The board members began murmuring frantically, flipping through the live data streams popping up on their monitors. Two senior compliance directors immediately stood up, locking their screens and reaching for their phones.
Chapter 5: The Power Shift
By noon, the auditorium had emptied of all save for three people.
Marcus Sterling had already departed flanked by corporate legal counsel, his career at Vance & Sterling effectively dismantled in less than two hours. Evelyn had fled through the service elevators before the state compliance investigators arrived to secure the premises.
Julian stood by the panoramic window, looking out over the sprawling expanse of the city beneath a break in the clouds where golden sunlight finally pierced the gray horizon.
Footsteps echoed softly across the polished floorboards. Clara stopped a few feet behind him. The fight had drained out of her, replaced by a quiet, resolute exhaustion.
"I don't expect you to forgive me," Clara said softly, her voice barely audible over the hum of the city below. "I let them blind me. I chose their narrative over your truth."