“Inside that binder,” Arthur continued, pointing a steady finger at the heavy stack of paper, “is the formal notice of foreclosure on your mother’s luxury condo, executed by my holding company. Below that is the complete, legal seizure of your bankrupt, fraudulent tech startup, executed due to your breach of the morality clause regarding domestic violence.”
Beatrice gasped, a horrific, choking sound of pure despair, clutching her chest as she realized she was officially, completely homeless.
“And at the very bottom of that stack,” Arthur concluded, delivering the final, fatal blow, “is an expedited, fault-based divorce petition, filed this morning on behalf of my daughter, citing extreme emotional and physical abuse, accompanied by the hospital security footage of the assault.”
Mark stumbled backward, his knees visibly buckling under the crushing, catastrophic weight of his absolute ruin. He had lost his company, his wealth, his marriage, and his mother’s home in less than twenty-four hours.
“You can’t do this!” Mark begged, dropping to his knees on the hard marble floor of the hospital lobby, weeping openly in front of dozens of staring strangers. The arrogant, dismissive gamer who couldn’t be bothered to look up from his phone yesterday was completely, utterly annihilated. He reached out, his hands trembling. “I’m the father of that child! I have rights! Please, Arthur, I’ll do anything! I’ll go to rehab! I’ll be a better husband!”
Arthur looked down at the pathetic, sobbing man on the floor. His eyes were devoid of any mercy, pity, or forgiveness.
“You wanted to save money to top up your video game, Mark?” Arthur asked, a cold, dark, terrifyingly satisfied smile touching his lips.
Arthur turned his back on the weeping abuser.
“Congratulations,” Arthur whispered over his shoulder as he walked away. “You now have plenty of free time to play. But you will never, ever see my daughter or my grandchild again.”
As Beatrice wailed hysterically, dropping to the floor beside her ruined son, the two massive security guards stepped forward, grabbed Mark by his arms, and roughly, physically dragged the sobbing, bankrupt gamer out through the sliding glass doors, throwing him onto the sidewalk like the garbage he truly was.
