Chapter 3 - The Corporate ScrambleBy midnight, the gala was a ghost town. The donors had fled, the press swarmed the gates, and Camille sat alone at the presidential suite table, staring at a digital tablet.
Her chief operating officer, Richard Vance, stood by the window, his expression cold and unyielding.
“It was a necessary precaution, Camille,” Richard said calmly, pouring himself a glass of scotch. “The fire was traced back to faulty wiring in your late husband’s study. If the public knew the house was structurally compromised by a Crowe Industries subsidiary, your IPO would have collapsed. We paid the man to relocate. It was business.”
Camille stood up slowly, her chair scraping loudly against the polished floor.
“Business?” she whispered. Her voice trembled, then hardened into a lethal edge. “He saved my daughter’s life. He carried her through smoke and fire while you were busy auditing our insurance policies.”
“He was a liability,” Richard countered, turning to face her. “And right now, so are you if you don't control this narrative. The board is already drafting a statement blaming rogue elements within the safety division.”
Camille walked over to her desk, unlocked a secure terminal, and slid a flash drive into the port. “You think I’m going to let you scapegoat a working father? You think I’m going to protect your legacy?”
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“What are you doing?” Richard asked, his eyes narrowing.
“I’m handing over every financial record, internal memo, and hush-fund transfer to the state attorney general,” Camille said, her finger hovering over the enter key. “And then, Richard, I’m going to let them tear this empire to the ground.”
