The Phoenix Rises- A Rebirth Revenge Romance

Chapter 11: The Call, Distraction or Pressure

After the meeting, several employees stayed to ask questions or express support. But Irene noticed that a few left quickly, avoiding eye contact. She made mental notes of who seemed uncomfortable with the conversation—not because she suspected them of disloyalty, but because discomfort might make them more vulnerable to manipulation.

Sarah from accounting had practically fled the room, her hands trembling as she gathered her papers. Tom, one of their junior developers, had kept his eyes fixed on his phone screen, refusing to acknowledge anyone around him. These were the weak points Sara would exploit, Irene knew. Not the disloyal ones, but the scared ones. Fear made people do things they'd never normally consider.

Irene watched as Marcus subtly photographed the room, documenting who stayed and who left, who asked questions and who remained silent. Every detail mattered now. In her previous life, she'd dismissed these small behavioral cues as nerves or personal issues. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

David Chen lingered after the others had left. "Ms. Thompson, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How do you know so much about how these people operate? I mean, the level of detail you provided... it sounded like you'd been through this before."

Irene felt a chill. David was too perceptive, asking exactly the right questions. In another life, another timeline, would she have been able to trust him with the truth? She studied his face carefully—genuine concern reflected in his eyes, not suspicion or accusation. David was brilliant, perhaps too brilliant for his own good. His analytical mind was what made him invaluable to Phoenix Entertainment, but it also meant he saw patterns others missed.

"Let's just say I've done my research on corporate espionage," she said carefully. "When you're building something valuable, you learn to recognize the people who want to take it from you."

David nodded slowly, but his expression suggested he wasn't entirely satisfied with her answer. He shifted his weight, clearly debating whether to push further. Finally, he spoke again, his voice lower. "Just... be careful, okay? Some of the younger employees, they might be tempted by easy money. Not because they want to hurt the company, but because they don't understand the consequences."

"I know. That's why I wanted to be upfront about the risks." Irene appreciated his loyalty, even as she noted how easily he'd identified the company's vulnerabilities. If David could see it, Sara definitely could.

"There's something else," David added, hesitating. "I've been noticing some unusual network activity.

Nothing concrete enough to report yet, but... someone's been probing our systems. Carefully. Professionally. Like they're mapping our security infrastructure."

Irene's pulse quickened. "How long has this been going on?"

"Maybe two weeks? It's subtle enough that our automated systems haven't flagged it as suspicious. I only noticed because I was running some performance analytics and saw patterns that didn't match normal usage."

"Show Marcus everything you have. And David? Thank you for paying attention."

After he left, Irene felt the weight of the coming storm pressing down on her. Sara wasn't just planning attacks—she was already executing them, quietly gathering intelligence while making loud, obvious moves to distract them.

That evening, as Irene and Marcus reviewed security footage from the day in his penthouse, her phone rang. Unknown number.

"Ms. Thompson? This is Jennifer Walsh from the Financial Tribune. I'm working on a story about emerging companies in the entertainment industry, and I'd love to include Phoenix Entertainment."

Irene put the call on speaker, nodding to Marcus who immediately began tracing the number on his laptop.

"What kind of story, Ms. Walsh?"

"Oh, very positive. We're particularly interested in young entrepreneurs who've achieved rapid success. Your growth trajectory is really remarkable—some might say almost too good to be true."

The dig was subtle but unmistakable. Irene recognized the technique—start friendly, then gradually introduce doubt disguised as curiosity. She'd seen Sara use this approach countless times in their previous life, slowly poisoning people's perceptions with carefully placed questions.

"Thank you for the interest."

"I'd love to set up an interview. Maybe tour your facilities, meet some of your team? I think our readers would be fascinated by your story. Especially how you've managed to outperform companies with decades more experience."

Standard fishing expedition, Irene realized. The reporter would ask seemingly innocent questions designed to elicit information about Phoenix Entertainment's operations, then twist the answers to support whatever narrative Sara had fed her.

Marcus slid a note across the table: "Stalling. Keep her talking."

"I appreciate the interest, but we're not doing press interviews at this time."

"Oh, that's unfortunate." The voice on the other end became slightly cooler. "Some of our sources have suggested that Phoenix Entertainment's success might be... questionable. Questions about your funding, your market predictions, your relationship with Sterling & Associates. I was hoping to give you a chance to address those concerns directly."

There it was—the threat disguised as an opportunity. Irene felt a flash of anger, remembering how this exact tactic had destroyed her reputation in the original timeline. Back then, she'd frantically tried to defend herself, giving interviews that were edited to make her sound guilty and defensive. This time, she knew better.

"What concerns, specifically?"

"Well, there are questions about whether your rapid growth might be the result of insider information or undisclosed partnerships. Some industry veterans find it hard to believe that a startup could achieve your level of success through legitimate means alone."

Marcus was typing furiously, pulling up information about Jennifer Walsh and the Financial Tribune. He caught Irene's eye and shook his head—whatever he was finding wasn't good. His expression was grim, fingers flying across the keyboard as he dug deeper into the digital trail.

"Ms. Walsh, I'm going to decline your interview request. But I appreciate you calling to give me advance notice of your story."

"I'm not sure you understand, Ms. Thompson. This story is happening whether you participate or not. Wouldn't you rather have your side represented?"

"My side of what, exactly?"

"The allegations."

"What allegations?"

There was a pause, then Jennifer Walsh's voice became more professional, more distant. "I'll be in touch if I need any additional information."

The line went dead with a decisive click. Irene felt the familiar knot of anxiety in her stomach, but this time it was tempered with satisfaction. They'd recorded everything, and Sara had no idea they were building a case against her.

After she hung up, Marcus showed Irene what he'd found.

"Jennifer Walsh doesn't exist," he said. "The Financial Tribune is a real publication, but they have no reporter by that name. The call came from a burner phone registered to a shell company that doesn't exist either."

"So Sara's not just planning to attack us—she's planning to do it through fake news stories."

"Looks like it. But Irene, this is actually good news."

"How is fake news good news?"

Marcus smiled grimly. "Because impersonating a journalist to gather information for a smear campaign is wire fraud. It's a federal crime. We just recorded Sara's people committing a felony."

Irene felt a surge of satisfaction. In her previous life, she'd been caught off guard by every attack, always reacting instead of anticipating. This time, she was building a case while Sara thought she was building a trap.

"What's our next move?"

"We let them make their next move. And we document everything."

But even as they made their plans, Irene couldn't shake the feeling that Sara was still ahead of them. The fake journalist call had been too obvious, too easy to trace. Either Sara was getting sloppy, or she wanted them to know they were being targeted.

"Marcus," she said suddenly. "What if this is all misdirection?"

"What do you mean?"

"The fake journalist, the obvious intimidation tactics, the aggressive timeline. What if Sara wants us focused on defending against these attacks while she prepares something bigger?"

Marcus considered this. "Like what?"

"I don't know. But Sara's smart, and she's patient when she needs to be. This feels too rushed, too desperate. Unless..." Irene trailed off as a terrifying thought occurred to her.

"Unless what?"

"Unless she's not working alone. Unless someone else is calling the shots, someone who wants this resolved quickly."

The idea that Sara might be taking orders from a more powerful enemy sent chills through both of them. If that were true, then everything they'd planned might not be enough.."