The air was heavy with the fallout of betrayal.
I stood at the head of the conference table, scanning the room with my eyes. Erica sat to my right, tapping her pen under a notepad.
The other chairs were occupied by the executives.
The news had hit like a sledge hammer that morning. Deng Chol had pulled out.
Apparently, he had been spooked by a leaked report in the Philadelphia Inquirer claiming that Sterling Enterprises was hemorrhaging reports.
I knew it was fake – those figures made me sense – but the damage had been done. I gripped the table's edge as I addressed the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let's cut to the chase,” My eyes flicked to each of their faces, “The Inquirers report is nonsense. Someone's playing games, leaking falsified data to spook the investors. I want to k
