The morning arrived not with light, but with chaos.
Jerry burst into Aria’s office, a grim look carved into his face. In his hand, a tablet, vibrating with alert after alert. News headlines blared across the screen.
GRANT CORP SCANDAL: ILLEGAL PATENTS AND COVER-UPS EXPOSED
BREAKING: CEO ARIA CADEN LINKED TO DEFUNCT BLACK-MARKET TECH RING
Aria, seated calmly moments ago, stood abruptly, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“What the hell is this?”
Jerry placed the device in her hand. “It dropped twenty minutes ago. Every news outlet is echoing it. And social media’s worse.”
Isabelle charged in next, her phone to her ear. “I’m on with our PR team now. They’re already drafting a statement. But this is spreading fast, Aria. Really fast.”
Aria scrolled, her expression shifting from shock to
