Chapter 3: Two Hundred Marks
Chapter 3: Two Hundred Marks
No one slept that night.
The grand hall of Blackthorn Manor had become something entirely different from the place where Nathan had humiliated me only an hour earlier.
The chandelier still glittered overhead.
The marble floor still reflected every light.
But now it was crowded with trauma surgeons, forensic specialists, attorneys, and security personnel moving with quiet precision.
The braided riding whip lay inside a transparent evidence bag.
Every drop of blood had been photographed.
Every footprint had been documented.
Every word spoken inside the hall had already been copied into secure evidence servers on three different continents.
Nathan stood near the fireplace, his expensive suit stained with sweat.
He watched strangers walk through what he still believed was his home.
No one asked his permission.
No one even acknowledged him.
His phone rang again.
And again.
And again.
He ignored every call.
Across the room, Celeste wrapped her arms around herself.
The confidence she had worn all evening was gone.
She had changed into a silk robe after accidentally spilling champagne on her dress during the chaos.
Even now, she tried to maintain the image of elegance.
But fear had a way of exposing the truth beneath expensive clothes.
She walked toward Richard Ashcroft with forced composure.
"Mr. Ashcroft..."
"I know emotions are running high."
"But surely reasonable people can settle this privately."
Richard didn't even look up from the medical report in his hands.
"I wasn't speaking about your daughter."
Celeste smiled awkwardly.
"I meant Evelyn."
Richard finally raised his eyes.
"You don't have the right to speak her name."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Celeste's smile disappeared.
Nathan immediately stepped beside her.
"This is becoming ridiculous."
"My wife and I had a domestic dispute."
"That doesn't give you the right to invade my property."
Richard slowly folded the medical report.
"Your property?"
Nathan frowned.
"Yes."
Richard looked toward Marcus.
"Show him."
Marcus tapped his tablet.
A digital copy of the property's ownership documents appeared on the enormous television mounted above the fireplace.
Nathan stared at the screen.
BLACKTHORN MANOR
Registered Owner:
ASHCROFT FAMILY TRUST
Long-Term Residential Beneficiary:
EVELYN ASHCROFT
Nathan blinked.
"No..."
"That's impossible."
"I bought this estate."
Marcus calmly opened another file.
"The down payment."
"The renovation costs."
"The land taxes."
"The architectural contracts."
"Every dollar originated from the Ashcroft Family Trust."
Nathan laughed nervously.
"Those records are fake."
Marcus swiped again.
Bank statements.
Wire transfers.
Legal filings.
Construction invoices.
Insurance policies.
Every document carried official verification seals.
Richard spoke quietly.
"When you proposed to my daughter..."
"You had outstanding debts exceeding twelve million dollars."
Nathan's face lost color.
"How do you know that?"
"I paid them."
Silence.
Richard continued.
"The company you claimed was growing..."
"Was thirty-seven days away from bankruptcy."
"I purchased your creditors."
"I refinanced your loans."
"I prevented your suppliers from suing you."
Nathan looked as though the floor had vanished beneath his feet.
"You..."
Richard nodded.
"I wanted to see what kind of husband gratitude would create."
He looked directly into Nathan's eyes.
"You chose arrogance instead."
Across the room, one of the forensic investigators approached Marcus.
"Sir."
"We're ready."
Marcus nodded.
"Begin."
The lights dimmed.
A projector activated.
Richard looked at Nathan.
"I want you to watch carefully."
The first image appeared.
My back.
Fresh wounds.
The doctor had carefully numbered each lash mark with removable medical ink.
One.
Two.
Three.
By the time the numbers reached fifty...
Nathan's breathing became uneven.
At one hundred...
Even several members of his own household staff quietly wiped tears from their faces.
At one hundred fifty...
The flesh across my shoulders no longer resembled skin.
At two hundred...
The room fell completely silent.
The chief forensic physician stepped forward.
"In my twenty-eight years of practice..."
"I have documented victims of organized crime."
"Kidnappings."
"Torture."
"Military conflicts."
He paused.
"I have never seen injuries like these inflicted inside a private residence by a legal spouse."
Nathan lowered his head.
Richard asked only one question.
"Will she recover?"
The doctor answered honestly.
"Physically?"
"Yes."
"There will be permanent scars."
He hesitated.
"Emotionally..."
"I'm less certain."
Richard closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again, there was no sorrow left.
Only judgment.
Marcus received another message through his earpiece.
He walked toward Richard.
"The financial team has completed the preliminary review."
Richard nodded.
"Report."
Marcus opened another file.
"We've identified twenty-three shell companies connected to Ashford Global."
"Nine offshore accounts."
"Thirty-eight fraudulent supplier contracts."
"Eighteen million dollars in suspected money laundering."
Nathan exploded.
"Those are business structures!"
"You don't understand international logistics!"
Marcus looked at him without emotion.
"I understand financial crime."
Nathan pointed toward me.
"She stole those documents!"
I finally spoke.
"No."
"I made copies."
"For eight months."
Nathan stared at me.
"You betrayed me."
I almost smiled.
"You stopped being my husband long before I stopped protecting you."
Celeste suddenly grabbed Nathan's arm.
"Don't admit anything."
"We can still fix this."
Nathan looked at her desperately.
"You said no one would ever find out."
She froze.
The room became deathly still.
Richard tilted his head.
"What did you just say?"
Nathan realized his mistake.
"I..."
Celeste interrupted.
"He doesn't know what he's saying."
Marcus quietly pressed one button on his recorder.
"Statement preserved."
Nathan's eyes widened.
"You recorded that?"
Marcus answered calmly.
"We're recording everything."
Richard slowly walked toward the evidence table.
He picked up the sealed bag containing the riding whip.
Holding it in one hand, he looked at Nathan.
"Who counted the lashes?"
Nathan remained silent.
Richard turned toward Celeste.
"You?"
She refused to answer.
Richard nodded slightly.
"I'll ask again."
"Who counted?"
Celeste's lips trembled.
"I..."
Richard's voice remained perfectly calm.
"Understand this."
"Every lie from this moment forward becomes an additional charge."
She looked at Nathan.
Nathan looked away.
She was alone.
Finally, her shoulders collapsed.
"I counted."
Her whisper echoed through the hall.
"I told him..."
"...he skipped two."
Nathan shut his eyes.
Richard placed the evidence bag back on the table.
"There it is."
"The final confession."
Marcus looked toward one of the attorneys.
"Prepare the criminal referral."
The attorney nodded.
"It will be filed before sunrise."
Outside, the first rays of dawn began to brighten the horizon.
For Nathan Ashford, sunrise had always symbolized another successful day.
Today...
It marked the beginning of the longest fall of his life.
As the legal team prepared stacks of evidence, Richard walked to the window overlooking the estate.
Without turning around, he spoke softly.
"Marcus."
"Yes, sir?"
"Phase One is complete."
Marcus nodded.
"And Phase Two?"
Richard's reflection appeared in the glass.
Cold.
Unshakable.
"Now..."
"We take away everything he believes belongs to him."
Nathan heard every word.
And for the first time since the helicopters arrived...
May you like
He realized his greatest mistake had never been underestimating my father.
It had been underestimating the quiet woman he thought he had already broken.
