The leak happened at 8:07 a.m.
Not a rumor. Not speculation.
Documents.
Screenshots from the inquiry. Selective excerpts. Carefully framed questions without answers. Headlines designed not to accuse—but to invite doubt.
BLACKWOOD CEO’S WIFE UNDER SCRUTINY: INSIDER INFLUENCE OR STRATEGIC DISTRACTION?
Lucien read the headline once.
Then again.
Then he set the tablet down, slow and deliberate, as if sudden movement might shatter the restraint holding him together.
Seraphina watched him from across the room.
“It’s earlier than expected,” she said calmly.
“They accelerated,” Lucien replied. “That means someone panicked.”
She nodded. “Or someone wants to force your hand.”
His gaze lifted to hers. “They won’t like what they get.”
By midmorning, the stock dipped.
Not a crash. A tremo
