Chapter 5 - The Ashes of Blackthorn
The agents began dragging Nathan and Celeste toward the massive double doors of Blackthorn Manor.
Nathan thrusted his weight backward, trying desperately to break free, his eyes wild as he stared at me one last time.
"Elena! Please!" he sobbed, his voice echoing pathetically down the long, empty driveway.
"Don't do this! I love you! I was wrong! We can rebuild! I'll give you everything!"
I didn't answer.
I turned my back on him, walking slowly toward the rear entrance where my father's private medical transport was waiting.
As we stepped outside into the cool night air, the sky was lit with the flashing red lights of twenty emergency vehicles.
Federal agents were lining the perimeter, placing evidence seals on the gates, the garage, and the grand stone entrance.
The estate that Nathan and I had rebuilt—the mansion he believed was the ultimate symbol of his supreme power—was now nothing more than a crime scene.
My father opened the door to the armored medical vehicle, helping me gently onto the pristine white leather seat inside.
Two private medical specialists immediately began prepping sterile dressings and pain medication for my back.
Before my father stepped in beside me, he turned back to look at the towering stone facade of Blackthorn Manor.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small silver satellite phone, and placed a single brief call.
"Seize the physical property of Blackthorn Manor under the Asset Forfeiture Act," my father instructed calmly into the line.
"Demolish the main house by sunrise tomorrow."
"Leave nothing standing."
He hung up the phone, stepped into the vehicle, and closed the heavy door behind him.
The engine roared to life, and as we drove through the iron gates for the final time, I looked out the dark tinted window.
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Behind us, Nathan Ashford was being shoved into the back of a black federal van, his wrists bound in iron, his empire reduced to dust, and his name erased forever.
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