Chapter 7 - Whispers in the Media
Within forty-eight hours, the coordinated strike hit the airwaves.
Headlines across major tabloids and financial blogs flashed in sensational bold print:
**"GRIEF-STRICKEN HEIRESS PURGES VANCE BOARD IN PARANOID RAGE"**
**"ELEANOR VANCE: UNSTABLE, PREGNANT, AND HEADING TOWARD CORPORATE DISASTER?"**
**"LEAKED SOURCES CLAIM LATE ARTHUR VANCE SOUGHT CONSERVATORSHIP BEFORE DEATH"**
Sitting in her father’s expansive office, Eleanor watched the muted television screen as a panel of talking heads debated her psychological stability. Her hand gently rubbed the curve of her stomach, where the kicks had grown more pronounced, more urgent.
"It’s Kane’s network," Harlan said, pacing in front of the window. "Julian Kane owns forty percent of the entertainment media conglomerates running these stories. And our sources confirm Caleb spent two hours in Kane Tower yesterday afternoon."
"He sold Poseidon to Julian," Eleanor said quietly. Her voice was remarkably steady, devoid of panic.
Harlan froze. "If Kane has the blueprints for Poseidon, he can file patent claims before our international rollout next month. Eleanor, that could cost us billions."
"Did you really think my father didn't anticipate Caleb stealing Poseidon?" Eleanor asked, a faint, razor-sharp smirk touching her lips.
Harlan blinked. "What do you mean?"
"The data Caleb downloaded two weeks ago from the primary executive server wasn't Project Poseidon," Eleanor explained, opening her father’s vintage leather ledger. "It was the *Trojan* version Arthur created when he realized Caleb was tapping the internal fiber lines. The code looks complete, but buried inside the core algorithms is a logic bomb designed to corrupt whatever mainframe executes it."
She looked at her watch.
"Julian Kane’s server farms will attempt to integrate that data by noon today. When they do, Kane’s private network will lock itself down completely."
I picked up the phone on the desk and dialed the front desk.
"Prepare the main auditorium," I instructed. "Call every accredited financial journalist in the country. Vance Global is hosting a live press conference in one hour."
May you like
"And what will you tell them, Eleanor?" Harlan asked, amazed.
"I’m going to show them who Arthur Vance really raised," she replied, standing tall. "A woman doesn't need to yell to be heard, Charles. She just needs the truth, and a guillotine."
