The Wales estate was eerily silent, save for the soft clinking of a teacup against its saucer. Allesandro Wales sat across from his mother in the grand lounge, the television broadcasting the latest financial disaster that had befallen Wales Enterprises.
"WALES ENTERPRISES STOCKS DROP AMID UNEXPECTED TECHNICAL FAILURE – MILLIONS LOST IN HOURS!"
The news anchors spoke with feigned sympathy, but the damage was done. Their company was in freefall.
Across from him, Madam Wales was livid. Dressed in an elegant black dress, her diamond earrings shimmering under the chandelier's glow, she radiated nothing but fury.
"This is a disgrace, Allesandro! A disgrace!" she snapped, slamming the remote onto the glass table. "Do you know how humiliating it is to watch OUR empire crumble like this?"
Allesandro took a slow sip of his whiskey, completely unfazed. "Then stop watching, Mother."
