Chapter 16: The Auction
The banks moved swiftly to liquidate the ruins of the empire. The crown jewel of their seized assets was Julian’s sprawling childhood mansion, a historic estate built on old money and arrogance.
The foreclosure auction was held on the county courthouse steps. Clara didn’t bother attending. Instead, she dispatched a proxy bidder who quietly purchased the heavily leveraged property for pennies on the dollar in an all-cash deal.
The very next morning, the affluent neighborhood awoke to the deafening roar of heavy diesel engines. Clara sat in the back of her idling town car across the street, sipping a black coffee. She watched with cold satisfaction as a fleet of yellow excavators and wrecking balls smashed through the mansion's grand marble columns. By noon, the legacy of Julian's family was reduced to dust and rubble, soon to be paved over and turned into a public community park.
