Anchor Capital published their report at nine-fifteen on a Tuesday.
I watched the market open from Damon's study, a mug of tea going cold in my hands. Charleaux Corporation's stock dropped eighteen percent in the first fifteen minutes. By noon it was down thirty-one. By close it had shed another four points.
The following two days were worse.
Retail investors sold in waves. Institutional funds issued quiet statements about "reassessing exposure." The ratings agencies downgraded Charleaux's credit on the second evening—after markets closed, which meant the full damage would arrive with tomorrow's open.
I watched it all from a distance, through screens and reports, and felt something I hadn't expected: not triumph, but a kind of clean, sorrowful resolution. This is what should have happe
