Chapter 50
Damien POV
The screen flickered to life, and my worst nightmare materialized in high definition.
Noah.
My son sat in that concrete room, still clutching his rabbit, but now he wasn’t alone. Marcus stood behind him, one hand resting on Noah’s small shoulder in a gesture that would look protective to anyone who didn’t know better.
But I knew better. That hand was a threat.
“Hello, everyone,” Marcus said, smiling at the camera. “Thank you for joining us for this very special family reunion p>
Beside me, Aria made a wounded sound.
“For those just tuning in, let me introduce you to the cast of characters.” Marcus’s hand tightened on Noah’s shoulder. The boy flinched. “This adorable little gentleman is Noah. Three years old. Sweet kid. Loves dinosaurs and his stuffed rabbit. Say hello, Noah p>
Noah’s lip trembled. He looked at the camera with those ice-blue eyes—my eyes—and whispered, “Hi, Mama p>
Aria’s hand crushed mine.
“And watching from their luxury penthouse,” Marcus continued, “we have the boy’s parents. Aria Monroe, self-made CEO and resident ice queen. And my dear brother, Damien Blackwood, the man who stole everything from me p>
The camera angle shifted, and I realized with sick horror that we were on screen too. A split screen showing Noah and Marcus on one side, Aria and me on the other.
He wasn’t just broadcasting Noah. He was broadcasting all of us.
“Now, I know what you’re thinking,” Marcus addressed the camera—no, the audience. “This seems extreme. Kidnapping a child, putting him on display. But you don’t know the full story. You don’t know what this family has done to me p>
“Marcus, please” I started, but he held up a hand.
“Ah ah ah. No interruptions, brother. This is my show.” He smiled. “And what a show it’s going to be p>
The screen changed again. Now it showed footage—old footage from my father’s funeral. I recognized it immediately. The Blackwood family gathered in black, Marcus being forcibly removed from the service.
“See this?” Marcus’s voice continued over the video. “I was young. And my father—our father—had me thrown out like garbage. Why? Because I had the audacity to cry at my mother’s grave. Because I showed weakness p>
The footage shifted. More scenes from our childhood. Marcus being berated by our father. Being locked in his room for “discipline.” Being systematically broken down.
I’d seen some of it happening. I’d been too young, too scared to stop it.
“For thirty-five years, I lived in the shadow of the golden child,” Marcus continued. The camera was back on him now, his hand still on Noah’s shoulder. “Damien got everything. Love. Approval. The company. While I got exile and abandonment p>
“That’s not” Aria started, but I shook my head.
He wasn’t wrong at least not entirely.
“So when I heard that dear Damien had finally found something he actually cared about,” Marcus’s voice dropped, dangerous now, “I saw an opportunity. A way to make him understand what it feels like to lose everything p>
Noah whimpered as Marcus’s fingers dug into his shoulder, and the boy cried out softly.
“Don’t hurt him!” Aria shouted at the screen. “Marcus, please! He’s just a child p>
“Just a child,” Marcus repeated. “Innocent. Blameless. Rather like I was when your husband destroyed my life p>
The camera zoomed in on Noah’s face. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
“So here’s how this is going to work,” Marcus said. “I’m going to ask Damien and Aria some questions. Simple questions. And for every lie they tell, for every time they try to deceive me or this lovely audience He squeezed Noah’s shoulder again, making him wince. “Little Noah here suffers the consequences p>
My blood turned to ice.
“You son of a bitch,” I breathed.
“Question one,” Marcus continued like I hadn’t spoken. “Damien, did you know I was in a psychiatric facility for five years? Did you know what Father did to me after he exiled me p>
I opened my mouth, then closed it. The truth was complicated. Messy.
“The truth, brother,” Marcus warned. “Remember, Noah is depending on you p>
“Yes.” I said. “I knew. I found out three years after you were sent away. Father told me it was for your own good p>
“Did you ever visit me p>
“No p>
“Did you ever try to get me out p>
“No.” Shame burned through me. “I was young and was scared. I thought”
“You thought I deserved it,” Marcus finished. “Because Father said so, because the golden child doesn’t question authority p>
He wasn’t wrong. God help me, he wasn’t wrong.
“Next question,” Marcus said. “Aria, when you found out you were pregnant with Noah, what did Damien say to you p>
Aria’s face went white. “Marcus, don’t”
“Answer the question. The audience deserves to know what kind of man Damien Blackwood really is p>
“He told me to get rid of it,” Aria said quietly, each word cutting me. “He said I was trying to trap him. That he didn’t want the baby p>
The viewers—whoever was watching this nightmare—would be eating this up. The drama. The pain. The dirty secrets of the wealthy and powerful.
“And yet here you both are,” Marcus mused. “Playing happy family. Convenient, isn’t it? That you both suddenly care about Noah now that he’s in danger p>
“That’s not fair,” I said, my voice rough. “I was wrong. I made terrible mistakes, but I love my son. We both do p>
“Love.” Marcus laughed. “You don’t know the meaning of the word. But you’re about to learn p>
He pulled something from his pocket. A knife.
Aria screamed as the chat window beside the video exploded. Thousands of comments scrolled by in a blur—some horrified, others sickeningly excited by the spectacle. The view counter climbed: 50,000. 75,000. 100,000.
“Look at this,” Marcus said, tilting his phone toward the camera. “The world is watching, brother. #BlackwoodScandal is already trending p>
Aria’s legs gave out. I caught her, but I was shaking too—my legendary control shattered. For the first time in my adult life, I felt truly powerless.
“Marcus, listen to me,” I said, forcing my voice steady even as my heart tried to punch through my ribs. “You want me to suffer? Fine. I’ll suffer. But Noah is innocent. He’s three years old. He doesn’t even understand what’s happening p>
“Oh, he understands enough.” Marcus’s smile widened. “Don’t you, Noah? Tell Daddy what I said would happen if he doesn’t cooperate p>
Noah’s small voice cracked. “You said… you said you’d hurt me if they lie p>
Aria made a sound like a dying animal.
Marcus looked directly into the camera, his eyes alight with terrible purpose.
“Relax,” Marcus said calmly. “I’m not going to hurt him, at least not yet. This is just a demonstration of how serious I am p>
He held the knife up to the camera, letting everyone see it. Then he very deliberately cut the sleeve of Noah’s shirt, exposing his small arm.
Noah sobbed harder, trying to pull away, but Marcus held him firm.
“For every lie, for every attempt to deceive me, I make another cut. Not deep. I’m not a monster.” His smile was terrible. “Just enough to remind you what’s at stake p>
“Please,” Aria begged. “Please, Marcus. I’ll do anything. Just don’t hurt him p>
“Anything?” Marcus’s eyes gleamed. “Good. Because here’s what I want p>
He looked directly at the camera. “Damien Blackwood, you’re going to transfer control of Blackwood Enterprises to me. The company, all assets, everything. You have twenty-four hours p>
“Done,” I said immediately. “It’s yours, just let Noah go p>
“Not so fast.” Marcus held up a hand. “I’m not finished. Aria Monroe, you’re going to publicly admit that Monroe Global was built on stolen intellectual property and insider trading. You’re going to destroy your own reputation p>
Aria’s jaw clenched. “That’s a lie. I built my company legitimately p>
“Then I suppose Noah will have to bear the consequences of your pride p>
He pressed the knife against Noah’s skin. Not cutting, just pressing. A threat.
“Wait!” Aria’s voice cracked. “Wait. I’ll do it. I’ll say whatever you want p>
“Good.” Marcus lowered the knife. “And finally, the piece de résistance. You two are going to confess—on this livestream, for the world to see—every terrible thing you’ve ever done. Every betrayal, every lie, every moment of cruelty p>
“You want us to destroy ourselves,” I said flatly.
“I want you to feel what I felt.” Marcus’s mask slipped, revealing the broken man beneath. “I want you to know what it’s like to have nothing. To be nothing. To watch everything you built crumble to dust p>
“And then you’ll let Noah go p>
“Then we’ll see.” His smile returned. “If you’re truly repentant. If you’ve suffered enough, maybe p>
Maybe. He wasn’t even promising to release Noah.
“You’re asking us to trust you,” Aria said. “After everything you’ve done. Why would we p>
“Because you don’t have a choice.” Marcus’s voice turned cold. “You have twenty-four hours to comply with my demands. The company transfers. The public confession. The complete destruction of everything you’ve built. Do all of that, and maybe—maybe—you’ll see your son again p>
“And if we don’t?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
Marcus looked down at Noah, and his expression was almost pitying.
“Then little Noah learns what it’s like to be abandoned by the people who are supposed to love him. Just like I did p>
He reached forward and the screen went black. The stream had ended.