A Mr. Peterson, whose hedge fund managed a sizable portion of the Apex pension fund, was now frantically texting his partners, trying to perform damage control for his catastrophic error in judgment of being present. The rats were abandoning the sinking ship. Major donors who had been flattering the Vancrofts all evening suddenly couldn't recall their names. Business partners who had been planning future deals now melted into the shadows and out the door.
The penthouse began to empty with astonishing speed as person after person fled the disaster they had helped create. But the damage was already viral. Guests who had live streamed the humiliation now found their videos being screen captured and shared with a very different context. The hashtags were already exploding on Twitter. Vancroft racism, billion-dollar bigotry, the cost of cruelty.
Blair, who had orchestrated Alani's fall with such glee, was now sobbing in a corner, her perfect makeup running down her face in black streaks. Daddy, what's happening? She wailed, clutching at his arm. Why is everyone leaving? What does this mean for us?
Harrison looked at his daughter, the princess he had spoiled and protected her entire life, with eyes that were hollowed out by despair. "We're finished, sweetie," he whispered, his voice. "That merger, it wasn't just a deal. It was our lifeline. Without it, we lose everything.
The company, this house, the cars, all of it. The words didn't compute for Blair. In her world, consequences were for other people. But we're the Vancrofts, she protested as if the name itself was a magic shield. We're rich.
This can't be happening. It was happening in real time because of a choice she had made. Carter, who had so proudly recorded Alani's humiliation, was now desperately trying to delete the evidence from his phone. But it was far too late. The video was already everywhere.
His sneering, laughing face was already becoming the symbol of entitled racist arrogance. Eleanor, who had been frozen in stunned silence, suddenly snapped back to life with a shriek. She rushed toward Alani, a wild cornered look in her eyes. You can't do this. You can't destroy our entire family over a simple misunderstanding.
She screamed. One bad night. It can't erase a century of work. We made a mistake. But the punishment, it doesn't fit the crime.