Chapter 171

Madison

I watched Alexander wrap up the CNBC interview with practiced ease. His final words—delivered with unwavering confidence—seemed to resonate with the interviewer, who nodded appreciatively.

“And there you have it,” the host concluded. “Alexander Knight, CEO of Knight Industries, addressing the allegations head-on. We’ll continue to follow this developing story throughout the trading day.”

The red light on the camera blinked off, and Alexander loosened his posture slightly.

“How’d I do?” he asked, turning to me as a technician removed his microphone.

“Perfect,” I replied honestly. “Confident without seeming defensive. The bit about welcoming regulatory scrutiny was particularly effective.”

He nodded, checking his phone. “The market’s been open for twenty minutes. We’re down fourteen percent—better than expected.”

The PR director approached with a tablet. “Mr. Knight, excellent job. We’ve already got requests from Bloomberg and F