The Monarch Crown System

17. One Billion Dollar Deal

Celeste said she would go and think about it.

She left the hotel with her spine stiff and her face carefully composed, but the moment she stepped into her car and shut the door, the control she had been holding onto shattered. Her hands trembled as she gripped the steering wheel. Her breath came out in short uneven gasps, and for a long moment she simply stared straight ahead, unable to move.

One billion dollars.

Elias had said it so calmly, as if he were asking for loose change.

“That bastard spoke as if he had even a cent to his name!” She gritted angrily.

By the time she pulled into the Halston estate, her eyes were swollen and red. She walked through the front doors without greeting anyone and went straight into the living room, where Henry and Susan were seated, reviewing documents and arguing quietly as they always did.

The moment they saw her face, they knew something was wrong.

“What happened? Were you able to meet him?” Susan asked sharply, rising to her feet.

Celeste opened her mouth, but instead of words, a sob escaped her. She covered her face with her hands and sank onto the couch.

Henry stood up immediately. “What did he do?” he demanded. “What did that useless man say to you?”

Celeste forced herself to speak, her voice breaking. “He wants one billion dollars.”

The room went dead silent.

Susan laughed once, a sharp disbelieving sound. “One billion for what?”

“He agreed to the reconciliation video,” Celeste said through tears. “But only if we send the money first.”

Henry’s face darkened instantly. “That bastard.”

Susan’s expression twisted with fury. “He thinks he can extort us?”

Celeste shook her head frantically. “You do not understand. If this gets out, if people find out I was pregnant by that impersonator, our company will collapse. Investors will flee. The banks will freeze our accounts. The media will tear us apart.”

Henry scoffed. “We will handle the media.”

“You cannot handle this,” Celeste cried. “This is not like before. People already suspect fraud. They are watching us. One scandal is all it will take.”

Susan folded her arms. “So you want us to hand over everything to save your reputation?”

Celeste looked up at her mother, tears streaming down her face. “It is not just me. It is all of us.”

Henry paced the room angrily. “We built this empire with our own hands.”

Celeste let out a bitter laugh. “No, we did not. Elias did.”

That stopped him.

She swallowed hard and continued. “He is the brains behind the company and our wealth. Without him, we would never have grown this far.”

Susan stared at her in disbelief. “You are defending him now?”

“I am telling you the truth,” Celeste said desperately. “If he comes back into our lives, if the public believes he is standing with us again, everything stabilizes. That man has a way with numbers and sealing life changing deals.”

Henry clenched his fists. “After everything we did to him.”

Celeste nodded. “Yes. And that is why he has leverage.”

The argument dragged on for hours.

By midnight, the truth was unavoidable.

If they did not pay, they would lose everything anyway.

If they did pay, at least they had a chance.

The decision was made in silence.

They sold their estates first.

The grand houses that had hosted politicians and elites were emptied and signed away within days. Art was stripped from the walls. Furniture was cataloged and sold. The Halstons moved out quietly in the middle of the night to avoid attention.

Then they liquidated every business.

Factories were shut down. Offices were closed. Employees were dismissed with hollow apologies. Stocks were sold at desperate prices. Years of work vanished in a matter of weeks.

Jewelry was pawned and auctioned.

Susan watched as pieces passed down through generations were taken away, each one carrying memories that meant nothing to the buyers.

Properties inherited for generations were sold off one by one.

Land that had been in the family name longer than anyone could remember was handed over to strangers.

They borrowed from dangerous lenders.

Men with cold eyes and thin smiles handed over cash with contracts that promised blood if payments were missed.

They mortgaged Celeste’s sister’s future inheritance without telling her.

By the time the final amount was gathered , the Halstons were hollow shells.

They stood in a bare living room with suitcases at their feet and nothing left but the clothes they wore.

The money was transferred.

One billion dollars appeared in Elias’s account.

On the day of the recording, the studio was prepared meticulously.

Celeste wore white.

Henry and Susan stood just off camera.

The script lay neatly printed on the table, filled with rehearsed apologies and carefully crafted lies.

Elias arrived dressed simply, his expression unreadable.

“Let us begin,” Susan said tightly.

The cameras started rolling.

But instead of reading the script, Elias looked directly into the lens.

The broadcast went live.

“Good afternoon,” he said calmly. “My name is Elias.”

Celeste’s heart slammed against her ribs.

“This video was meant to be a reconciliation,” Elias continued. “But the truth deserves to be told.”

Henry lunged forward. “Stop this.”

The crew froze, unsure what to do.

Elias raised his hand slightly, and the custodians stepped into view.

No one dared interrupt.

“The donation that was made to me for my illness was confiscated by the Halstons, preventing me from having the surgery that would save my life.”

Celeste felt the blood drain from her face.

Screens behind him lit up with documents.

Bank statements. Transaction records. Signed approvals.

“The money was placed in their shell accounts while they let me wallow in pain.”

Gasps filled the studio.

Henry shouted. “This is a lie.”

Elias did not look at him.

“To the victims watching,” Elias continued, “send your account details to the contact displayed on the screen. Every stolen dollar will be returned.”

Celeste’s legs gave out.

The cameras kept rolling.

“And this,” Elias said softly, “is only the beginning.”

The broadcast continued as the Halstons realized too late that Elias had not come to reconcile.

He had come to destroy them.

And he had only just started.