"Answer the board directly, Mr. Blackridge."
The demand cut across the executive conference room so sharply that even the scrolling financial projections seemed to freeze for half a second. Peter stood at the head of the table with both hands braced against the polished glass surface while twelve senior executives watched him like predators waiting for weakness. The overnight recovery reports were still unstable across the shared monitors, and the tension inside the room had become so thick that every keyboard tap sounded louder than normal. Caro sat near the far end beside the compliance division, keeping her eyes lowered even though she could already feel Peter noticing every movement she made.
