Yet one headline screamed another: “Who Was the Woman They Kicked Off?” Lysandra didn’t read them. She didn’t need to.
Claire forwarded her the numbers. Orion’s stock was down 30% overnight. Investors were pulling out. Sponsors were backing away.
At headquarters, Gavin was on the phone, yelling at someone about damage control.
Tanya posted a tearful apology video, her makeup still perfect.
“I was just doing my job,” she said, her voice breaking just enough to seem sincere.
The comments tore her apart.
In a quiet moment at the hotel, Lysandra stood by the window, a glass of water in her hand.
A maid knocked, then entered, pushing a cart piled with towels.
She was older, her hair streaked with gray, her hands moving with the efficiency of someone who’d done this for decades.
She glanced at Lysandra’s backpack, then at her face, and offered a small smile. “Long trip?”
