Chapter 3 - The Mask Slips
By 9:00 AM, the digital sleuths had done their job. Someone on a watch forum had zoomed in on the video, completely ignoring my lack of a timepiece, and focused instead on the key fob in my hand. An Aston Martin Valkyrie fob. Then, a dashcam video from another car captured my license plate as I drove away.
The headline on Forbes hit the web at 10:14 AM: TechNova’s Ghost CEO Revealed as Garage Vigilante.
The fallout was instantaneous. News vans barricaded the front of the Horizon Dynamics building. Helicopters circled my residential tower. My inbox, usually a sterile environment managed by two executive assistants, crashed from the sheer volume of interview requests, threats, and inquiries.
I sat in my corner office, staring at the muted news on the flat screen. Julian Vance was on national television, sporting a fake neck brace, claiming he was viciously attacked by a corporate psychopath.
"He's suing for assault, emotional distress, and public humiliation," Sarah said, dropping a thick legal folder onto my glass desk. "And his father, Richard, is using this. He’s calling our board members. He's whispering that you're unstable, violent, and unfit to lead Horizon just as we finalize the Apex merger."
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Richard Vance orchestrated that kid's tantrum, didn't he?"
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"No," Sarah replied. "Julian is just an idiot. But Richard is an opportunist. He’s weaponizing his son’s stupidity to stage a hostile takeover. If the board votes no-confidence in you tomorrow, Apex Capital buys our shares at a thirty percent discount."
I looked down at the faded gray sweater I was still wearing. It had served me well as camouflage. But camouflage is useless when the enemy already knows your coordinates.
