Chapter 12 - The Reckoning Unleashed
By seven o'clock the following morning, the financial world woke up to a seismic shift.
News of the incident at the Arden Gala had leaked to the press, complete with photos of Daniel Hale standing over his bleeding child and shielding Celeste Arden.
The public outcry was swift and merciless.
Hale Logistics stock plummeted forty percent within thirty minutes of the market opening.
Major clients terminated their service contracts one by one, citing severe reputational risk and moral failure.
Inside the high-rise corporate headquarters of Hale Logistics, Daniel sat at his massive mahogany desk, staring at three black screens.
His phone rang continuously—investors, reporters, board members, and lawyers all demanding answers he couldn't give.
The heavy glass doors of his office swung open.
Four process servers entered, followed by two armed federal marshals and Charles Whitmore’s chief legal counsel, Arthur Vance.
Arthur set a thick stack of legal documents onto the desk.
"Daniel Hale," Arthur declared formally. "You have been served with a temporary emergency restraining order prohibiting you from coming within five hundred feet of Nora Whitmore-Hale and Lucy Hale."
Daniel stood up, his eyes wild with anger and sleep deprivation.
"This is ridiculous! I am her husband! I have rights to my daughter!"
"You relinquished those rights the moment you assaulted her mother and abandoned her on a ballroom floor," Arthur replied calmly.
May you like
He slid a second document forward.
"This is the immediate revocation of your executive authority. By order of the board, your access credentials have been deactivated. You have ten minutes to clear your personal belongings under marshal supervision."
