CHAPTER NINETY SIX - HEARTS AT STAKE

By the time they left the boardroom, Ava felt drained and defeated. The board had stopped short of firing her, but she was now under intense scrutiny. Every decision, every proposal would be questioned and second-guessed. "What do we do now?" she asked Max as they retreated to his office, away from the prying eyes and whispered conversations that seemed to follow them through the halls. Max was quiet for a long moment, his brow furrowed in thought. When he finally spoke, his voice was filled with a quiet determination. "We fight back. Not with tricks or traps, but with the truth. It's time to take a stand, Ava. Publicly." The next day, Max called an all-hands meeting. The large auditorium was filled with nervous energy as employees filed in, whispered conversations buzzing about the rumors that had been circulating. Ava sat in the front row, her heart pounding as Max took the stage. He looked every inch the confident CEO in his perfectly tailored suit, but Ava could see the tension