The broadcast dissolved into pandemonium. Reggie’s interview was abruptly cut, replaced by stunned anchor reactions. The phone at Jensen & Associates began to ring off the hook.
My own phone buzzed with an incoming call from Maria, her voice breathless. “Did you see that? Dr. Albright… she actually did it!”
Reggie’s carefully constructed image imploded in real time. Within hours, the Vanderbilt Foundation issued a terse public statement. “An emergency board meeting has been called,” it read, “citing unforeseen ethical and leadership concerns following recent events.”
The financial fallout was immediate and devastating. News channels reported major donors, reeling from Dr. Albright’s public confession, were already withdrawing their pledges. A $5 million pledge from a prominent tech mogul was pulled before midnight. Another $10 million from a family trust vanished by dawn. The foundation faced a financial panic.
Meanwhile, my phone rang with an unknown number. It was Wallace Finch, Reggie’s lawyer. His voice, usually smooth and controlled, was tight with barely suppressed rage.
“Dr. Albright has committed a grave professional felony,” he hissed. “She will face the full force of the law.”
I heard a click and the line went dead. I knew he meant it. But I also knew Dr. Albright, somewhere, was finally feeling a profound sense of moral vindication. She had stood for the truth, no matter the personal cost.
+ There are no comments
Add yours