Chapter 12

The grand ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria was packed to absolute capacity.

Every major financial network, fashion magazine, and gossip publication had sent their top correspondents. The air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume, nervous sweat, and the electric hum of hundreds o

Chapter 13

The entire ballroom, filled with hundreds of shouting, frantic people, fell completely, paralyzingly dead silent.

It was a silence so profound, so thick with shock, that the faint hum of the venue’s air conditioning sounded like a jet engine. For three agonizing seconds, no one breathed

Chapter 14

The financial news anchors could barely keep up with the teleprompter.

*"...unprecedented collapse. Shares in Croft Luxury have plummeted ninety-four percent at the opening bell, effectively wiping out the company's market capitalization in less than two hours. Trading has been halted