I Inherited Trillions, Now What?-Chapter 138: Reaction II

It wasn't just family members or even friends. The Morgans, who had long chosen their side under the guise of neutrality, were reacting to the news. But it wasn't just them. It was the whole country. Weeks and weeks of relentless bad PR and a systematic reputation assassination of Alexander Blackwell had played out beautifully across America. The man who once commanded boardrooms with a single glance, who had built an empire that even his rivals grudgingly respected, had now become public enemy number one.

The outcry for his arrest was deafening. Social media, news stations, and even casual conversations in cafés all echoed the same sentiment—Alexander Blackwell must fall.

On one of the country's leading news talk shows, the discussion was in full swing.

"This man is a criminal! A predator!" A woman in a bright red suit slammed her hand against the table, her voice seething with fury. "If even half of what we're hearing is true, he deserves to rot in prison."

"I mean, look at the evidence," another panelist, a middle-aged man in a gray blazer, chimed in. "Barbara Longbottom's accusations are damning enough, but the pattern is there. This isn't just one case. It's power abuse at its worst."

"We're talking about a man who has always wielded his influence like a sword, cutting down anyone who stands in his way," said another, her lips pursed in distaste. "And now, it seems that influence is the only thing keeping him from a pair of handcuffs."

The studio audience erupted in applause.

But then, a lone dissenting voice rose.

"Wait, wait." A woman, perhaps in her mid-forties, stood up, her expression firm but cautious. "Aren't we supposed to believe in innocent until proven guilty? I mean, this is America, not a witch hunt."

The reaction was immediate.

"This is exactly why so many guilty men get away with these things!" one panelist shot back, shaking her head in frustration. "Women are disbelieved, delayed, dismissed—until it's too late. Until they're buried under the weight of their trauma while their abusers walk free."

"She's right," another agreed, leaning forward. "This isn't about innocent until proven guilty. This is about power. If Alexander Blackwell were an average Joe, he'd already be behind bars."

Suddenly, the anchor placed a hand against her earpiece, her expression shifting. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're just getting breaking news."

The studio fell silent.

"The contract between Barbara Longbottom and Alexander Blackwell has just been leaked."

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

A collective gasp rippled through the audience. The large screen behind them flickered to life, showing a zoomed-in document filled with dense legal jargon. But even to the untrained eye, something was clearly wrong.

"Oh my God," someone muttered. "Is that… is that even legal?"

"This… this is modern-day slavery!" another voice rang out. "Look at those clauses! She had no way out! No freedom to work elsewhere! No ability to leave without severe financial penalties!"

"This is disgusting!" the woman in red spat. "And yet the cops haven't walked this man down a precinct in handcuffs? Why? Because he's powerful? Because he's rich?"

The outrage reached a fever pitch.

"This is why people don't come forward!" another panelist added furiously. "They get silenced. Their pain gets buried under stacks of money and legal red tape."

A man in the audience stood up. "What else do we need to see before the authorities act? Are we seriously just going to wait around for more evidence while this man enjoys his luxury penthouse?"

The panelists nodded in agreement. The message was clear.

Alexander Blackwell was no longer just a businessman or a billionaire. He was a villain in the eyes of the nation. And the nation wanted to see him fall.

Joe Longbottom stood in front of the hospital, his face contorted in anguish, his voice hoarse with grief and rage. A crowd of reporters encircled him, their cameras flashing, their microphones thrust forward, but he barely noticed. His body shook as he struggled to find the words, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"My wife..." he choked, his voice breaking. "Barbara... she was violated! She was bruised, she was used, she was defiled! My own wife!" He wiped at his tears furiously, his chest rising and falling with the weight of his sorrow. "She has been in there for hours. Hours! The doctors, they—they're trying to help her, but nothing—nothing—will erase what was done to her!"

The reporters hesitated, some murmuring words of consolation, but one finally asked, "How long has Barbara been working for Alexander Blackwell?"

Joe's head snapped up, his face twisting with fury. "A month! Just a goddamn month! She had barely been there! And this happened to her!" His voice grew raw with anger. "And you know what makes me sick? What makes me want to tear everything down? This isn't the first time! My wife told me—she told me about the other girls, the maids on his island, the ones who aren't allowed to leave! She saw them! She saw them breaking down! Who knows what he has done to them?"

He broke into sobs, falling to his knees. "I told her to quit. I begged her to leave, but she wouldn't. She wanted to fight for them. She wanted to stand for those girls. And now this—" He slammed his fist against the pavement. "But this won't be taken lying down. No! Alexander Blackwell, you messed up! You thought you could do this to my wife and walk away? You thought you could bury this like you've buried so many others? Well, you messed up! She's a fighter, and I swear to God, we will fight for her! For the girls trapped on that island! For every single one of them! We are not billionaires. We are not trillionaires. Our lives don't matter to them! But we will make them listen! We will fight!"

The crowd erupted into shouts of support as Joe trembled with fury, his eyes locked onto the cameras as if daring the world to turn away.

Somewhere across the city, a packed stadium pulsed with the energy of thousands of fans, their screams echoing through the rafters. A famous female pop star stood on stage, gripping the microphone tightly, her breath shaky. The music faded into silence.

"I... I know we were supposed to have a good time tonight," she began, her voice thick with emotion. "But I can't. Not after what I just saw. I know you've seen the news. It's heartbreaking. And it makes me sick to my stomach."

The crowd quieted, listening.

"A brave woman came forward, and people are saying, 'Oh, but he's powerful! He doesn't have to force anything!' Are you hearing yourselves? That is exactly the point! That is the problem! How many women have suffered because of that exact mindset?" She paused, then began listing names, each one sending ripples of sorrow through the audience. "These women were silenced, humiliated, and cast aside. And now, Barbara Longbottom is on that list."

A murmur ran through the audience.

"But hear me when I say this," she continued, her voice growing stronger, "these women are not just victims. They are heroes. They are fighters. And we—every single one of us—must fight with them!"

The stadium erupted into a chant: "We stand with Barbara! We stand with Barbara!"

The streets outside the White House buzzed with chaos as reporters ran alongside President Joe Biden, security flanking him as they fired off questions.

"Mr. President, what are you going to do about the Alexander Blackwell case?"

"Mr. President, will there be a full investigation?"

"Mr. President—"

Biden stopped. Slowly, he turned, his gaze steely. "No one is above the law. If Alexander Blackwell committed this crime, he will be tried to the fullest extent of the law. With full violence."

The reporters gasped.

"I am getting on a call with the New York Police Commissioner the moment I walk into the Oval Office," Biden declared. "And I will ensure this is properly attended to."

On social media, the storm raged.

Andrew Tate's tweet went viral:

@Cobratate: "Why would someone as powerful and successful as Alexander Blackwell stoop so low? This should be investigated. This is another case of a scorned woman trying to ruin a man's life."

But the backlash was immediate. A well-known female activist fired back:

@GloriaSteinem: "Power is not protection. Power is not immunity. This is not the first time. And if we don't fight, it won't be the last!"

She then posted a long list of powerful businessmen and elite figures who had been exposed for sexual abuse:

Jeffrey Epstein

Harvey Weinstein

R. Kelly

Bill Cosby

Prince Andrew

Roman Polanski

And now, Alexander Blackwell?

@GloriaSteinem: "This is a pattern. This is a sickness. And we will not stop until justice is served."

Other feminist celebrities joined the outcry, their posts flooding the internet:

@TaylorSwift13: "We stand with Barbara Longbottom. Women deserve to be safe. No exceptions." #JusticeForBarbara

@Oprah: "It takes immense courage to speak up against abuse, especially when the accused is powerful. We must amplify these voices." #BelieveSurvivors

@EmmaWatson: "Barbara Longbottom is a fighter. But she shouldn't have to fight alone. Justice must be served." #FightForThem

@rihanna: "How many more stories like this? How many more times will we have to fight for basic human dignity?" #WeStandWithBarbara

Even controversial rapper and producer P. Diddy added his voice to the conversation, posting:

@Diddy: "Man, instead of the feds attacking real criminals and bad people like Alexander Blackwell, they coming after me! Me! Just a Black man trying to show love and success. Yet there's a man on a fucking private island doing God knows what, and he ain't even being investigated! Make it make sense!"

The world was watching. And this time, they weren't looking away.

Outside the New York Police Commissioner's Office, chaos erupted.

Protesters gathered in the thousands, their voices echoing through the streets. Signs waved in the air:

ARREST BLACKWELL!

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!

WE ARE WATCHING, DO YOUR JOB!

FREE THE GIRLS ON THE ISLAND!

The steps of the police headquarters trembled under the weight of the mass anger. Reporters shoved microphones forward, trying to capture the tension in real-time.

Inside, Police Commissioner Jonathan Aldridge stood at his desk, his jaw tight as he listened to his deputy chief, Greg Lawson.

"I'm sorry, sir," Lawson said, voice shaking. "I apologize. I told them not to say anything. That Olivia—when I get back, I'll suspend her. She shouldn't have leaked—"

Aldridge cut him off with a sharp glare. "What the hell are you saying, Lawson? You think our job is to cover up for powerful men?" His voice rose with authority. "We serve the people. Not Alexander Blackwell. Not the billionaires who think they own the world. We swore an oath!"

Lawson swallowed. "But sir, if we go after him, the backlash—"

"The backlash?" Aldridge took a step forward, his voice now carrying the weight of the entire room. "The backlash is what you see outside right now! The world is demanding justice! And we are not about to be the cowards who turn our backs. We are the goddamn NYPD!"

The room fell silent. Officers and detectives stood frozen, absorbing his words.

Aldridge took a deep breath, then made his decision.

"Gather every available unit. SWAT, Special Victims, every goddamn officer we have. We are going to Blackwell Island. And we are going to arrest Alexander Blackwell."

Author's Note

First, a special shoutout to Titanium_Fox101 for the gift—thank you so much!

Now, while I didn't feel that the last two chapters did justice to my vision, I also realize this arc has been dragging on for too long. That's why the previous chapters have been so long. I want to wrap it up soon, so I won't delve too much into the reactions. Just know that things are really bad—very, very bad—for Alexander. The entire country hates him now.

Let's see how Alexander manages to get out of this. Stay tuned! This arc will be over in 2–4 more chapters. Sorry for the wait, but the next arc is going to be intense! Just stay tuned.