The trading floor of the NASDAQ fell into a dead, cavernous silence. The frenetic energy of a multi-billion-dollar IPO launch vanished, sucked into the black hole that had just appeared on the massive central screen. For a moment, the only sound was the distant, unheeding traffic of Times Square.
Then, the murmuring began, a low hum of disbelief that grew into a wave of anxious questions. On the podium, Julian’s triumphant posture had collapsed. His arms, once raised in victory, were now frozen mid-air, his face a canvas of utter confusion. Chloe clung to his arm, her perfect smile petrified on her lips. They stared at the screen, at the digital wreckage of their triumph, as if they were watching a ghost.
And in a way, they were.
The screen flickered back to life. But instead of the fam
