Emma slowly lifted her gaze toward the dark screen.
Nobody in the room moved.
Nobody even pretended to look away from the projection wall anymore.
Because Alexander Whitmore had spoken only twice since joining the call—
and somehow managed to make an entire boardroom feel intellectually inadequate.
The screen remained dark.
No face.
Just the low static hum of the secure conference connection.
Then Alexander spoke again.
Calm.
Measured.
Precise.
“Your European recovery projections are optimistic.”
One senior analyst immediately straightened.
“We based those estimates on fourth-quarter—”
“You based them on stability assumptions,” Alexander interrupted smoothly. “Sterling Global is not stable.”
The analyst stopped talking instantly.
Not humiliated.
Dismissed.
Alexander cont
