Chapter 6 - The Media Circus
By sunrise, the quiet, tree-lined suburban street of Chestnut Hill looked like a warzone.
More than twenty news vans were parked along the perimeter of the Reed Estate. Satellite dishes pointed at the sky, bright television lights beamed against the wrought-iron security gates, and dozens of reporters held microphones, shouting questions whenever a vehicle approached.
"MR. REED! ARE THE RUMORS TRUE?!" "IS CLARA MURPHY BEING HELD AGAINST HER WILL?!" "DID YOU USE REED GLOBAL FUNDS TO BUY HER SILENCE?!"
Inside the mansion, the mood was tense.
Clara stood by the living room window, watching the horde of journalists outside with a feeling of sinking terror.
"They're making me look like... like a blackmailer," she sobbed, clutching her forehead. "They're saying terrible things about you, Malcolm! They're saying you took Evie to control me!"
"Let them talk," Malcolm said coldly, standing beside Arthur at his desk as financial reports flashed across his computer screens.
"Sir," Arthur warned, "the market just opened. Reed Global Dynamics stock has already dropped eighteen percent. The board of directors has called an emergency emergency shareholder meeting for 2:00 PM today at the Boston Convention Center to vote on your removal as Chairman."
"Who initiated the emergency motion?" Malcolm asked, his voice deadpan.
"Richard Vance and Julian Croft," Arthur replied. "They've bought up three percent of the distressed shares overnight. They have rallied the institutional hedge funds."
Clara stepped forward, her hands trembling. "Malcolm... I'll leave. I'll take Evie and go to a shelter. If I leave, the story dies! You won't lose your company!"
Malcolm turned to look at her. He walked across the room and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, looking into her eyes with a warmth that completely contradicted his cold reputation.
"Clara, look at me," Malcolm commanded softly. "Three years ago, when my wife died of cancer, I crawled into a shell. I threw myself into making money because numbers don't feel pain. I built walls so high that I couldn't even see my own daughter crying in her room."
May you like
He glanced over at Maisie and Evie, who were sitting together on the couch, coloring in a storybook, oblivious to the storm outside.
"Your daughter walked into my attic and taught my daughter how to love another human being," Malcolm said, his voice thick with emotion. "And you reminded me what honor looks like. I am not letting those parasites drive you back into the cold. We are going to that shareholder meeting together."
