"We are experiencing severe server security issues."
Richard Murphy gripped the edges of the wooden podium tightly. His knuckles turned entirely white under the blinding stage lights.
He looked directly at the veteran journalist. The excuse sounded completely pathetic even to his own desperate ears.
The entire global press corps stared back at the billionaire CEO in absolute silence. Hundreds of high definition cameras captured his heavy sweating. They were not buying the deflection.
Richard desperately needed the Qatari investment funds to clear his foreign accounts in exactly twenty minutes. He needed this hired actor to legitimize the massive corporate lie.
The masked actor shifted nervously on his feet. The heavy black plastic visor hid his face completely. It did not hide the vio
