The Price of Trust

striking crimson dress. It was a power color, a statement. She put on her makeup with a steady hand, a mask of composure she did not f

A mob of reporters and cameramen swarmed the entr

e Zenith stole the O

t on the unsafe mat

mpany going

fening, the flashing lights blinding. She kept her head high, her expres

against it, urging a written statement instead. But Ava kne

empty podium on the stage. When Ava walked out, a hush fell over the room, followed by a fresh expl

mplified by the microphone. "I'm sure you all have a lot

ue. The Nexus Tower is the product of thousands of hours of work by my brilliant team, and we have the evi

hey are part of a coordinated smear campaign, designed to create panic and damage our reputation. We

is not going bankrupt. We are not weak. We will not be intimidated. This attack on our co

t, Liam Stone, has been identified as the source of the leak. Can you comment on your re

dreading, the one that mixed th

"He abused a position of trust. We have since terminated his employment and are pursuing all legal options. As for

nce. She was in control, steering the narrative back from the brink. A sense of ho

p young woman named Chloe, rushed to the side of the stage,

ence quickly and met Chlo

t. A crane... it malfunctioned. A steel beam fell. No one was seriously hurt, thank God,

h of a coincidence. This was sabotage. Real, physical sabotage. It was no longer just a war

e line. I want a full report. And get our head of security. I want him to go over that cran

already on sit

w tight. "Tell our legal

by a cold dread. The weight of it all pressed down on her-the lawsuit, the media, the

slump. Her head throbbed. The confident mask she wore for the world was go

emy was proving to be even more ruthless than she had imagined. The news about the crane was spreading like wi

For the first time since this ordeal began, a sliver of despair pierced through her anger. How