Chapter 16 - Viral Justice
By Monday afternoon, #CondoCon and #WeddingFraud were trending topics on Twitter and TikTok. Internet sleuths, fueled by public registry documents and leaked court filings, tore my family’s pristine social standing to absolute shreds. Videos of my mother being escorted out of the Met Gala by security were looping on social media, paired with audio commentary dissecting their hypocrisy.
My phone, which I had set to Do Not Disturb, was vibrating continuously with missed calls from unknown numbers, distant relatives I hadn't spoken to in a decade, and local news outlets begging for an interview.
I ignored them all. I sat at my mahogany desk on the 42nd floor, watching the New York traffic crawl past below, feeling an absolute, serene sense of detachment.
At 3:00 PM, my office door opened. It wasn't Leo this time. It was Arthur Sterling himself, holding a tablet displaying the trending hashtag. He walked over to my desk, set the tablet down, and stared at me with an expression that was half-stern, half-impressed.
"Well, Ms. Reynolds," Sterling said, crossing his arms. "It seems your personal life is making waves across every major financial blog in the country."
I looked up, meeting his piercing gaze without flinching. "I didn't leak the documents to the press, Mr. Sterling. But I won't pretend I'm shedding any tears over the exposure of fraudulent developers."
Sterling let out a low, booming laugh that rattled the glass partitions of my office. "Of course you didn't, Claire. A good portfolio manager knows when to let the market correct itself. Vance & Hawthorne’s stock has plummeted forty percent since this morning. Their commercial backers are pulling out left and right. Your father's firm is officially insolvent."
"Play stupid games, win catastrophic prizes," I replied smoothly.
"Indeed," Sterling smiled, leaning against the edge of my desk. "The board was discussing you this morning. Given how cleanly you handled this PR fallout without letting it impact your deliverables, we’re moving up your timeline. Effective next month, you’re absorbing the international asset management division."
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I felt a thrill of pure, unadulterated triumph ripple through my chest. "Thank you, Mr. Sterling. You won't regret it."
"I know I won't," he said, turning toward the door. "Oh, and Claire? If your parents try to step foot in this building again, tell security to use the freight elevator."
