The ballroom of the St. Regis was drowning in gold.

Crystal chandeliers the size of small vehicles hung from the vaulted ceilings, casting a warm, expensive glow over the hundreds of venture capitalists, tech journalists, and Wall Street executives who had gathered to celebrate the impending publi

The digital clock on my desk read 11:58 AM.

I sat perfectly still, my hands folded atop the pristine glass surface of my desk, listening to the rhythmic, muted hum of the server farm two floors below. The office was quiet. To the rest of the floor, it was just another mundane Tuesday leading up to

The summons arrived on Wednesday afternoon, exactly forty-eight hours after Victoria Croft had condescendingly ordered me to step down as CFO.

A harsh, digital chime cut through the silence of my office. An Outlook calendar notification flashed on my screen: *Emergency Board Meeting. Mandatory Atte