CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIVE - The Price of Deception

When the next board meeting arrived, Mara was ready. As the board members filed in, she could feel the tension in the room. Gabriel sat across from her, a confident smile playing on his lips. Cassius called the meeting to order, his expression grave. "As you all know, there have been some... disagreements about the direction of our Manhattan subsidiary. Today, we'll hear proposals from both Mara and Gabriel, after which the board will make a decision on how to proceed." Gabriel went first, presenting his vision for a more aggressive expansion. He spoke of bold acquisitions, rapid scaling, and high-risk, high-reward strategies. His presentation was slick and confident, full of impressive projections and ambitious goals. As he spoke, Mara watched the board members' reactions carefully. Some seemed swayed by Gabriel's charisma and bold promises. Others looked more skeptical, exchanging worried glances at some of the riskier proposals. When it was her turn to present, Mara took a deep