Chapter 92

Camille’s phone buzzed against the boardroom table, its vibration cutting through her presentation. She glanced at the screen and felt her stomach drop.

“Excuse me,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “Let’s take a five-minute break.”

As the engineering team filed out, Camille opened the alert.

BREAKING: Kane Industries (KI) down 8.7% on rumors of Phoenix Grid safety concerns

She scrolled quickly to a financial blog post: “SOURCES CLAIM PHOENIX GRID POSES UNPRECEDENTED FIRE RISK.”

The article cited “anonymous whistleblowers inside Kane Engineering” who allegedly provided documents showing the power distribution nodes could overheat under certain conditions. The claims were vague but specific enough to sound credible.

Camille called Victoria. No answer. She tried Alexander next.

“I’ve seen it,” he said immediately. “PR is already crafting a response.”

“Who would do this?” Camille demanded, pacing the empty boardroom. “Th