakers, washed over the room, instantly commanding absolute silence. "As a proud sponsor of the Children's Foundation, I want to thank you all for your generosity tonight."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the sea of expectant faces. He saw the Suttons, huddled together, looking up at him with a desperate, pathetic glimmer of hope. Perhaps he was going to defend them, to dismiss the rumors.

Another wave of shock rolled through the room. He was bankrupting them.

"Furthermore," Kaelen concluded, his voice utterly devoid of emotion, "any personal agreements, including the previously discussed engagement contract, are hereby terminated, effective immediately. The Blackwood family will not be associated with falsehood."

He placed the microphone back on the stand and descended the stage. For a moment, there was absolute, profound silence. Then, chaos erupted. The camera flashes were no longer polite; they were like machine-gun fire, all aimed at the Sutton family. Caroline let out a strangled shriek and collapsed into a nearby chair, fanning herself dramatically. Richard Sutton's face went from red with anger to a terrifying, ashen grey as the full weight of Kaelen's words hit him. This wasn't just social ruin; it was financial annihilation. Their company was heavily leveraged, and without the Blackwood partnership, their creditors would descend like vultures.

Aria was the epicenter of the storm. "No," she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "No, he can't." She turned to her father, her eyes wild with panic. "Daddy, do something! Tell him he can't!" But her father was staring into space, his empire crumbling before his eyes. Aria then tried to push through the crowd of reporters, her hands outstretched towards Kaelen's departing back. "Kaelen, wait! It's a mistake! Please!" But Marcus and two imposing security guards moved to block her path, forming an impassive human wall. She was nothing to them now. The surrounding guests, who had been courting the Suttons just an hour before, now turned their backs, whispering to each other with expressions of pity and morbid fascination. It was a brutal, ruthlessly efficient public execution, and the Suttons were left to bleed out on the floor as Kaelen walked away without a second glance.