“I’m Vera Gold,” I said clearly and deliberately, “Your new CEO.”
Silence descended around us. This was not the kind that lingered politely, this was the kind that cracked something open.
For a moment, no one moved or even reacted to my words. Then, screams filled the lot.
“That’s impossible.” The same man from before, the one who had clearly just dismissed me, took a step forward in outrage. His composure was now cracked, and his disbelief was practically bleeding into his tone.
“You need to watch what you’re saying, Vera,” he snapped as his voice dropped into something sharper. “This isn’t funny. Keep your lips sealed before you—”
There was a shift behind me and the man stopped talking the moment my driver/guard stepped forward.
One step was all it took before the man froze in di
