CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE – COMPANY SLANDER

As the weeks ticked by with no legal resolution in sight, the media frenzy only intensified. Emboldened by the lack of progress in court, the press sensationalized every new development with increasingly inflammatory rhetoric. Slanderous rumors began cropping up, reported as fact: "STORM ENTERPRISES UNDER SIEGE AS EMPLOYEES FLEE SINKING SHIP!" "REMINGTON ALLEGES DANVERS CONDUCTED TORRID OFFICE AFFAIRS TO COVER UP FRAUD!" The insidious innuendo left Kayla feeling battered and raw, emotions she strove to conceal beneath her trademark poise. But Lance saw the strain in the taut lines around her eyes, the way her shoulders slumped fractionally when she thought no one was looking. The incessant pounding of the scandal had drained them both, leaving them desperate for an escape, even if just for a few precious hours. So when Lance approached Kayla late one evening with a glint in his eye, she didn't hesitate. "Get your coat," he murmured, taking her by the hand. "We're going for a driv