Wakes's POV
The emergency board meeting had been called at my insistence, but I could already see the doubt in my directors' eyes. Three months of scandals, federal investigations, and media coverage had transformed me from respected CEO to controversial liability.
"The federal charges against Blake Matthew strengthen our position," I told the assembled board members, projecting confidence I didn't entirely feel. "His criminal conspiracy delegitimizes any evidence he gathered against me."
"But the media narrative is problematic," CFO Harrison Webb said carefully. "Your wife's 'rescue' from the Sanctuary has generated significant negative attention. Our stock price has dropped nine percent since the footage aired."
Nine percent. Billions in market capitalization, evaporated because Aloe
