The second article hit like a brick. Not a blog this time, but a respected online financial journal.
Serena Caldwell, leveraging her deep connections in media and finance, had carefully placed a fabricated story. It was far more damning than the “meltdown” narrative.
The headline was brutal: “Sources Allege Caldwell Tech CEO Evelyn Shaw Orchestrated Stock Market Crash for Hostile Takeover.”
I stared at the screen, my blood turning to ice. The article accused me of deliberately triggering the initial stock sell-off, using insider information to devalue Caldwell Corp. and facilitate a hostile takeover.
It even included doctored emails, supposedly from my corporate account, discussing “strategic market manipulation” and “executive recalibrations.” They were crude fakes, but convincing enough for a casual reader.
“They’re implying you tried to steal Garrett’s company, Evelyn,” Robert Jensen’s voice cut through the phone. “This is a full-scale assault. They want the SEC to open an investigation.”
The article quickly went viral, picked up by other news outlets. Social media exploded with comments, a mixture of outrage and morbid fascination. My professional reputation, already in tatters, was now being actively shredded.
Calls for a formal investigation into my activities grew louder across financial forums. I felt the walls closing in, the coordinated attack from Garrett and Serena suffocating me.
This wasn’t just about reclaiming my company anymore. It was about fighting for my entire future in the corporate world, a world that was now convinced I was a criminal.
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