Part 14: The Press Conference
Part 14: The Press Conference
Three months later, Elena made her first major public appearance since the birth of her daughter. The grand ballroom of the Aureum Dominion global headquarters was packed to maximum capacity with international journalists, economic photographers, and high-profile business leaders from around the world.
Elena stood confidently at the podium, looking breathtaking and utterly commanding in a custom-tailored emerald-green maternity blazer. Victoria was resting safely upstairs in the executive childcare suite, watched over by Maria and a highly vetted team of pediatric professionals.
A senior reporter from the Wall Street Journal raised his hand and was called upon.
"Ms. Vale, the global business community is calling your rapid restructuring of Aureum Dominion and the total dismantling of the Whitmore Group one of the most ruthless, aggressive corporate takeovers in modern history. Looking back, do you have any regrets or moral qualms about how harshly you handled your ex-husband’s family?"
The entire ballroom went completely silent, the flashbulbs stopping as everyone held their breath, waiting for her response.
Elena leaned into the microphone. She let out a small, calm, effortless laugh—the exact same calm smile that had terrified Grant in that dining room a year ago.
May you like
"Ruthless?" Elena asked smoothly, her voice echoing with absolute authority through the speakers. "No. I call it absolute accountability. For far too long, individuals with a small amount of inherited wealth have mistaken economic privilege for actual power, and systemic cruelty for personal strength. I didn't destroy the Whitmore family, sir. I simply stopped holding up the sky for them. They crushed themselves entirely under the weight of their own arrogance."
The ballroom erupted into deafening applause.
