Chapter 95
Chapter 95:
Harper processed this. Slowly, a grin spread across her face. It started small, then consumed her features. She let out a breathless laugh.
“You’re a secret tycoon,” Harper whispered. “My best friend is a secret tycoon p>
“Not just a tycoon,” Aurora said, a glint of steel in her eyes. “But give me until tomorrow, and I’ll be his nightmare p>
The air in the conference room at Thorne Industries was scrubbed and filtered, kept at a constant sixty-eight degrees, yet Sterling Thorne was sweating.
He paced the length of the mahogany table, his Italian leather shoes making no sound on the plush carpet. The glass walls of the room offered a panoramic view of the city he believed he owned, but tonight, the lights below seemed to be mocking him.
He threw his tablet onto the table. It skidded across the polished surface and came to a rest in front of his Vice President of Marketing.
“Explain this,” Sterling snarled.
The VP, a man named Davis who had survived three corporate purges by being entirely spineless, looked down at the screen. It displayed the pre-order numbers for the Pulse Interactive expansion, Apex Ascendant 2.0.
The graph was a vertical line. It looked less like a sales projection and more like a rocket launch.
“It’s… it’s the 2.0 update, sir,” Davis stammered. “The influencers. They’re calling the new physics engine a paradigm shift. Since they won the government contract, the hype has been unstoppable p>
“It’s fake!” Sterling slammed his fist onto the table. The heavy wood absorbed the blow, but the vibration rattled the water glasses. “It’s inflated. Bots. Click farms. There is no way a company run by that puppet Victor King produced this p>
He walked to the window, staring at his reflection. He looked tired. The lines around his eyes were deeper than they had been a month ago. He adjusted his tie, needing to feel the silk constriction.
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 ⧸
“Launch the Destruction Plan,” Sterling commanded. He didn’t turn around.
The room went silent. Davis exchanged a nervous look with the legal counsel.
“Sir,” Davis said cautiously. “The Destruction Plan… the smear campaign? We usually reserve that for… existential threats. And considering their government backing, the legal blowback p>
Sterling spun around. His eyes were wild, manic. “This is an existential threat! Do you think I care about legal fees? I want Pulse buried. I want rumors about data breaches. I want accusations of stolen assets. I want parents terrified that their game installs malware. Burn them down p>
“But the evidence p>
“Fabricate it!” Sterling roared. “I am the king of this industry. I decide what is true. Do it. Now p>
He watched them scramble out of the room, phones already to their ears. He turned back to the window. He poured himself a scotch from the crystal decanter on the sideboard.
“You think you can embarrass me, Aurora?” he whispered to the glass. “You think your little settlement money makes you a player? I will make you crawl back. I will make you beg p>
He took a drink. It burned, but it wasn’t enough to numb the gnawing fear in his gut that he had made a terrible mistake.