CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN – THE FEMME FATALE

A heavy silence fell over the room, the weight of Friedrich's words hanging in the air like a suffocating shroud. Julian could feel the doubt and uncertainty rippling through the assembled board members, their loyalties wavering in the face of Friedrich's unwavering confidence. It was Anya who struck the decisive blow, her voice cutting through the tension like a razor-sharp blade. "Gentlemen, I think it's time we addressed the elephant in the room," she purred, her eyes gleaming with calculated cunning. Julian's gaze snapped to her, his heart pounding in his chest as a sense of dread washed over him. Anya rose from her seat, her movements fluid and graceful as she paced the length of the boardroom table. "Julian's... outburst has laid bare a troubling reality – his inability to lead this company with the level-headed pragmatism it requires." A murmur of agreement rippled through the assembled board members, and Julian felt his stomach twist into a knot of dread. "He has allowed h