Chapter 65 The Fall of the Jank Empire and the Final Choice
Chapter 65 The Fall of the Jank Empire and the Final Choice
Chapter 65.
The Fall of the Jank Empire and the Final Choice
The silence in the Executive Lounge is more deafening than Arthur’s shout. The broken phone on the marble floor is the only physical evidence of the demolition that just occurred. Lucas, paralyzed by the image of his life exposed, blinks heavily.
“What in God’s name is this, Lucas!”
Arthur approaches his nephew, his eyes bloodshot. It is not just moral fury; it is the magnate's panic at seeing billions of dollars evaporate.
Lucas finally reacts, trying to regain his role as COO. “Uncle, please, this is a setup. It’s a misunderstanding. The photos are taken out of context, they are… they are old enemies trying to sabotage the presentation.”
The words sound hollow, even to him. The photographs speak for themselves: the kiss on the doorstep is too real, too intimate.
The directors rise from their seats, nervously whispering, serpentine gossips who have exchanged loyalty for survival. Six of them are already sending emails to their lawyers and advisors.
Carolina, with a theatrical mastery worthy of the best actress, approaches Lucas. Her eyes fill with crocodile tears and her voice trembles, but her posture is strategically visible to everyone. “Lucas, my love… what is this? Please tell me it’s a lie. They know I love you, Lucas. They are attacking you because of our wedding,” she sobs, attempting to wrap the situation in a narrative of marital heroism.
While Carolina positions herself as the noble victim defending her man, Arthur’s fury redirects. He approaches Alicia, who stands firm next to the podium, her serenity broken by a total comprehension of the disaster.
“And you! You disgrace! After that brilliant presentation, you come to throw mud at this name, at this legacy! I gave you a home, I gave you a life!” Arthur verbally attacks her, his voice hoarse. “Forbidden relationship! An incestuous relationship? This is the end, not just for you, but for everyone!”
Lucas immediately interposes himself, his protective instinct overriding the terror. “Don’t talk to her like that, Arthur! She is not to blame. If anyone is going to take responsibility, it’s me!”
He grabs Alicia’s arm. “Let’s get out of here. This is no longer ours.”
But it is already too late. The news is all over social media. The traffic of the portal that launched it has crashed servers. The headline “The truth comes to light: the forbidden relationship between businessman Lucas Jank and his niece, Alicia Jank” is a global trending topic.
The Press Siege
As they try to leave the penthouse, they realize the chaos is not just internal.
The building entrance hall is besieged. There are hundreds of journalists, photographers, and television cameras, a human tide that has broken through the security barriers. Lucas, Gael (the head of security), and Alicia manage to reach the private elevators, but the experience is a nightmare of blinding flashes and invasive shouts.
“Mr. Jank! Do you confirm you are leaving your fiancée for your niece?”
“Miss Jank! Do you feel remorse for betraying your uncle and his fiancée?”
“Lucas! Is it true that Carolina was aware of the forbidden relationship?”
Lucas pushes, protecting Alicia with his own body. The image of the two of them leaving the building, besieged and disheveled, becomes the new cover of infamy, visually confirming the scandal.
The Corporate Fall
Upon reaching the mansion, the scene is worse than at the office. Journalists wait, their cars blocking the entrance. The house is a chaos of guards trying to control the crowd.
Meanwhile, in the public sphere, Carolina plays the victim in the media. In an emergency statement, recorded in the penthouse shortly after Lucas and Alicia left, Carolina, her eyes filled with “pain,” declares that she cannot believe the betrayal, but that she unconditionally loves Lucas and begs the public not to judge him. She presents herself as the good one, the strong woman trying to save her fiancé from the manipulation of a misguided young woman, deflecting the blame from Lucas.
On social media, the defamation against Alicia and Lucas is brutal. The pressure is so great that Lucas, accustomed to controlling every facet of his life, cannot control the situation. Jank Corporation shares plummet, dragging down investments and contracts with them.
Hours later, the final blow arrives. Arthur Jank, under pressure from the board of directors and market panic, issues an executive order.
Arthur removes Lucas from the company presidency. To ensure stability, or at least give the appearance of control, he puts Carolina as the interim replacement. The woman, who minutes before was feigning pain, now takes the helm of the empire.
Lucas feels castrated, stripped of his legacy. Alicia, in the living room, hears the news and cries inconsolably.
“This is not how I hoped things would go,” she sobs, curled up on the sofa. In an instant, she went from having everything—Lucas’s love, professional recognition—to having nothing, turned into the center of a media circus, a corporate pariah.
Lucas finds her and kneels before her, trying to instill some of his former strength.
“Listen, we have to act. We’ll hold an emergency press conference tomorrow. We’ll deny everything. We’ll say she’s suffered a breakdown, that she’s resentful about the wedding. I’ll manage it.”
Alicia raises her head, her reddened eyes shining with a hint of rage and truth.
“No, why deny it,” Alicia exclaims, her voice broken but firm. “Let them find out about our relationship once and for all. Let the whole world know! Isn't this what we wanted, Lucas? Sooner or later they were going to find out. Why deny ourselves, why deny each other?”
Lucas stands up, his face grim. “You don't understand, Alicia! This is a financial disaster. The plan was to marry Carolina, gain total control of the shares, and then annul the marriage and make our relationship public. This will ruin our plans! He’s removed me. Now Carolina has the power!”
The emotional, corporate, and media chaos collide in their apartment. Lucas is in survival mode, trying to save the empire so he can have Alicia. She, on the other hand, only wants the truth, even if the truth is a wasteland.
In the midst of the confusion, Lucas’s phone rings with an urgency that brooks no denial. It is the family doctor.
Arthur Jank has suffered an acute heart attack due to the stress of the news. He is at the hospital.
Lucas races there. He arrives at the ICU. Arthur, connected to a series of machines, looks small, fragile, almost unrecognizable. He has few hours left.
The old magnate makes an effort to speak, his voice a rough whisper. The doctor leaves the room, giving privacy to the final moment.
“You were… you were like my son, Lucas,” Arthur says, a solitary tear tracing his temple. “Lucas, how… how could you do something like this? Disgrace.”