The official clarification I release is clean, sharp, and professional. My PR team helps me polish the language until it sounds like someone far steadier than I feel. We post it on every platform we have, attach certification documents, screenshots, statements from suppliers, everything short of carving the truth into stone.
But almost immediately, I know it won’t work.
No one believes it.
Within hours, crowds gather outside my stores, waving signs accusing us of lying, of covering up scandals, of harming customers. Protestors shout over each other, their voices echoing down the street in waves. I watch from behind the tinted windows of the office, my stomach twisting tighter with each chant.
Inside, my employees keep their heads down, flinching every time the door buzzes or someone ba
